There is something wonderfully comforting about chicken soup. Warm, satisfying and healthy – or so say most grandmothers!

The supposed benefits of chicken soup’s medicinal properties have been passed down by word of mouth for centuries.

We know that in the 12th century, the Egyptian physician and philosopher - Moshe ben Maimonides – wrote about chicken soup’s positive effect on respiratory tract symptoms. His confidence in the power of chicken soup is believed to have been based on earlier Greek literature.

But how much proof is there that chicken soup is a cross-cultural elixir or SOUP-ER food?


Chicken Soup and Colds

Dr Stephen Rennard from the Nebraska Medical Centre in Omaha tested the theory that chicken soup is good for a cold after watching his wife cook up a batch for her cold-suffering family.

He studied three batches of soup with matzo balls (prepared in his own kitchen) in controlled laboratory conditions. He focused on whether the samples had an effect on white blood cells, specifically the immune cells responsible for causing congestion (known as neutrophils). Dr Rennard found the soup inhibited the neutrophils’ ability to cause inflammation. Later, he discovered many commercially made soups also helped reduce upper respiratory cold symptoms. But he was not able to identify what ingredient or ingredients are responsible. Dr Rennard’s team of researchers believe it may be the total combination of ingredients which positively influences the common cold.


Chicken Soup and Blood Pressure

Japanese researchers from the Nippon Meat Packers Research and Development Centre believe it is the chicken – rather than the soup – which helps lower blood pressure in a similar fashion to medications called ACE inhibitors.

They found the collagen proteins in chicken legs caused a significant decrease in blood pressure.

But the researchers have warned salt in chicken soup may reverse the potential benefit.

Chicken Soup and Satiety

Can chicken soup help you to stay slim? An experiment by the University of Nottingham indicates it will give you that “full” feeling for longer, which may influence you to eat less than you otherwise would. In the experiment, volunteers were given one of two lunches.

The first consisted of char grilled chicken, vegetables and a bottle of still water. The second contained the same ingredients except that they were mixed with the water and blended into a soup. Everyone who ate the soup reported feeling fuller for longer. MRI scans proved the non-soup meal took up less space in the stomach.


Renee's Stepmother's Chicken Soup

Serves 4

Food Investigators’ Dr Renee Lim is sharing her family’s (until now) secret chicken soup recipe.

Ingredients

4 cups chicken stock
250g chicken thigh meat
1 x 420g can of creamed corn
2 eggs white
1 tablespoon dry sherry
½ cup water
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon corn flour
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 thinly sliced spring onions
Pepper

Method

Cut chicken thigh meat into small pieces. Add salt, wine, grated ginger, sugar and water. Mix well. Add stock and creamed corn. Simmer for 10 minutes. Blend corn flour gradually into the chicken stock. Cook and stir occasionally until consommé thickens slightly.

Use a fork to whisk egg whites in a small bowl. Gradually pour the egg whites into the stock. Stir constantly with a ladle. Cook until white ribbons swirl through the soup. Remove from heat. Add sesame oil and half of the spring onion. Stir.

Taste and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with the remaining spring onion. Serve immediately and enjoy!