Chicken Soup Recipes To Help You Fight Those Nasty Colds - Mashed (2024)

Inspiration

Shutterstock

ByLauren Schumacker/Updated: Oct. 12, 2017 12:59 pm EST

Though cold symptoms might be more commonly associated with the cooler months, you can catch one any time of the year. When you get sick, sometimes only a comforting, cozy bowl of chicken soup will do.

There are more reasons beyond comfort and flavor that you should turn to a bowl of chicken soup when you get sick. According toresearch, traditional versions of chicken soup have been found to have some anti-inflammatory effects, meaning slurping up a bowl of chicken, vegetables, and broth can actually help you kick your cold sooner and feel better faster. Whether all you want is a bowl of chicken noodle or chicken matzo ball or you're looking for something with a little more spunk, these chicken soup recipes will have you feeling better before you know it.

Shutterstock

Oftentimes it seems the most comforting soup is the creamiest version, right? Creamy chicken soup fromThe Cookie Rookieis thickened with a roux, making it (yes) creamy, rather than light and brothy. It's kind of like a hug in a bowl.

Shutterstock

This Tom Ka Gai (Thai chicken soup with coconut milk) fromThe Spruce is a great mix of sweet and creamy, spicy, sour (from the lime juice), and salty with a bit of funk (from the fish sauce). This soup is more flavorful upgrade of your regular old chicken soup.

Shutterstock

Chicken and wild rice soup is a classic and feels a bit different from the same old chicken noodle. Slow cooker chicken and wild rice soup byIowa Girl Eats makes it even easier for you to prepare this soup — all you have to do is throw it in your slow cooker and turn it on. Your slow cooker does all the work and you get to enjoy the results.

Shutterstock

Spicy and supremely flavorful, this Mexican chicken soup byBarefoot Contessa is the perfect upgrade if you're looking for a chicken soup that'll lift your spirits, ease your cold symptoms, and make you feel better faster.

Shutterstock

This Taiwanese sesame oil chicken soup byThe Woks of Life will warm you up from the inside out. I'm not sure what's more comforting than that. Between the chicken, sesame oil, rice wine, and ginger, this soup is super flavorful as well as comforting.

Shutterstock

This quick Greek lemon chicken soup byJust A Taste is nice and bright from the addition of lots of lemon, full-bodied from the rice or pasta, super savory from the chicken, and herbaceous from the optional dill garnish. It all comes together to form a comforting yet still different tasting bowl of chicken soup.

Shutterstock

Traditional chicken noodle soup bySmitten Kitchen is everything you need if you're looking for a regular old chicken noodle soup recipe to warm you up, make you feel better, and maybe give you a taste of home. It doesn't get simpler or more comforting than that.

Shutterstock

Slow cooker chicken gnocchi soup byPinch of Yum might just be the most comforting of all soups. A bowl of gnocchi is the height of comfort on it's own, but a chicken soup with gnocchi standing in for the noodles? That'll make you feel better by the time your spoon hits the bottom of the bowl.

Shutterstock

This golden turmeric chickpea chicken soup byAmbitious Kitchen will make you feel your absolute healthiest. Ginger, garlic, chickpeas, and turmeric mingle with chicken, coconut milk, sweet potatoes, and peanut butter to both heal your cold and make you feel like you're super healthy. It's an upgrade on the typical chicken soup.

Shutterstock

If chicken noodle soup has never really been your thing, this chicken posole byWhat's Gaby Cooking might be more your bag. Tender chicken, spicy broth, chewy hominy, and all of your favorite fixings including avocado, cheese, radishes, cilantro, and anything else your heart desires. It's a sure-fire way to make yourself feel better.

Shutterstock

This Jewish chicken soup with matzo balls byGirl and the Kitchen is comforting, healing, delicious, and just like sitting in Grandma's kitchen. A slurp-able broth, matzo balls laden with herbs, tender veggies, and poached chicken is the best kind of comfort. If that doesn't make you feel better, I'm not sure what will.

Shutterstock

Sometimes all you need is a bowl of the healthiest soup you can find to perk you up and make you feel less sickly and far healthier. This detox chicken soup byDamn Delicious is just the ticket. Kale, lemon juice, mushrooms, and garlic? That's one comforting, delicious detox.

Shutterstock

This green, herbaceous, slightly tart, yet still supremely comforting Aguadito de pollo (Peruvian chicken soup) byGimme Some Oven will leave you feeling oh so healthy. It starts with a base of chicken (of course), rice, and vegetables and then gets kicked up a notch with the addition of lime juice, pureed chile peppers, cilantro, and garlic. It's chicken soup with a bit of a kick.