Chicken soup is known for its curative powers – come in from the cold

My mum, like almost every Jewish mother, is deeply committed to chicken soup. No doubt, I’ll follow suit, as this devotion is so entrenched in family tradition it has seeped into my genes. When I was growing up and had a cold, I was often fed this so-called Jewish penicillin by Mum. It was only later that I discovered its poultry-based origin. Over time I learned to love it even when I wasn’t under the weather, although it still surpasses any other cold or flu remedy I know.

The first chicken soup was made in the poor communities in Russia where for centuries poultry was the only affordable meat. Many families used the whole bird to prepare a three-course traditional meal, starting with chopped liver, followed by a broth-like soup and finishing with the rest of the fowl for an entrée. Today, chicken soup is still served as part of a Shabbat meal in most Jewish homes, at festivals and weddings and as a general cold weather pick-me-up. Accompaniments can include cooked lokshen (vermicelli or egg noodles), kreplach (three-cornered “Jewish ravioli” filled with onion and minced beef or chicken), ravioli or knaidlech at Passover (matzoh balls) or even an egg-glazed puff pastry crust baked onto individual bowls of soup in a hot oven for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

I can still picture my mum spending what seemed like hours skimming the fat off our regular Friday night ritual, stirring the golden liquid to perfection whilst I sucked on chicken bones and did my homework. ‘This,’ she would declare, ‘is a soup not to be hurried.’ She would explain that the soup should cook a minimum of three hours, and then the fat must be skimmed off when the soup has cooled down. Finally, the mixture should sit for 24 hours before serving to allow the flavours to mingle.

My mother still remains faithful to her recipe, but she now substitutes a couple of chicken legs and thighs instead of a whole chicken. She also adds chunks of a large parsnip for sweetness alongside the standard whole onions, sliced carrots and celery, soft ripe tomatoes and a bunch of parsley. Mum also likes to add a couple of tablespoons of protein-rich pearl barley at the end to further boost its nourishment.

Chicken soup is well-known for its healthy properties. At the University of Nebraska Medical Center in America, researchers found that chicken soup (even when diluted with water) has anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe cold-ridden stuffy noses and sore throats. Beyond being rich in protein and vegetables, it’s widely believed that chicken soup acts as a placebo because it is generally prepared as a type of comfort food that warms one’s insides. But you don’t have to be Jewish to make chicken soup.

Ken Hom, one of the world’s greatest authorities on Chinese cookery, warmly remembers the delicious version his mum used to make in A Memoir of Recipes: Easy Family Dishes (BBC Publications; £17.99). Her recipe suggests boiling uncooked chicken bones from the feet or wings along with pieces of meat from the wings, thighs and drumsticks. Complement this stock with fresh ginger, spring onions and whole, unpeeled crushed garlic (with the skins on). Simmer the stock very slowly with salt and pepper for up to four hours, skimming off the fat as it appears. Then, add de-seeded cubes of cucumber seasoned with soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and a little sugar.

The Polish like to add ground almonds to their soup for richness whilst the French include some bay leaves and a sprig of thyme for a more fragrant, herby finish. Even Michelin-starred chef Pierre Koffman of La Tante Claire restaurant in London recommends a variation on chicken soup from his beloved grandmother in his autobiographical cookbook Memories of Gascony (Mitchell Beazley, £12.99). It involves frying chicken necks, wings and gizzards in duck fat, then sweating carrots and onions in the same mixture. Finally, dry white wine, garlic, bouquet garni and macaroni are added, and the soup is simmered for half an hour.

Claudia Roden, a leading authority on Jewish food and author of The Book of Jewish Food (Penguin; £12.99), suggests adding a good pinch of powdered saffron at the end of any standard chicken soup recipe for a more authentic amber-golden colour.

At Six 13, London’s first-ever kosher fusion restaurant, chef Stephen Collins, formerly of Quaglino’s, serves a contemporary interpretation of chicken soup billed as consommé with herbed matzoh balls. It’s made by boiling the fowl, then adding minced chicken pieces, vegetables and a touch of tomato paste. Collins adorns his masterpiece with a spaghetti of carrot, courgette and mouli (a Chinese root veg).

As Greek chef Theodore Kyriakou of The Real Greek restaurant in London asserts, Jewish mothers don’t have an exclusivity deal on chicken soup. 'At the slightest hint of someone in the family getting a winter cold, Greek matriarchs also dish out nutritious chicken soup to all and sundry. It has a legendary reputation as a hangover cure too.' He serves his own chicken avgolemono soup, a Greek take on classic chicken soup, which is made with milk, Greek short-grain or risotto rice, lemon juice and eggs. The whites are folded into the broth first with the lemon juice, and the yolks are added on a very low heat that mustn’t reach boiling point or it will curdle. Finally a knob of butter is floated in each bowl to serve.

Mexican chicken soup has a spicier twist. It’s invariably served with a wedge of lime, a scattering of coriander and a dollop of fiery salsa. As American-Jewish food writer and chicken soup devotée Marlena Spieler says, 'This is a pick-me-up with a vengeance which will see off practically any known adversary.'