Chicken Noodle Soup for the Flu

February 15, 2015
 |  576 Comments
Chicken noodle soup for the flu

Chicken noodle soup for the flu

I know that last time I talked about Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras coming up and that I was going to make a King Cake and share the recipe with you. Change of plans. I probably shouldn’t admit to you that I had the flu, because since I eat organic, I should be healthy all the time, right?! I work at a school, where the dreaded flu virus is spreading like wildfire. Other factors contribute to the strength of our immune systems also. Besides eating healthy organic food, one other thing that I could do to build up my immune system is to get enough rest. I’m pretty brutal with myself when it comes to the schedule I keep. During the week, I get up at 4:00 a.m. so that I have one hour all to myself in which I make and eat my breakfast and do some reading. After that, for the next 15 to 16 hours of the day, I’ll be doing stuff for other people.

Last time I wrote, I had already started with the fever. If you get the flu, please get to the doctor as soon as possible. I’m not a big fan of the pharmaceutical industry, but in certain circumstances, I’m willing to take medicine that the doctor prescribes to me to get better more quickly. The flu is one of those cases. I had the flu back in January or February of 2011. I got to the doctor the same day that my symptoms started, and he gave me a medication called Tamiflu. He told me that it has a short window of opportunity to work, and that it was a good thing I went in that day. Unfortunately, this time around, I waited until the second day with a fever. They still gave me the prescription for Tamiflu. I got horribly sick. My fever started on Saturday morning. I went to the doctor on Sunday morning. Monday and Tuesday were awful. I wanted to use my essential oils to try to open up my breathing passages and to boost my immune system, but it required effort to peel myself off of the bed, so I couldn’t do it. I also wanted chicken noodle soup, but there was no energy for that either.

By Wednesday, the flu was finally starting to leave me, but I felt like I had bronchitis. And as “Sweet Brown” says, “Ain’t nobody got time for dat!” I called my doctor and got an appointment for Thursday morning. The doctor confirmed that I had a secondary upper respiratory infection and gave me a prescription for antibiotics and an inhaler. I’m not a big fan of the inhaler. It makes me jittery and my heart race. And I don’t really notice it opening up my lungs like it is meant to do. But I am taking those antibiotics, and I noticed a difference in how I felt by Friday.

So that’s the story of my flu saga. But somewhere in that span of sickness, I think on Thursday afternoon, I pulled together enough energy to make my chicken noodle soup. I love this soup when I am sick. If you feel yourself start to get sick, make this soup immediately. It’s not a hard soup to make, but if you are really sick, you might not have the energy to scrape yourself off of the couch or the bed. Of course, if you have the recipe, you could maybe get some really nice person to make it for you and leave it on your front doorstep, so you don’t infect them.

Here’s my recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup for the Flu:

About a pound of organic boneless skinless chicken (whatever parts you prefer, light or dark meat) I used the chicken thighs from Costco

3 1/2 to 4 quarts of water

4 Tablespoons of organic Chicken Better Than Bouillon

1/2 stick of organic butter

3 ribs of organic celery, cleaned and diced

3 organic carrots, cleaned and diced

1 yellow onion, diced

about a Tablespoon of organic fresh Italian flat-leafed parsley chopped up

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon organic poultry seasoning

8 oz. organic pasta of your choice

Cut up the chicken into about one-inch pieces. Place them in the bottom of a 6-quart Dutch oven or stockpot. Pour in the water and add the Better Than Bouillon. Bring this to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for about 15 minutes. While that is boiling, melt the butter in a large (iron, if you have it) skillet. Add the celery, carrot and onion and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or so, until the onions and celery start to soften. Add this vegetable mixture to your pot of cooking chicken soup. Keep on a slow boil until the carrots are softened. Once carrots are a little softened, add the parsley, black pepper, poultry seasoning and your pasta. Continue to boil until your pasta is ready. It’s ready to eat!

One thing about this soup, the noodles will continue to suck up the liquid of the soup and become very large and very soft. It doesn’t harm the flavor of the soup at all. Just so that you know your leftovers will look a little different than what the soup looks like right when it is first ready to eat. I actually think that the leftovers taste better. If you’re the only one eating it, then you probably have enough for a week. You could also make this ahead and portion it out and freeze it. That way you don’t have to worry about making it when you are sick or trying to find someone else to make it for you. Or you can just make it and enjoy when you aren’t sick. It’s a great tasting and easy to make soup. My husband and both of my kids love it.

I’m still disappointed that I didn’t get to make a King Cake! I may just make it anyway, whenever I have a chance. I have to do something with the purple, yellow and green sprinkles that I bought for it. Whatever the case, you won’t be disappointed with this chicken noodle soup recipe. It’s miles above and beyond anything you could ever get out of a can. And I hope you stay healthy and don’t have to eat it because you’re sick, but only because you like chicken noodle soup.

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