Get Better Soup

I started making this soup when I was a teenager and, over the years, my recipe's become a lot simpler. This one has all the good stuff without anything superfluous. I'm not looking to impress Emeril with it. I just want to help people feel better, and it seems to get the job done. (If you don't have time for all this but you want to help someone who has a stuffy nose and/or sore throat, skip over to the Quick Get-Better Broth.)

a pound or so of boneless chicken        

a tablespoon of olive oil                       

a tablespoon of garlic salt                    

eight cups chicken  broth                             

lots of baby carrots, quartered              

lots of celery, coarsely chopped   

a whole large onion, coarsely chopped

AT LEAST eight whole, peeled garlic cloves

 a couple tablespoons of thyme  

crushed red pepper         

more garlic salt to taste

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Pour broth into a good-sized stock pot. Add vegetables and herbs and heat until simmering. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown chicken in oil and garlic salt over medium high heat. Chop into bite-size pieces and add to soup. Add red pepper to taste -- start with at least half a teaspoon, which is enough to create residual warmth without blowing anyone's head off, and go from there. Let soup continue to simmer until carrots are soft. Add more garlic salt to taste just before serving.

Serves six as a side soup, four as a main dish, or one sick person all day.

Quick Get-Better Broth

8oz very hot water                   

one chicken bouillon cube

half a teaspoon of garlic powder

pinch of crushed red pepper

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Mix all ingredients together in a mug and allow to steep for a minute or so. Sip slowly, breathing in the steam. Repeat at least four times daily (or as often as desired) until symptoms have resolved.

If you're interested...
the steam and the red pepper are natural decongestants. The red pepper and the salt from the bouillon help strip the gunk from your throat. Salt and garlic are powerful natural antiseptics, which can prevent your nose-and-throat junk from turning into an infection. Inhaled salt steam is also anti-inflammatory, which can help alleviate pain in your sinuses and throat. And regardless of whether you attribute any healing powers to the nutrient compounds found in chicken broth, nobody's debating its scientifically proven yumminess.