Myth or Fact: Does Chicken Soup Really Help When You Have a Cold?

What the research found

In a study published in the journal Chest in 1978, researchers measured how fast mucus moved through the noses of 15 healthy volunteers after different drinks. Five minutes after sipping hot chicken soup, mucus speed rose from 6.9 to 9.2 millimetres per minute. Sipping hot water also helped, rising from 6.2 to 8.4. Cold water slowed it down. By 30 minutes, the values had returned to their starting point (Saketkhoo et al.). The authors concluded that hot fluids help partly through the steam, and that chicken soup seemed to have something extra, possibly from its aroma or taste.

In 2000, a team led by Dr Stephen Rennard at the University of Nebraska Medical Center tested a traditional chicken soup in the lab, also published in Chest. It reduced the movement of neutrophils, white blood cells involved in inflammation, and the effect grew stronger as the soup was more concentrated. Commercial soups varied greatly. The researchers suggested a mild anti-inflammatory effect could be one way soup eases cold symptoms (Rennard et al.).

The limits matter. The first study involved 15 healthy people and lasted half an hour. The second was done in a laboratory, not in people with colds. So chicken soup is a helpful bowl, not a medicine.

Three comforting soups for winter 2026

1. Classic chicken soup

Put 1 kg bone-in chicken thighs or legs in a large pot with 2.5 litres of water, 1 halved onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves, a bay leaf and a few peppercorns. Simmer gently for about an hour, skimming the surface. Lift out the chicken, shred the meat and discard the bones. Strain the broth, add fresh sliced carrot and celery and a handful of small pasta or rice, and cook until tender. Return the chicken, season with salt and finish with parsley.

2. Greek avgolemono (lemon and egg chicken soup)

Bring 1.5 litres of chicken stock to the boil and cook 100 g rice or orzo until tender. Whisk 2 eggs with the juice of 2 lemons. Slowly whisk a ladle of hot stock into the eggs, then a second, and pour the mixture back into the pot over low heat, stirring until silky and steaming. Don't let it boil, or the eggs will curdle. Stir in shredded cooked chicken and serve straight away.

3. Ginger and lemongrass chicken noodle soup

Simmer 1.5 litres of chicken stock with a thumb of sliced ginger, 2 bruised lemongrass stalks and 2 garlic cloves for 15 minutes. Add thinly sliced chicken breast and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until cooked through. Add cooked rice noodles, a splash of fish sauce and lime juice, and top with spring onion, coriander and sliced chilli.

When soup isn't enough

Soup is for comfort. If you have a high fever, difficulty breathing, or symptoms that get worse or don't improve after about a week, talk to a doctor or pharmacist.

The bottom line

Grandma was partly right. Hot chicken soup won't knock out a cold, but it can make you feel better for a while, and it's one of the most comforting things you can cook this winter.

Sources

1. Saketkhoo, K., Januszkiewicz, A. and Sackner, M. A., "Effects of drinking hot water, cold water, and chicken soup on nasal mucus velocity and nasal airflow resistance", Chest (1978)
2. Rennard, B. O. et al., "Chicken soup inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro", Chest (2000)