SOMETHING SIMPLE: Sick-Day Chicken Noodle Soup

As a kid, I rode out every cold I ever caught with a self-prescribed diet of Sprite and saltine crackers, alongside repeated viewings of The Princess Bride. In adulthood, I find that a sick day still calls for that same simplicity and comfort I craved when I was young — but now that I’m older and arguably wiser, I also want a much heftier dose of truly nourishing ingredients.

For me, a sick-day recipe has to ­satisfy an array of competing impulses. I want it to be packed with nutrients yet easy to digest. It’s got to be soothing and cozy but so simple that I can still throw it together when I can hardly stand upright. I need something flavorful enough that I might want to eat it when I don’t feel like eating much of anything, but it can’t require any ingredients that I don’t typically keep stocked in my fridge, freezer, or pantry.

Of course, chicken soup is practically the platonic ideal of a sick-day food, and for good reason: While there is no cure for the common cold, numerous studies suggest that some of the ingredients in chicken soup can help relieve certain cold symptoms.

The broth provides fluid and electrolytes, both of which are crucial for supporting immune function and maintaining body temperature. The steam from the hot soup can help alleviate nasal congestion, and the chicken and vegetables supply important nutrients, like protein and vitamin C, to aid tissue repair and support the immune response.

This soup also contains healthy doses of garlic and ginger, which are potent anti-inflammatory ingredients. Research suggests that gingerol, a compound found in fresh ginger, can reduce the risk of both bacterial and viral infections — and one 2024 study found that those antiviral effects are more potent when the ginger is combined with garlic.

Allicin, the compound that gives garlic its pungent scent and its antibacterial and antiviral properties, forms when the cloves are chopped or crushed. For that reason, I like to follow the “10-minute rule” when cooking with garlic: I mince it up and let it stand on the cutting board for at least 10 minutes to give the allicin time to develop. This enhances the flavor as well as the health-promoting compounds. For this soup, I’ll prep the garlic and ginger first, so they can rest while I prep the rest of my ingredients and sweat the onions.

Beyond its combination of nourishing ingredients, one of the greatest strengths of this sick-day soup is its adaptability. You could swap the chicken breasts for thighs, use frozen spinach instead of fresh, or choose a different leafy green entirely, like kale or Swiss chard. You could replace half of the water with bone broth for an extra boost of protein, vitamins, and minerals (just be sure to halve the salt too).

Cooked in the amount of liquid this recipe uses, the rice will begin to break down and form a thick, velvety consistency similar to a rice porridge or a Chinese congee. This makes the rice easier to digest, and the comforting soup can be a blank canvas for whatever toppings you’re craving.

Maybe you want yours with an egg on top, or with a sprinkle of crispy shallots or crunchy cashews. My husband always adds a generous drizzle of chili oil. I’ll take mine with extra lemon juice and a fistful of fresh herbs — and, of course, the story of Inigo Montoya’s revenge on the six-fingered man.