Once a month Bon Appétit editor in chief Dawn Davis shares what's on her mind by taking over our newsletter. You'll find recipes she's cooking, stories she's loving, where she's been eating, and more. It gets better: If you sign up for our newsletter, you'll get this letter before everyone else.
With so much focus on COVID-19, I can't remember the last time I interacted with anyone grappling with a cold. Yet within the last week, it seems that colds are suddenly back in vogue. When the folks in my life get a cold, I'm an evangelist for the healing powers of chicken soup. For my go-to, I smash star anise, whole cinnamon sticks, ginger, and green onions before sautéing them in chilli paste and adding chicken parts, a little fish sauce, and lots of soy to make a warming, comforting, and absolutely delicious soup.
As much as I love it, however, even I sometimes need an alternative, especially when it seems like everyone-children, neighbors, and colleagues alike-are sniffling and sneezing, and I have to make my old chestnut again and again. Thankfully, our archives are full of options; there are over twenty in this gallery alone. Of all of variations, I was most drawn to Andy Baraghani's Feel-Better Chicken Rice Soup, which has a lot in common with my signature soup yet distinguishes itself with some key differences: It uses jasmine rice instead of rice noodles; lime instead of chili paste for that touch of acidity; and sweet potatoes, which are loaded with vitamins.
Between wrapping gifts and baking cookies, bingeing on Succession and crying while watching It's A Wonderful Life-do try our Feel-Better Chicken Rice Soup. It is a dish that all but the vegetarians in your life will find comforting, cold or no cold.