My mother was from the South and, true to southern culinary tradition, she frequently made chicken broth—either from a whole chicken or with chicken necks and backs. The broth went into chicken gravy and delicious, satisfying soups. She told us that chicken broth would give you beautiful skin and indeed, her skin was wrinkle-free, even in old age. That was a bit of folk wisdom that she shared.
The other bit of folk wisdom is one we are familiar with: “Chicken soup for the soul,” chicken soup for lifting our mood and making us feel mellow and content. There’s also the notion that we should drink chicken broth when we are sick, that a mug of warm broth will help us get over a cold or the flu….