Yakhni for Colds: Chicken and Mutton Broth Recipe With Ratios
One kilo of bones, two litres of water, and a pot left barely trembling on the lowest flame. That’s the whole secret of a good yakhni for colds, the clear, peppery broth that shows up in a steel mug the moment someone in the house starts sniffing.
At a glance
- Ratio: about 1 kg bones to 2 litres water (chicken), 2.5 litres (mutton)
- Time: 1.5 to 2 hours chicken; 3 to 4 hours mutton; pressure cooker far less
- Yield: roughly 1.2 to 1.5 litres strained broth
- Fridge: 3 days; freezer about 3 months
- Serving: one mug, warm, sipped slowly
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What yakhni is, and what it isn’t
Yakhni is the Persian-rooted word for a meat stock, and in Pakistani, Kashmiri, Hyderabadi and Lucknowi kitchens it’s both the base of pulao and a drink on its own. As a remedy, it’s nothing mysterious. A warm, salty, savoury liquid is easy to swallow with a sore throat, the steam loosens a blocked nose while you sip, it gives some fluid and a little protein when you can’t face food, and it tastes of being looked after.
It won’t kill a virus or shorten a cold by a set number of days. It’s good food at a time when food is hard. That’s enough.
Unani texts describe meat broths (ma al-laham) as warming, moist and strengthening, and hakeems traditionally gave them during convalescence, with warming spices such as black pepper, cinnamon and ginger to suit a “cold, wet” illness like a head cold. In Kashmir and across Afghan and Pathan homes, yakhni with plenty of black pepper was a winter staple. Ayurveda describes meat soups (mamsa rasa) as nourishing for weakness. These are traditions about comfort and recovery, not medicine.
Chicken yakhni recipe for colds
Bones give body. Meat gives flavour. A mix is best. Desi chicken gives a deeper, yellower broth than broiler.
You’ll need
- 1 kg chicken with bones (backs, necks, wings and a leg piece or two)
- 2 litres cold water
- 1 medium onion, halved, skin on for colour
- 6 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
- 4 cm piece ginger, sliced
- 1 teaspoon whole black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sabut dhania (coriander seeds)
- 1 tez patta, 3 laung, 1 small stick dalchini, 2 green elaichi
- 1 teaspoon salt to start
- Rinse the chicken. Put it in a large pot with the cold water. Starting cold gives a clearer broth.
- Bring slowly to a boil on medium heat. Over about 10 minutes grey foam rises. Skim it off with a spoon until mostly clear.
- Add onion, garlic, ginger and whole spices. Tie the small spices in a muslin potli if you want easy removal.
- Turn the heat right down. You want lazy bubbles breaking the surface every few seconds, not a rolling boil, which clouds it.
- Simmer uncovered or half-covered for 1.5 to 2 hours. Top up with hot water if it drops below the bones.
- Strain through a fine sieve. Pull the meat off the bones for soup or pulao.
- Taste and add salt. Serve a mug with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
Pressure cooker: same ingredients, 1.5 litres water, skim before closing, then cook 25 to 30 minutes after the first whistle on low heat. Let the pressure drop on its own.
Mutton yakhni and the bones-to-water ratio
Mutton bones, especially nalli (marrow bones) and trotters, need longer. For tough mutton in a salan rather than a broth, many cooks reach for raw papaya as a tenderiser instead of more hours on the flame. Use about 1 kg mutton bones and meat to 2.5 litres water, with the same aromatics plus 2 extra black elaichi, then simmer 3 to 4 hours, or 45 minutes in a pressure cooker. Mutton yakhni sets to a wobbly jelly in the fridge. That’s collagen, and a sign you did it right.
| Broth | Bones | Water | Pot time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 1 kg | 2 L | 1.5 to 2 h |
| Mutton | 1 kg | 2.5 L | 3 to 4 h |
| Chicken, cooker | 1 kg | 1.5 L | 25 to 30 min |
| Mutton, cooker | 1 kg | 2 L | 45 min |
For a sore throat day
Warm a mug of yakhni, add 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger and a tiny pinch of haldi, simmer 2 minutes and strain. Our adrak and sonth guide explains how much ginger is sensible. Pair it with a warm salt water gargle between mugs.
Storing yakhni safely
Stock is exactly the warm, wet, protein-rich environment bacteria like. Most yakhni problems come from leaving the big pot on the stove overnight to cool.
- Cool it fast. Divide into shallow containers, or stand the pot in a sink of cold water, stirring, and get it into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking.
- Fridge: up to 3 days, in closed containers. A fat layer on top is fine; lift it off or stir it in.
- Freezer: about 3 months. Freeze in 250 ml portions, or in ice cube trays for small amounts to add to daal.
- Reheat only what you need, bringing it to a full rolling boil. Don’t reheat the same batch repeatedly.
- Discard broth that smells sour, looks cloudy and slimy when it was clear before, or has sat at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Three mistakes that ruin a pot
Salting at the start. Broth reduces as it simmers, so salt concentrates. Add a little at the beginning and correct only after straining.
Too many whole spices. Laung and dalchini turn medicinal and bitter over two hours. Keep them in a small potli you can pull out after 45 minutes, and the flavour stays clean.
Boiling hard to save time. Fat and proteins emulsify into the liquid, and you get a greasy, murky broth that smells heavy. A slow simmer gives that clear, golden colour with little pools of fat on top that you can skim or keep. If you’re short of time, use the pressure cooker instead of turning up the flame.
How much, and how often
One mug (about 250 ml) two or three times a day during a cold is a comfortable household amount. Alongside it, plenty of water, rest, and something soft and easy like moong dal khichdi when appetite returns. Store-bought stock cubes are very salty; homemade yakhni lets you keep salt modest. The whole cloves in the pot come out sweet and soft, which is the difference our guide to raw and cooked garlic is all about.
Yakhni is comfort, not treatment. Get medical advice for fever lasting more than 3 days, a temperature over 39°C, breathing that’s fast, noisy or difficult, chest pain, coughing blood, a severe sore throat with drooling or trouble swallowing, signs of dehydration (very little urine, dry mouth, dizziness), or any fever in a baby under 3 months. For babies under 1, don’t add salt, and don’t give broth with small bones or spice pieces. Strain very carefully for toddlers and older adults. People told to limit salt for blood pressure, heart or kidney disease should keep yakhni lightly salted or check with their doctor. In pregnancy, well-boiled homemade broth is an ordinary food; just make sure it’s piping hot and freshly stored.
FAQ
Is chicken yakhni good for a cold?
It’s a comforting, sensible food during a cold. Warm, salty broth is easy to swallow with a sore throat, the steam helps a blocked nose while you sip, and it gives fluid and a little protein when you can’t face a meal. It won’t make the cold go away faster.
How much yakhni should I drink when I have a cold?
One mug of about 250 ml, two or three times a day, is a comfortable household amount. Keep drinking plain water alongside it, rest, and move on to soft food like moong dal khichdi as your appetite comes back.
Chicken or mutton yakhni, which is better for a cold?
Chicken is lighter and quicker to make; mutton is richer and, by tradition, more warming. Neither works better on a cold. Choose by taste and by what sits well in your stomach.
How long should yakhni be cooked?
Simmer chicken yakhni for 1.5 to 2 hours and mutton for 3 to 4 hours, on a flame low enough that bubbles break the surface only every few seconds. In a pressure cooker, chicken takes 25 to 30 minutes after the first whistle and mutton about 45.
Why is my yakhni cloudy?
It boiled too hard, or the grey foam wasn’t skimmed at the start. Begin with cold water, skim well as it comes to the boil, then keep it at a lazy simmer. If you’re short of time, use the pressure cooker rather than turning up the heat.
How long does yakhni last in the fridge?
Up to 3 days in closed containers, as long as it was cooled quickly and got into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking. Freeze anything you won’t use by then; it keeps about 3 months. Reheat only what you need, to a full rolling boil.
Can I give yakhni to my baby or toddler?
Babies over 6 months who are already eating solids can have a little unsalted, carefully strained broth, with no bones or spice pieces. Don’t add salt under age 1. If your child is unwell, check with their doctor, and see one quickly for any fever under 3 months.
Is yakhni okay for someone with high BP or kidney problems?
Homemade yakhni lets you keep salt low, which is far better than stock cubes. If you’ve been told to limit salt for blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, salt it very lightly or check with your doctor about how much fits your plan.
Is yakhni safe to drink in pregnancy?
Yes, well-boiled homemade broth is an ordinary food in pregnancy. Just make sure it’s piping hot when you drink it and has been stored properly in the fridge or freezer, not left out overnight.
Why does my mutton yakhni turn to jelly in the fridge?
That wobble is collagen from the bones, especially nalli and trotters, and it’s a sign you made it well. It melts back into liquid as soon as you warm it up.
For more comfort foods explained properly, visit Desi Remedies.