Rochester’s Mary Wellik borrowed an old PB recipe to become famous for her chicken soup

This is definitely the season for chicken soup, preferably with noodles. Is there anything that feels better on a sore throat, to ease a cough, to calm an upset stomach, to deal with the flu? Doubtful. Often referred to as a “natural healer,” some attributes to this dish may be Old Wives Tales, but the fact remains that’s what we want when we’re under the weather. Call it a bowl of comfort.

It’s also one of the easiest things a home-cook can make. There are literally hundreds of ways to put it together, mostly family recipes following the way Mom made it. Usually it involves simmering a chicken in water from half an hour upwards with carrots, celery and parsley and then cutting the chicken into bite-size pieces. Noodles are pretty much essential in my book though Matzo balls, soup dumplings, and rice can also find a place. Count on at least an hour. There is one local cook however who puts this favorite together in half that time.

Mary Wellik, of Rochester, is known among friends and neighbors for her version of chicken soup, which she takes over when they are sick or just needing a little comfort. In fact from start to finish, she can cook up a batch in just 30 minutes. Her recipe is surprising in its simplicity and one she has had for decades, which she clipped from — guess where — the Post Bulletin in the ’80s sometime, she says.

“I’ve made it hundreds of times,” Wellik says.

Hers does not involve simmering a chicken but instead calls for a large container of store-bought chicken broth. Purists might question that, but I had a bowl and it was darn good. In addition to carrots and celery she also adds cut-up potatoes. Little pieces of chicken and thick noodles make it pretty hearty.

This soup is just one of her specialties.

A world-wide traveler, she is especially fond of ethnic foods and has binders filled with literally hundreds upon hundreds of recipes as well as a few ethnic cookbooks.

While there are those who simply collect recipes and then put them in a drawer she actually does cook them. This interest in foods and cooking didn’t come from her family.

“Even though I was raised on a farm, my mother never taught me to cook,” she says. “That interest came from my involvement in 4H.”

While there were chickens all over the farm, and her mother turned many into soup, Wellik has done her own thing where this soup is concerned.

We might assume chicken soup is a food unique to us. It’s not.

Historians believe it originated in Asia many thousands of years ago. Even ancient Greeks had a version that they believed had healing properties, so that idea also has a long history. Regardless, it is a healthy soup with the protein from the chicken and vitamins from the vegetables.

An interesting sidelight: In what has to be a genius move, the head chef at Campbell Soups added noodles in 1934 making it an instant hit. More than 250 million cans are sold every year. While it certainly is a favorite and is in most of our pantries, nothing beats home-made. Remember too, while we all have our own versions, there is no right or wrong way to make it. Here is Wellik’s version.

1 40-oz box or can of chicken broth
2/3 cup water
1 lb. chicken, raw, cut in chunks
4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut in slices
1 cup noodles (she uses wide egg noodles)
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
6 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Bring broth and water to a boil. Add potatoes and chicken and cook 5 minutes. Add noodles, carrots and celery and cook 10 minutes or until noodles done to your liking. Add onion and parsley and cook 5 minutes. Take off heat and add seasonings. Wellik uses pepper and barely any salt. What you add is up to your taste.

Post Bulletin food writer Holly Ebel knows what’s cookin’. Send comments or story tips to

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Post Bulletin food writer Holly Ebel knows what’s cookin’. Send comments or story tips to [email protected].