Here's the thing about being sick: you don't want a project. You want something that takes care of you while you take care of yourself. This is that soup.
If you're the kind of person who saves chicken bones — and you should be — then you're already halfway there. Pull whatever you've got from the freezer. Backs, necks, wing tips, that carcass from last week's roast. It doesn't matter. The pressure cooker is going to extract every last bit of goodness regardless.
Throw the bones in with water, then build your aromatics around them. A fist-sized knob of ginger, smashed — don't bother peeling it, you're going to strain everything later. A whole head of garlic, halved crosswise. A bunch of coriander stems, roots and all if you've got them, because that's where the flavor lives. A few dried chillies if you want that gentle back-of-the-throat heat that opens everything up when you're congested.
Pressure cook for 30 minutes. When it comes down naturally, you'll have this deeply golden, slightly sticky broth that smells like someone who loves you made it. Strain out the solids — be aggressive about it, push the goodness through.
Now season. Fish sauce — just a splash, enough to make it savory without making it taste like fish sauce. A squeeze of lime. Taste it. It should taste like more — like your body recognizing exactly what it needs. If it doesn't, more salt, more lime, keep going until it does.
Serve it simple. A bowl of that broth with whatever noodles you have, some torn herbs on top if you can manage it, chili oil if you're feeling brave. But honestly? Just the broth in a mug is enough. That's the whole point.