Chicken soup doesn't get enough credit. It's warming, easy to digest, and quietly packed with everything your body needs while it heals. For new mothers especially, it checks every box: gentle on the stomach, rich in nutrients, and the kind of meal that feels like being taken care of.

Here's what's actually working for you in every bowl:

• Chicken: protein and B vitamins for energy
• Carrots: vitamin A for immunity and skin
• Celery: hydration and gentle fiber
• Onion: antioxidants for gut health
• Leeks: folate for red blood cells
• Broth: collagen for recovery
• Ginger: eases bloating and nausea

Our Go-To Recipe

This version is a spin on Gwyneth Paltrow's chicken soup with kale and carrots from her cookbook, It's All Good. We love it because the broth comes out clean and clear, and it's easy to make in a big batch for the freezer before baby arrives (just leave out the greens to add after you reheat).

Ingredients

1 whole organic chicken, washed

2 celery stalks: 1 roughly chopped (with greens), 1 diced for later

1 leek, roughly chopped and washed well

3 carrots total, peeled and washed: 1 roughly chopped for the broth, 2 diced for later

1 (3 inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced into thick coins

1 yellow onion, quartered

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs thyme

1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns

2 tsp sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Optional: kale or baby spinach, noodles or rice, to serve

Instructions

Wash the chicken thoroughly. Place it in a large soup pot with the roughly chopped celery, carrot, leek, ginger, onion, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, and sea salt. Cover with cold water, roughly 14 cups.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours.

Strain the soup into a new pot to separate the broth from the solids. Discard the vegetables. This step can get a little messy with two pots and hot broth, but it's worth it for the cleanest, clearest broth.

Pull the meat off the chicken (light and dark both work well), roughly chop, and add it back into the broth. 

Add the diced carrots and diced celery. Simmer over medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in kale or baby spinach at the end if you'd like, or serve over noodles or rice.

Make a big pot, freeze it in portions, and future you will be very grateful.