This soup is a great source of collagen, essential for tissue healing post cesarian section, tearing and episiotomies. This will also help overstretched abdominal and pelvic floor muscles to regain their integrity. Chicken is also rich in lysine and proline, two amino acids involved in collagen rebuilding. This soup is also very useful for anyone in the family recovering from an injury. Collagen being essential to maintaining bone density, this soup is great for growing children and post menopausal women.
Use organic ingredients where possible. You'll need a slow cooker for better results but if not, use a large cooking pot with lid and keep topping up with filtered water as and when necessary.
For the broth:
1 chicken carcass (take most of the meat off after roasting, but I usually leave a little including the wing meat to add flavor)
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 carrots, cleaned and chopped
3 celery stalks, cleaned and chopped
1-2 Tbsp of raw apple cider vinegar
filtered water
parsley
Place the chicken carcass in a slow cooker. Add the vegetables, cover with filtered water and add the apple cider vinegar. Cover and cook on high until boiling, turn down to low and simmer for up to 24 hours. Add the parsley for the final hour or so of cooking. Strain the broth to drink or to use for the soup below
Soup Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, whole or crushed
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
2 tsp of Italian herb blend
the meat from a 3-5 pound roast chicken (use an organic rotisserie chicken as a shortcut), diced
32oz of chicken broth
black pepper and parsley (for garnish)
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil on medium and saute the onion, carrots, and celery for 3-5 minutes until softened and lightly browned. Add the potatoes, garlic, chicken, salt, and Italian seasoning, stir for a few minutes more. Then, add the broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve with freshly ground black pepper and chopped Italian parsley. You could also use coconut oil, ground turmeric and fresh coriander leaves instead of olive oil, Italian seasoning and parsley for a different flavour.