Nourishing Postpartum Chicken & Rice Soup: A Chinese Medicine Food Therapy Recipe
The weeks after having a baby are a time when your body deserves to be nourished, warmed, and replenished.
Pregnancy and childbirth require an incredible amount of energy and nutrients, and in Chinese medicine, the postpartum period is considered an especially important time for rebuilding Qi and Blood. Whether you had a vaginal delivery or a C-section, your body has just done something enormous.
This is not the time I would focus on restriction, “bouncing back,” or living on salads and smoothies.
It’s a time for warm, cooked, nutrient-dense foods.
One of my favorite ways to do that is with a big pot of homemade chicken soup. This postpartum chicken soup is inspired by Chinese medicine food therapy, using chicken, bone broth, jasmine rice, ginger, shiitake mushrooms, jujube dates, and goji berries to create a warming, nourishing meal for postpartum recovery.
Because postpartum food should be therapeutic, but it should also make you want a second bowl.
The Postpartum Period in Chinese Medicine
In Chinese medicine, childbirth is understood to consume a significant amount of Qi and Blood.
Blood loss during delivery is the obvious part, but labor itself also requires tremendous physical energy. Add interrupted sleep, breastfeeding, hormonal changes, healing tissues, and caring for a newborn, and it makes sense that many new mothers feel depleted.
Common signs of postpartum deficiency may include fatigue, weakness, dizziness, feeling cold, a pale complexion, poor appetite, brain fog, anxiety, difficulty sleeping even when the baby is sleeping, or simply feeling physically and emotionally drained.
This is why Chinese medicine traditionally places so much emphasis on postpartum nourishment.
The goal isn’t simply to eat more food. It’s to choose foods that are nourishing, warming, and relatively easy for the digestive system to handle.
What Are the Best Foods for Postpartum Recovery?
One of the first things I recommend from a Chinese food therapy perspective is emphasizing warm, cooked meals during the early postpartum period.
Soups, stews, broths, congee, cooked vegetables, eggs, meat, fish, and warm grains all fit beautifully into this approach.
Chinese medicine describes digestion as requiring warmth and energy to transform food into Qi and Blood. When the body is already depleted, giving it warm, cooked foods can be a gentler approach than relying heavily on cold smoothies, raw salads, protein bars, and whatever you can grab from the refrigerator with one hand.
A warm bowl of chicken and rice soup gives you protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, broth, healthy fats, and fluid all in one comforting meal.
And you can make a giant batch before the baby arrives and freeze it.
Which may be the most important food-therapy principle of all when you have a newborn.
Why These Ingredients?
Every ingredient in this soup earns its place—not just from a Chinese food therapy perspective, but because it contributes to the flavor.
Chicken thighs are considered warming and nourishing in Chinese food therapy and are traditionally used to support Qi and Blood. I prefer thighs instead of chicken breast because they stay tender and give the broth a richer flavor.
Chicken bone broth creates a savory base while providing additional protein and fluid.
Jasmine rice makes this soup especially comforting and easy to eat. In Chinese food therapy, rice is considered gentle on the digestive system and supportive of the Spleen and Stomach.
Fresh ginger gently warms the digestive system and gives the broth a subtle warmth without making the soup spicy.
Shiitake mushrooms add a wonderful savory, umami flavor while fitting beautifully into a nourishing food-therapy soup.
Carrots provide natural sweetness without making the soup overly sweet.
Jujube dates, also called Da Zao or Chinese red dates, are traditionally used in Chinese food therapy to support Qi and Blood and harmonize digestion. We're only using a few so they add a subtle background sweetness rather than making the soup taste fruity.
Goji berries, or Gou Qi Zi, are traditionally used to nourish Liver Blood and Yin. Again, a little goes a long way. Two tablespoons provide the food-therapy element without turning our chicken soup into dessert.
Spinach adds color and nutrients while also fitting the Chinese medicine concept of nourishing Blood.
And finally, toasted sesame oil gives the finished soup that little something that makes you take another bite. Just a small amount stirred in at the end adds a warm, nutty flavor and pulls everything together.
Nourishing Postpartum Ginger Chicken & Rice Soup
Serves: 6–8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40–45 minutes
Ingredients:
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
8 cups chicken bone broth
1 tablespoon avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup uncooked jasmine rice, rinsed well
3–4 dried jujube dates, pitted and halved
2 tablespoons dried goji berries
3 cups fresh baby spinach
¾ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons sliced green onions, optional
Directions:
Heat the avocado or olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the shiitake mushrooms, garlic, and fresh ginger. Cook for another 1–2 minutes, just until everything becomes fragrant.
Add the chicken thighs, bone broth, rinsed jasmine rice, jujube dates, salt, and black pepper.
Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Once the chicken is completely cooked, remove the thighs and shred them using two forks.
Return the shredded chicken to the pot and add the goji berries. Continue simmering for another 5–10 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the soup has become slightly thicker.
Stir in the baby spinach and cook just until wilted.
Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the toasted sesame oil.
Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Top with sliced green onions if desired and serve warm.
A note about leftovers: The jasmine rice will continue absorbing broth as the soup sits, so leftovers will become thicker. Simply add a splash of chicken broth when reheating until it reaches the consistency you like.
Why I Prefer Chicken Thighs for Postpartum Soup
You certainly can make this recipe with chicken breast, but for postpartum food therapy, I prefer chicken thighs.
They're more flavorful, stay tender in soup, and contain a little more fat than chicken breast.
During postpartum recovery, I don't think every meal needs to be made as lean as humanly possible.
Your body is repairing tissue, adjusting hormonally, potentially producing breast milk, functioning on fragmented sleep, and recovering from pregnancy and delivery.
It needs nourishment.
What About Chinese Herbs While Breastfeeding?
Jujube dates and goji berries are commonly used as foods, which is very different from taking a concentrated Chinese herbal formula.
I wouldn't recommend adding medicinal Chinese herbs to a postpartum soup simply because they're traditionally associated with Blood or Qi.
Postpartum herbal medicine should still be individualized.
The appropriate formula for someone who is profoundly depleted after significant blood loss may be completely different from the formula for someone experiencing night sweats, anxiety, constipation, mastitis, digestive problems, or significant fluid retention.
Breastfeeding, medications, medical history, and the individual Chinese medicine pattern also need to be considered.
Food therapy can be a gentle way to nourish the body. Herbal medicine is more therapeutic and deserves an individualized approach.
Make This Before the Baby Arrives
If you're preparing for postpartum recovery, this is an excellent recipe to make during the final weeks of pregnancy.
Prepare the soup, allow it to cool, and freeze individual portions in freezer-safe containers.
You can also prepare the soup without the spinach and add fresh spinach when you reheat it.
Then, when you're exhausted and hungry, you have a complete warm meal that can go from freezer to pot without chopping a single vegetable.
Future postpartum you will be very grateful to pregnant you.
Dr. Stephanie's Tip: Don't wait until you're starving to figure out what you're going to eat.
During the first several weeks postpartum, keep easy sources of protein and warm, cooked foods available throughout the day. Eggs, leftover soup, oatmeal, congee, meatballs, roasted vegetables, cooked fruit, rice, and other simple foods can make it much easier to nourish yourself when you're tired and caring for a newborn.
And when family members keep asking, “What can I do to help?”
Tell them to bring food.
You probably don't need another onesie.
Postpartum Recovery Is About Rebuilding
There is so much attention placed on preparing for pregnancy, maintaining a healthy pregnancy, and getting ready for birth.
Then the baby arrives, and suddenly nearly all of the attention shifts to the baby.
The mother needs care, too.
Chinese medicine has recognized this for centuries. The postpartum period isn't something to rush through. It's a time to rest, rebuild, nourish Qi and Blood, support digestion, and give your body the resources it needs to recover.
A bowl of soup isn't going to solve every postpartum challenge, but warm, nourishing food is one simple way to take care of the body that just carried and delivered a baby.
FAQ
What is a good soup to eat postpartum?
Warm chicken and rice soup can be a nourishing postpartum meal because it provides protein, carbohydrates, vegetables and fluid in an easy-to-eat form. Chinese medicine food therapy traditionally emphasizes warm, cooked foods during postpartum recovery.
Why is chicken soup good for postpartum recovery?
Chicken provides protein needed for normal tissue repair and recovery after childbirth. In Chinese food therapy, chicken is also traditionally considered a warming, nourishing food used to support Qi and Blood.
What foods are traditionally eaten postpartum in Chinese medicine?
Chinese postpartum food therapy commonly emphasizes warm, cooked and nourishing foods such as soups, broths, chicken, eggs, rice, congee, cooked vegetables and certain food-level Chinese ingredients such as jujube dates and goji berries. Specific recommendations can vary according to the woman's individual Chinese medicine pattern.
What are jujube dates used for in Chinese food therapy?
Jujube dates, also known as Da Zao or Chinese red dates, are traditionally used in Chinese food therapy to nourish Qi and Blood and support digestion. Their mild sweetness also works well in soups when used in small amounts.
Can I freeze postpartum chicken soup?
Yes. This chicken and rice soup can be prepared before delivery and frozen in individual portions. Because the rice continues to absorb broth, you may want to add additional chicken broth when reheating.
Can I eat this postpartum soup while breastfeeding?
The recipe is made primarily from ordinary foods. Individual dietary needs, allergies, medications and medical conditions still vary, and concentrated Chinese herbal formulas should be evaluated separately from food-level ingredients.
At New Direction Natural Medicine in Altamonte Springs, I use acupuncture, Chinese medicine, functional medicine, and nutrition to support women through the different stages of their reproductive lives—from fertility and pregnancy through postpartum recovery, perimenopause, and beyond.
And sometimes good medicine really does start with what's in your bowl.
Looking for more nourishing recipes? My cookbook Allergy-Free Tastes Good to Me includes 93 gluten-free and dairy-free recipes designed to make healthy eating actually taste good.
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