My first serious boyfriend, Brandon, was Malaysian Chinese. We used to hang out a lot at his house, partly because his mom loved me and I loved her back for the fabulous cook that she was. One of her must-haves were daily soups, mostly clear, to be sipped at dinner. Some I remember to be delightful, sweet and earthy, others were bitter and made me gag (I think it was the licorice which I dislike till today). Little did I know back then that the wide spectrum of herbs and spices she used were not so much for the taste as they were for their medicinal value. Needless to say, his family was rarely sick and enjoyed a vibrant, active lifestyle.
Next time you are making chicken stock, think of adding some herbs and spices for an extra layer of healing. In today’s recipe, we focus on boosting your immune system.
For this reason, this broth features shiitake mushrooms, onion, garlic, ginger and astragalus – all well documented immune boosters.
Kelp is a great source of iodine and trace minerals such as magnesium, calcium and B vitamins. But, avoid it if you have Hashimoto’s and elevated TPO antibodies.
I also added burdock root (which is optional) as a natural liver cleaner and bile mover with precious anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Burdock is also high in inulin, a fabulous prebiotic (food for probiotics). Avoid it if you have SIBO – inulin is very high on the FODMAP scale.
BONUS! – To make it super easy, combine all the ingredients in an Instant Pot and save yourself hours of precious time.
FYI, I do own two Instant Pots:
3-quart – for quick rice, oatmeal, and buckwheat
6-quart – for bone broths, soups, stews
Check out our other easy Instant Pot recipes:
Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup
Instant Pot Chickpea Warming Dhal
Learn how to add more hormone-balancing ingredients to your meals with our FREE 19 Estrogen Balancing Superfoods Guide here.
- 1 whole roasted chicken carcass (meat removed and used for another use)
- 2 cups chopped shiitake mushrooms
- 1 unpeeled yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 large unpeeled carrot, coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ inch fresh ginger root, not peeled but sliced
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 8-inch strip of kelp (aka kombu)
- 2 3-inch dried astragalus pieces (try this one), or 2 tablespoons coarsely ground
- 1 tablespoon dried burdock root
- 12 cups filtered water
- Place everything in an Instant Pot.
- Set the Instant Pot to the “Soup” setting, or pressure cook for 30 minutes on high. Make sure the valve is set to sealed.
- After the soup is cooked, you can either let the pressure escape naturally or use the quick release.
- Once the pot is cool enough to handle, use a sieve to strain the stock from the leftover veggies and chicken carcass. Discard the carcass and the remaining soils.
- Let the stock cool to room temperature before storing it in the fridge.
- Storage instructions: Once cooled, the stock will keep in the refrigerator for around 5 days.
Learn more with Overcoming Estrogen Dominance
“The body has an amazing ability to heal. We just need to give it the right resources.”
In Overcoming Estrogen Dominance, my goal is to empower and give you the tools to take control of your hormones and health.
More than 70% of women experience estrogen dominance. The symptoms range from lumpy and fibrocystic breasts to thyroid nodules, hot flashes, fibroids, uterine polyps, painful, heavy or irregular periods to infertility and miscarriages, from mood swings to insomnia, weight gain to fatigue.
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Great idea–Am doing a similar thing today using Chinese-inspired congee cooked with astragalus and ginger for an immune booster, and using millet instead of rice for some grain variety. But I still love my slow cookers so I’m just letting mine cook all day in that.
Also, I don’t throw away my chicken carcass immediately. There’s usually another serving or two of meat on the bones that can easily be removed after it has stewed a while.
Very good! Thank you for sharing! ~ Jeanne HB Team
[…] them often; sautee them with heaps of vegetables. Keep some shiitake-infused broth on hand with Instant Pot Immune-Boosting Chicken Broth. You can also try my Easy Miso […]
[…] Instant Pot Immune Boosting Chicken Broth […]
May this be frozen or pressure canned?
Hi Twyla. Yes, you can freeze or pressure can the broth for longer storage.
– HB Team
Do I need to omit the mushrooms in this recipe as I am following an anti-candida diet?