As a Mom to many, I’ve learned that life with children is wonderfully unpredictable. Between busy schedules, activity equipment, and the occasional illness, it helps to have a practical plan when immune systems start to get compromised. When anyone in our house starts to feel run-down (extra sleeping, headache, itchy ears/throat, wanting extra snuggles, etc.) I don’t reach for over-the-counter medications. I start with immune-boosting natural remedies: First, a detox bath, then immune-boosting essential oil remedies, and a nutrient-dense Chicken and Rice Dinner that transforms into a mineral-rich bone-broth soup. This simple rhythm supports immune, digestive, and inflammatory balance.
In this post, I’ll explain the science and strategy behind our two-day restorative chicken soup method, why it’s so effective, how each ingredient supports the body, and how you can make it a powerful part of your natural health toolkit.
Table of Contents
Our 4 Favorite Immune-Boosting Remedies
While Chicken and Rice Dinner prep begins, I focus on foundational practices that blend faith and physiology: calming the nervous system with aromatherapy, opening detoxification pathways through detox baths, and priming the immune response with targeted essential oil blends.
These small, consistent actions remind me that healing starts long before the first bite…it begins when we care for the body as the temple God entrusted to us. Here are a few of our favorite immune-boosting protocols.
1. Detox Baths
We love sitting the kids in warm baths with pure unscented Epsom salts, organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar, and calming essential oils like lavender and lemon. This remedy supplies the body with magnesium and encourages circulation and lymphatic drainage. To keep kids sitting in the tub, I’ll let them have a special treat, a tub toy, or a favorite movie.
2. Immune-Boosting Shot
This quick immune-boosting remedy is a concentrated blend of antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory ingredients designed to support your body during seasonal challenges. Combining liposomal vitamin C for enhanced absorption, Manuka or organic raw local honey for its natural antibacterial properties, and raw organic coconut oil as a healthy fat carrier helps the body utilize fat-soluble nutrients more efficiently.
A touch of organic pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon adds polyphenols that aid circulation, while pink Himalayan salt or sea salt provides trace minerals lost during stress or illness. Our Immune-Boosting Essential Oil Blend ties it all together, creating a soothing, science-backed protocol you can take at the first sign of a cold or as a short-term preventive measure.
3. Immune-Boosting Essential Oils
We use our Immune-Boosting Essential Oil Blend in several ways throughout the cold and flu season, and it’s become a cornerstone of our family wellness routine. When someone starts feeling run-down, I dilute the blend into a carrier oil (8 drops per ounce of carrier oil) and apply it as a warming chest and foot rub. I also make an Immune-Boosting Roll-On with 12 drops of our Immune-Boosting Blend and equal parts jojoba and fractionated coconut oil. Click here to view our entire list of carrier oils.
We also diffuse the same blend throughout the home (8 drops in a standard diffuser), especially in bedrooms at night or common areas during the day. Diffusing disperses the antimicrobial and aromatic components into the air, promoting relaxation while cleansing the environment and supporting healthy respiratory function.
To make this blend: Combine 10 drops each of cinnamon bark, clove, eucalyptus, lemon, orange, and rosemary essential oils in a 5ml glass bottle. Shake gently to mix.
4. Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is one of those ancient wellness habits that’s simple yet incredibly effective. It works by reducing the buildup of harmful bacteria in the mouth, an often-overlooked piece of the immune system puzzle. When oral bacteria are kept in check, the body’s overall inflammatory load decreases, supporting everything from gut health to sinus clarity.
Do this a few times a week, ideally in the morning before eating or brushing. It’s an easy way to support your body’s natural detox pathways and promote fresh breath, stronger gums, and a healthier immune response.
Why Using a Whole Chicken Matters
When I cook with an organic and free-range chicken (carcass, neck, organs, and all between the Chicken and Rice Dinner and the Chicken Bone Broth), I know I’m getting so much more than just a meal. I’m building the foundation for nourishment that truly restores.
The parts of the bird that most people toss aside are where goodness happens. They’re loaded with amino acids, trace minerals, and collagen that support the gut, joints, and immune system.
As the Chicken Bone Broth simmers in the Instant Pot, the bones and connective tissue release gelatin, glycine, and glutamine; nutrients that help strengthen the gut lining, calm inflammation, and support the body’s natural repair process. This is comfort food with purpose, designed to fuel and fortify from the inside out.
And the best part? One whole chicken becomes two dinners. Night one is a simple Chicken and Rice Dinner. Super easy, delicious, and family-friendly.
Then I take the chicken carcass, neck, organs, skin, and even the cooked apple, and simmer it overnight. I start the bone broth with just the neck, organ meat, and fresh organic vegetables (carrots, celery, garlic, and onions). I’ll add the rest of the ingredients when the chicken is done cooking. Then, I wake up to the most beautiful golden bone broth, ready to strain everything but the liquid and make it into Easy Chicken Broth Soup.
To the finished product, I’ll add any leftovers from last night’s Chicken and Rice Dinner (if there are any leftovers😉), along with the other ingredients for our Easy Chicken Broth Soup Recipe. It’s nourishing, budget-wise, and feels like good stewardship of what God provides.
Nutritional Benefits of These Recipes
Organic and Free-Range Chicken Carcass and Organ Meats: This is where the true nourishment comes from. As they cook, the bones and organs release collagen, gelatin, and minerals like zinc and iron. These nutrients support immunity, skin health, and tissue repair. Organ meats, especially, are rich in vitamin A and B vitamins, which are crucial for energy and recovery.
Organic Brown Basmati Rice: Whole-grain carbs like brown basmati rice and brown rice ramen are the perfect way to make this soup satisfying and grounding. They replenish energy, provide steady fuel, and add minerals like magnesium that support muscle and nerve health.
Organic Celery: Celery adds more than crunch and flavor. It’s naturally rich in potassium and sodium, helping the body stay balanced and hydrated. Its plant compounds, like luteolin, have been shown to calm inflammation and support gentle liver detox. It’s one of those humble vegetables that quietly works hard behind the scenes.
Organic Cooked Apple (Optional): This might sound unusual, but adding a cooked apple brings gentle sweetness and pectin, a soluble fiber that soothes digestion and feeds good gut bacteria. It’s a simple way to make your broth naturally balanced without adding sugar.
Organic Garlic: Garlic is one of nature’s most powerful healers. It contains allicin, a natural compound known to fight bacteria, fungi, and even some viruses. Keeping the cloves whole while simmering helps preserve their potency but softens the flavor, making the broth rich and mellow instead of sharp.
Organic Heirloom Carrots: I love using heirloom varieties because they bring color and nutrition to the table. Their rich orange pigments come from beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, essential for strong immunity and healthy skin and mucous membranes. Think of them as your body’s natural defense builders.
Organic Onion: Onions are part of the allium family and contain sulfur compounds that help cleanse the liver and keep the gut balanced. Simmering them adds depth of flavor while supporting the body’s natural detox pathways.
Organic Riced Broccoli and Cauliflower: These cruciferous vegetables are little detox powerhouses. They’re packed with compounds like sulforaphane that help activate the body’s cleansing enzymes. Plus, they add fiber for healthy digestion and help the broth feel heartier without weighing it down.
Organic Spinach: Spinach is one of my favorite greens to add at the end because it wilts beautifully and keeps its nutrients. It’s full of folate, iron, and vitamin C; nutrients that help build new cells, oxygenate the blood, and strengthen the immune system.
Organic Toasted Sesame Oil and Coconut Aminos: These two ingredients bring a warm, savory flavor while adding healthy fats and amino acids that help the body rebuild and repair. Sesame oil contains antioxidants, and the coconut aminos naturally boost glutamic acid for flavor and brain health.
Purified or Distilled Water: This may seem simple, but it is vital. Clean, filtered water ensures you extract pure nutrition from the chicken and vegetables without introducing unwanted chemicals. It’s the foundation that keeps every other ingredient working as it should.
Additional Supportive Measures We Love
We’ve compiled a helpful Amazon list of cold and flu season essentials to help you keep your family healthy and prepared all year. It’s perfect for last-minute needs and fast delivery. You’ll find everything from immune-boosting supplements and essential oils to detox bath ingredients, diffusers, and natural remedies that make staying well stress-free and straightforward.
The Science Behind Our Chicken and Rice Dinner
This Chicken and Rice Dinner works on several levels to nourish and restore the body inside and out. Here are a few science-backed ways this recipe can make you feel your best in no time.
Gut Integrity. The collagen and gelatin released from slow-simmered bones provide amino acids that help strengthen the gut lining. A healthy gut supports everything from nutrient absorption to immune defense, so this soup feels healing when you’re run down.
Inflammatory Balance. Ingredients like garlic, onion, celery, and cruciferous vegetables work together to calm inflammation naturally. These foods contain plant compounds that help your body respond to stress in a balanced way, supporting both recovery and resilience.
Electrolyte and Mineral Replenishment. The long, slow cooking process gently removes minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium from the bones and vegetables. These minerals are essential for energy, muscle function, and cellular repair, especially when the body is fighting to recover.
Hydration and Circulation. The warm, lightly salted broth helps the body stay hydrated and encourages healthy blood flow. It also soothes the sinuses and airways, making it easier to breathe and rest.
Unsurprisingly, homemade chicken soup has stood the test of time. Modern research confirms what generations of mamas already knew: this simple, time-honored meal truly helps the body heal.
We’ve made it easy for you to gather everything you need for this nourishing chicken and rice dinner. From organic pantry staples to quality cookware and clean seasoning options, you can find it all in one place on our curated Amazon list.
Chicken and Rice Dinner Recipe
This easy Chicken and Rice Dinner will become a new family-favorite! Keep this recipe on hand whenever you need a simple, filling meal to help you feel better fast.
Chicken & Rice Dinner Recipe
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup organic brown basmati rice
- 4 cups organic vegetable broth OR organic AND free range chicken broth
- 1 organic AND free range chicken
- 1 organic apple, stuffed into the chicken cavity
- 2-4 tablespoons dried herbs of your choice* (optional)
Supplies
- Large Tea Sachet or Stainless Steel Soup Ball
Instructions
- Spray or butter the inside of the Instant Pot. Add the rice and broth.
- Place the raised stainless steel roasting rack inside your Instant Pot. Clean and rinse the chicken and add one organic apple to the cavity.
- Add your desired dried herbs or place them inside a soup sachet or stainless steel soup ball (great for kiddos who want the herb flavor, without seeing the green stuff!).
- Press the "Poultry" or "Meat" button and turn the lid to "Sealing" not "Venting." Let it run the full cycle, then take chicken out with meat tongs on each side, then let cool.
- Pick all the meat you can loosely off the bones and carcass. Take the roasting rack out of the Instant Pot and add all the clean meat back to the rice. Everything else (carcass, neck, organs, etc.) goes with the bone broth, including the cooked apple.
Chicken Bone Broth and Easy Soup Recipe
This Chicken Bone Broth ensures nothing goes to waste. Check out the notes to see our favorite way to use it!
Chicken Bone Broth and Easy Chicken Broth Soup Recipe
Servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups purified OR distilled water
- 1 organic AND free-range chicken's organ meat AND neck
- 1 bag organic heirloom carrots, chopped into large pieces
- 3 cups organic celery, chopped into large pieces
- 1 organic onion, chopped into large pieces
- 6 cloves organic garlic, cleaned AND whole
- 1 cooked apple (optional)
- 1 organic AND free-range chicken carcass (cooked)
Supplies
Instructions
- Add the water to a medium-large pot along with the rinsed organ meat, neck, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Turn to low on a large burner and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, move to a small or simmer burner on the lowest setting. Add the chicken carcass and cooked apple. Simmer on low overnight.
- Turn off the burner, let cool, and drain the liquid through a metal strainer.
- Discard the bones, carcass, vegetables, etc. and save for animals or Lomi (food composter).
Your Home is a Healing Environment
In our home, this Chicken and Rice Dinner is part of a preventative strategy rather than a last-minute remedy. Preparing and freezing portions in advance ensures a quick, nutrient-rich meal when schedules are tight or early symptoms appear. Supporting the immune and digestive systems before illness develops is far more effective than chasing symptoms afterward.
Creating health begins at home with clean food, rest, and faith. God designed our bodies with remarkable restorative and healing capacity. When we align with His design – nutrient-dense meals, stress management, and gratitude- we participate in that healing process.
“Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, and by His stripes we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:4-5
“For You bless the righteous, O Lord; You surround them with favor as with a shield.” – Psalm 5:12
“The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life.” – Psalm 91:10-11
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
Prayer for Restoration
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the wisdom that You have promised to give us through Your Word and for partnering with us to bring our families total health, healing, and well-being. We pray that every person reading this post will have their body line up to the Word for complete healing, from the top of their head to the soles of their feet. We pray that if they have to go to the doctor, You will orchestrate their visit so they have favor with every health care provider and their hands are guided for complete healing. Let Your favor also surround them like a shield. As they use their hands to make these God-given healing tools, may whatever they put their hands to prosper. We thank You, God, for Your Psalms 91 and Proverbs 3 total protection over each family member and their home, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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