Chicken and Rice Dinner + Bone Broth Soup for Immune Support

QUICK SUMMARY

Mama Z's two-day Chicken and Rice Dinner turns one whole organic, free-range chicken into two family meals: a simple chicken-and-rice dinner first, then a nourishing bone-broth soup made from the carcass, neck, skin, organ meats, vegetables, and leftovers.

The recipes are below so you can get cooking right away. We use this meal during cold and flu season because warm soup provides fluid, protein, vegetables, and easy-to-eat nourishment when someone is run-down. Research does not show that chicken soup cures a cold or flu, but human and laboratory studies offer plausible reasons for its long-standing reputation for upper-airway comfort. (6, 15)

Bone broth can provide gelatin and amino acids, but the amount varies considerably by recipe, and it is not a reliable high-dose source of minerals or collagen precursors. We use it as nourishing real food alongside rest, hydration, prayer, and wise medical care when needed. (1, 11, 12)

As a Mom to 7, I’ve learned that life with children is wonderfully unpredictable. When someone in our house starts to feel run-down (extra sleeping, headache, itchy ears/throat, wanting extra snuggles, etc.), I start with the simple things we know how to do well: rest, hydration, our favorite natural remedies, and a nutrient-dense Chicken and Rice Dinner that becomes bone-broth soup the next day.

This is one of my favorite family systems because it is practical, budget-wise, and makes one whole chicken work twice. Here are the recipes first, then I’ll show you why we use the whole bird and the supporting remedies we pair with it.

Chicken and Rice Dinner Recipe

This easy Chicken and Rice Dinner is the first half of our two-day method. It is simple, filling, family-friendly, and intentionally leaves you with the bones, skin, neck, organs, and any leftovers you need for tomorrow's soup.

Chicken & Rice Dinner Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

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Servings

2x4x6x

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

• Instant Pot
• 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.

Notes

*Great options include herbes de Provence, bouquet garni, Italian seasoning, and Herbs of Italy. 

Chicken Bone Broth and Easy Soup Recipe

The next day, the same chicken becomes bone broth and an easy soup so nothing goes to waste. I simmer the carcass, neck, organs, skin, and cooked apple with fresh organic vegetables, then strain the broth and add any leftovers from the first night's dinner.

Chicken Bone Broth and Easy Chicken Broth Soup Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 12 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

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Servings

2x4x6x

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

• Large Pot
• Metal strainer

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).

Notes

Easy Chicken Broth Soup Recipe:

Place all of the retained liquid from the strained Chicken Bone Broth, 3-4 cakes organic brown basmati rice ramen noodles, 1 bag or head of organic riced broccoli, 1 bag or head of organic riced cauliflower, 8 ounces organic fresh or frozen spinach, 2 tablespooons organic toasted sesame oil, 4 tablespoons organic liquid coconut aminos into a large pot. Bring to a boil, then shut off, let sit for 5-10 minutes or until the ramen is cooked. 

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.

Explore the full list here.

Why Using a Whole Chicken Matters

When I cook with an organic and free-range chicken, I know I’m getting so much more than one meal. Night one is the Chicken and Rice Dinner. Then I take the carcass, neck, organs, skin, and even the cooked apple and turn them into broth for night two.

The parts many people throw away still have food value. Skin, cartilage, bones, and connective tissue contribute gelatin and collagen-derived amino acids, while organ meats contribute protein and micronutrients. As the broth cooks in the Instant Pot, those tissues break down into the rich, comforting broth our family loves.

A 2025 review discusses plausible ways bone-broth nutrients may support intestinal barrier function and inflammatory balance, but direct human trials of homemade bone broth remain limited. Amino-acid and mineral content can also vary widely by recipe. (1, 11, 12)

For me, this is also stewardship. One chicken becomes two dinners, very little goes to waste, and we get a nourishing meal ready for the days when our family needs something simple.

Nutritional Benefits of These Recipes

Whole chicken and organ meats: Skin, cartilage, and connective tissue contribute gelatin and collagen-derived amino acids. Organ meats add protein and micronutrients such as vitamin A, iron, and B vitamins. Bone broth contains minerals too, but studies show that calcium and magnesium levels can be modest and vary with preparation. (12)

Organic Brown Basmati Rice and brown rice ramen: These whole-grain carbohydrates make the meals satisfying and provide steady energy plus minerals such as magnesium.

Celery, apple, and carrots: Celery contributes water, potassium, fiber, and plant compounds such as luteolin. Cooked apple adds gentle sweetness and pectin, a fermentable soluble fiber. Heirloom carrots supply beta-carotene, which the body can convert to vitamin A for normal immune function and healthy skin and mucous membranes. (3)

Garlic and onion: Garlic's organosulfur compounds have antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immune-related activity in laboratory and preclinical research, though clinical evidence for preventing or treating the common cold remains limited. (2, 14) Onions add sulfur-containing compounds, flavonoids, and prebiotic carbohydrates.

Broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach: Cruciferous vegetables provide fiber and glucosinolates, while spinach contributes folate, iron, carotenoids, and vitamin C. Together they add plant-food diversity and fiber for healthy digestion.

Toasted sesame oil and coconut aminos: Sesame oil contributes unsaturated fat and naturally occurring lignans, while coconut aminos add salty-sweet umami flavor.

Purified or distilled water: Because broth may simmer for hours, clean, filtered water gives you more control over the water quality and flavor of the finished soup.

Additional Supportive Measures We Love

We’ve compiled a helpful Amazon list of cold and flu season essentials for last-minute needs and fast delivery.

Get your non-toxic immune-boosting essentials here.

The Science Behind Our Chicken and Rice Dinner

This meal is first and foremost food, not medicine. The strongest case for it is simple: warm fluid, protein, vegetables, carbohydrates, and a meal people can comfortably eat when they do not feel their best.

Gut support. Bone broth contains gelatin and amino acids relevant to intestinal tissue biology. A 2025 review found a plausible basis for gut-barrier support, but much of the mechanistic evidence comes from individual nutrients, animal models, or related preparations rather than large human trials of homemade broth. (1, 8)

Fluid and mineral support. Broth contributes fluid and the sodium, potassium, and other minerals supplied by the full recipe. Longer cooking and acidity can increase extraction of some bone minerals, but measured calcium and magnesium levels in bone broths are generally low relative to daily requirements. (12)

Upper-airway comfort. In a small controlled human study, hot chicken soup temporarily increased nasal mucus velocity. A separate laboratory study found that chicken soup inhibited neutrophil migration in vitro, suggesting a possible mild anti-inflammatory mechanism. Neither study proves that chicken soup cures a cold or flu, but they help explain why warm soup has remained such a beloved comfort food during respiratory illness. (6, 15)

Our 4 Favorite Immune-Boosting Remedies

While dinner cooks, I often turn to a few simple family wellness routines. Here are a few of our favorite immune-boosting protocols.

1. Detox Baths

We love warm baths with pure unscented Epsom salts, organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar, and calming essential oils such as lavender and lemon, following the dilution and safety directions in our recipe. Epsom salts contain magnesium sulfate, but peer-reviewed evidence does not establish that bathing reliably corrects magnesium status through the skin. I view this primarily as a comforting restorative routine.

Get the recipe here!

2. Immune-Boosting Shot

Our short-term seasonal shot uses liposomal vitamin C, Manuka or organic raw local honey, raw organic coconut oil, organic pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, and pink Himalayan salt or sea salt. Honey has antimicrobial activity in laboratory and wound-care research, but that does not prove this shot prevents respiratory infection. (9)

Important: Never give honey to a child younger than 12 months because of the risk of infant botulism. (16)

Get the recipe here!

3. Immune-Boosting Essential Oils

When someone starts feeling run-down, I dilute our blend into a carrier oil (8 drops per ounce of carrier oil) for a chest and foot rub. I also make a roll-on with 12 drops of the 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). Several of these oils show antimicrobial activity in laboratory research, but that does not mean a home diffuser disinfects indoor air or prevents infection. (5)

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 an easy oral-hygiene practice to add a few times a week. A 2024 systematic review found a probable benefit for gingival health, although the certainty of evidence was very low. We use it alongside brushing, flossing, and regular dental care, not as proof that oil is pulling unspecified toxins out of the whole body. (13)

Your Home is a Healing Environment

In our home, this Chicken and Rice Dinner is part of a preparedness strategy rather than a last-minute scramble. Having ingredients on hand, cooking from scratch, freezing portions, and turning one chicken into two meals makes it much easier to nourish everyone when life gets busy or someone starts feeling run-down.

Creating health begins at home with clean food, rest, hydration, and faith. God designed our bodies with remarkable restorative capacity. When we pair wise stewardship with prayer and gratitude, we create supportive conditions for recovery.

This is our family rhythm for ordinary illness, not a rule against medical care. If someone has trouble breathing, signs of dehydration, confusion, seizures, or symptoms that improve and then return or worsen, we get medical help. (17)

“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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