Chamomile Flower Chicken Soup

Chamomile flower chicken soup may be something a lot of people haven't heard of but it sure is worth trying on sick days!

These days are an unavoidable part of a child's experience while attending school or daycare. They often arise due to the close proximity and interaction between children, making it easier for illnesses to spread. Unfortunately that means that children attending Forward Leap will most likely pick up something from the community.

When a child falls ill, it not only affects their well-being but also disrupts their daily routine and learning process. Parents are often faced with the challenge of balancing their work commitments with caring for their sick child. Not to mention they usually end up getting the illness, too!

Last year, I created a tasty and gentle-on-the-stomach soup recipe containing chamomile flower. It is ideal for when you or your child and/or you are feeling unwell. In this post, I will be sharing it with you as something for you to consider making on a sick day.

About Chamomile

Chamomile, a gentle and aromatic herb native to Germany, holds a rich history of traditional medicinal use dating back centuries. Renowned for its calming and soothing properties, chamomile has been a staple in herbal medicine and folk remedies around the world. The two most common types of chamomile are German chamomile and Roman chamomile.

The following are alleged benefits of this herb:

• Promotes restful sleep

• Reduces stress and anxiety

• Calms digestive issues

• Helps with skin issues (when applied topically)

• Soothes sore throats and coughs

• Treats canker sores

• Provides a healthy dose of antioxidants

• Boosts the immune system

Chamomile flower is typically consumed in a herbal infusion as a drink but it can also be found in extract liquid, capsules and extract powder form. It can also be found in the ingredient list on all sorts of topical products.

A Soothing Soup

I remember having chicken soup on sick days as a little girl. It was so soothing and comforting on whatever was ailing me at the time- my throat or stomach. My mom always made sure to keep cans of it around in the pantry as I liked having it sometimes even when I was not sick.

A while back, I happened to come across an easy recipe for chicken soup. Even though making it yourself is not as easy using the canned version, it still looked doable and the ingredients were a bit healthier. Plus, I could also use it as a base and customize it to my liking.

While I was looking at the recipe, I was also drinking a cup of chamomile tea at the time for relaxation purposes. As the "tea cook" that I am, I started thinking about how soothing chamomile tea also is and that I could possibly use it in a chicken soup recipe to make it even more helpful for sick days.

So I took the recipe, changed it and made into my own using different ratios and ingredients (which included chamomile). The result was a super powered, delicious chicken soup.

My chamomile flower chicken soup recipe has been great for my family through colds and flus. With COVID-19 making its way around, it will be perfect for that too.

Recipe Ingredients

This soup is quite simple which is great for when someone is sick. It is not complicated to make and there aren't any crazy ingredients that might upset one's tummy or throat any more than it already is.

You will need the following ingredients:

• 7 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken- You can do a whole chicken or chicken breasts.

• 7 quarts of water (28 cups)- Each pound of chicken needs a quart of water to cover it when you are doing the boiling method of cooking. Plus, you need a good amount of water to make the broth for it to be soup.

• 20 chamomile tea bags- You need plain chamomile flower tea and not it blended with other flowers/herbs. There are multiple brands that carry pure chamomile tea and any will do. You will need 20 tea bags so that means one box or possibly two because some brands only have 16 in a box.

• 5 cups of chopped celery- It will take around 9 stalks to get this amount of chopped celery. Make sure to wash them well first and look out for recalls.

• 2 chopped large yellow onions- Yellow onions add the perfect flavor for this soup. Remember to look out for recalls.

• 5 cups of chopped carrots- It will take around 9 carrots to get this amount of chopped carrots. Make sure to wash them well first and look out for recalls.

• 1 cup white rice- You can use brown rice if you want instead.

Instructions

Here are the steps to take to make this wonderful, soothing soup:

1. Place chicken and water in a large stockpot and boil until cooked through (165 degree internal temperature).

2. Take chicken out and cut into bit sized pieces.

3. Put the 20 tea bags in the water that is in the stockpot, make the water boil and let steep for 6 minutes (no longer than that).

4. Remove and discard tea bags. Add chicken, vegetables, and rice to the stockpot. Simmer on low heat for 2 hours.

5. Stir in salt, pepper and other seasonings (if you want to) to taste.

6. Serve. Refrigerate leftovers for up to two days or freeze for later use.

The Recipe

In Conclusion

Sick days can be rough for you and your child. Fortunately, there are ways to find even a little bit of comfort as our bodies fight whatever kind of bug is invading it. I hope that our family's chamomile flower chicken soup recipe will be something you can add your family's healing arsenal when you fall ill as well!

How does your family go about feeling better when sickness hits? Let me know in the comments.

Also, if you are interested in your child attending Forward Leap for homeschool enrichment- don't hesitate to get in touch. We are opening in January of 2025 and looking for nine children to join the community!

Make sure to check out my last recipe for a kid-friendly dinner idea!

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