The BEST chicken soup recipe for breastfeeding

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Flavor-packed, comforting, and loaded with all the nutrition you need – this chicken soup recipe for breastfeeding is the perfect meal for after delivery and postpartum moms. 

As an expecting mom, you took extra care of your body and everything that goes into it. But once your baby is out, you need to be even more focused on eating the right foods. Healthy, nutritious food will not just replenish your body and give it the strength and energy that it needs to recuperate, but will also have an impact on your milk supply. 

And that’s exactly why this postpartum chicken soup recipe is a must-try. 

Whether you are looking to try chicken soup after delivery for healing, or just good postpartum soup recipes, we’ve got you covered.

The best part is that you can make this recipe in the slow cooker or instant pot with just a handful of ingredients, and you can make a big batch for later too! 

Read on for all you need to know about nailing the recipe for making more milk while breastfeeding.

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Want to learn more about breastfeeding diet? Read our guide on what to eat while breastfeeding!

And check out our FREE Breastfeeding Meal Plan!

Why Chicken Soup for Postpartum?

Homemade chicken soup is made with nourishing ingredients that can help with healing and recovery. It includes a nutritious blend of protein, fiber, collagen, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids which can support your immune system.

Eating chicken soup after delivery can help to give your body a much needed dose of vitamins and nutrients after having a baby which leaves many moms nutrient deficient.

Try eating chicken soup after c section to help aid in the recovery process as well.

Not only is it good in the early postpartum period, but chicken soup can also be helpful for making breast milk throughout the postpartum period. Read more about the benefits of bone broth for breastfeeding here.

Ingredients For Breastfeeding Chicken Soup

You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to make this flavorful chicken lactation soup.

  • onion
  • bell pepper
  • carrots
  • celery stalks
  • cloves of garlic
  • chicken thighs (with bone)
  • bone broth (buy homemade broth here)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Turmeric
  • fresh rosemary
  • Smoked paprika
  • gluten-free spaghetti (or noodles of your choice)

You can find more great breastfeeding soups and recipes in this breastfeeding freezer meals ebook!

Need breastfeeding friendly recipes? This ebook has 12 freezer meal recipes that support breastfeeding and healing postpartum.

Putting this soup together is super easy- regardless of whether you are cooking it from scratch on the stove, in the instant pot, or a slow cooker.

How to Make Lactation Chicken Soup in a Slow Cooker

  1. Chop all the vegetables and put them into the slow cooker.
  2. Add chicken and season.
  3. Mix well and add the bone broth.
  4. Cook on LOW for 6-8hr or HIGH for 4hrs.
  5. When finished add ¼ lb of broken spaghetti to slow cooker and cook on LOW for additional 30 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
  6. Serve and enjoy!

How to Make Lactation Chicken Soup in the Instant Pot

You can cook the soup 2 ways in the instant pot – using the slow cooker function or the pressure cooker function.

Using the slow cooker function

This is my preferred method with the 8qt Instant Pot Duo. Works as well with 6 qt instant pot.

1. Place all ingredients, except spaghetti into the instant pot.

2. Cover and select slow cooker function on menu.

3. Select Custom and set time to 10 hrs on LOW or 6 hrs on HIGH

4. When there are 30 minutes remaining, remove the cover and add in the broken spaghetti pieces.

5. Once complete mix well and break the chicken into smaller pieces with a large spoon before serving.

Using the Pressure Cooker Method

  1. Add all the ingredients to the instant pot.
  2. Place the lid on the instant pot and select Pressure Cook
  3. Select custom – High for 10 minutes, then natural release for 10 minutes before removing the lid.
  4. Add the noodles to the Instant Pot and set to Saute. Cook for another 6 minutes uncovered, or until the noodles are cooked.

How to Make Lactation Soup from Scratch on the Stove

  1. Season the chicken and then brown in a large pot.
  2. Add chopped vegetables, salt, and pepper and cook on medium heat until vegetables are soft. (About 10-15 minutes.)
  3. Stir regularly to make sure it doesn’t stick.
  4. Add bone broth, season to taste, and bring to a boil.
  5. Once it boils, reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours (or longer)
  6. About 15 minutes before serving add broken spaghetti.

What Else Can I Add to this Lactation Chicken Soup?

While this simple soup is already rich in nutrients thanks to the bone broth and will help promote milk supply, you can also throw in some additional ingredients to improve its flavor and nutritive value. 

You can add some seaweed, which is high in calcium, iron, iodine, and fiber- all of which are essential for a breastfeeding mom. 

Root vegetables like more carrots, parsnips, and/or potatoes are an excellent choice since they provide a lot of starchy carbs and important vitamins. 

And of course, you can’t forget the leafy greens like kale, spinach, and Swiss chard, which are chock full of iron, calcium, and magnesium. 

How Do I Store the Leftovers?

Got leftovers? You can refrigerate them for up to 3 days. Just remember to transfer them to an airtight container to preserve freshness. 

If you’re making this lactation soup in a big batch, you can also freeze it. Just use a freezer-safe container and you should be good! 

Read more about how to get started with batch cooking here.

How to make this a freezer meal

This chicken noodle soup makes a great freezer meal. It actually one of my favorite breastfeeding freezer meals to make.

Start by adding the chicken followed by the vegetables and then the seasoning. Then lay flat and freeze.

When time to cook, defrost over night, or run water over to loosen the bag before placing in the slow cooker or instant pot.

Then add the 6 cups of broth to the pot before cooking for desired time.

Pro tip —>> shape your freezer bag in a circle if cooking in the instant pot so that it fits when time to cook.

Tips & Tricks for the Best Breastfeeding Soup

Think you’re all set to give this recipe a shot? Wait up! You might want to keep these little tips and tricks in mind to nail the recipe. 

  • Don’t have spaghetti? You could use any other kind of pasta that you prefer. If you don’t have pasta, you could use rice instead. The goal is to make the soup filling and a complete meal in itself. 
  • To enhance the flavor of the soup, you can add a bit of lemon zest and squeeze some lemon juice on the top, right before you serve. Just be mindful to avoid lemon as it’s a food to avoid if you baby has acid reflux.
  • Want to thicken your soup? Add in a bit of coconut milk or coconut cream. Not only will it thicken your soup but will also help to increase milk supply
  • Don’t forget to top the soup with a generous sprinkle of freshly chopped coriander leaves. 

More Breastfeeding Meals You Need in Your Life

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Chicken soup for breastfeeding

Chicken soup for breastfeeding

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes

A warm and comforting chicken lactation soup recipe loaded with nutrition that helps with milk supply perfect for breastfeeding moms.

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 3 carrots
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 5 chicken thighs (with bone)
  • 6 cups of bone broth (homemade or store-bought one)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp Turmeric
  • 1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 lb of gluten-free spaghetti

Instructions

How to Make Lactation Chicken Soup in a Slow Cooker

  1. Chop all the vegetables and put them into the slow cooker.
  2. Add chicken and season.
  3. Mix well and add the bone broth.
  4. Cook on LOW for 6-8hr or HIGH for 4hrs.
  5. When finished add ¼ lb of broken spaghetti to slow cooker and cook on LOW for additional 30 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
  6. Serve and enjoy!


How to Make Lactation Chicken Soup in the Instant Pot

You can cook the soup 2 ways in the instant pot - using the slow cooker function or the pressure cooker function.

Using the slow cooker function

  1. Place all ingredients, except spaghetti into the instant pot.
  2. Cover and select slow cooker function on menu.
  3. Select Custom and set time to 10 hrs on LOW or 6 hrs on HIGH
  4. When there are 30 minutes remaining, remove the cover and add in the broken spaghetti pieces.
  5. Once complete mix well and break the chicken into smaller pieces with a large spoon before serving.


Using the Pressure Cooker Method

  1. Add all the ingredients to the instant pot.
  2. Place the lid on the instant pot and select Pressure Cook
  3. Select custom - High for 10 minutes, then natural release for 10 minutes before removing the lid.
  4. Add the noodles to the Instant Pot and set to Saute. Cook for another 6 minutes uncovered, or until the noodles are cooked.
  5. Serve and Enjoy!

How to Make Lactation Soup from Scratch on the Stove

  1. Season the chicken and then brown in a large pot.
  2. Add chopped vegetables, salt, and pepper and cook on medium heat until vegetables are soft. (About 10-15 minutes.)
  3. Stir regularly to make sure it doesn’t stick.
  4. Add bone broth, season to taste, and bring to a boil.
  5. Once it boils, reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours (or longer).
  6. About 15 minutes before serving add broken spaghetti.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 163Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 378mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 18g

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More Lactation Recipes

Try some other milk making recipes!

Apple Pie Lactation Energy Bites

Milk Making Lactation Granola

Healthy Lactation Cookies Recipe (that won’t sabotage your diet!)

Banana Blueberry Lactation Muffins Recipe

No Bake Chocolate Lactation Bars Recipe

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2 thoughts on “The BEST chicken soup recipe for breastfeeding

    • Hi Elizabeth,
      Sounds like a great addition! If cooking in the slow cooker or instant pot, I’d add it with everything else. If on the stove, add right before the broth. Please come back and share how it comes out for you!

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