Chicken, Red Date, & Goji Berry Soup

This is a take on a traditional Chinese first food for new moms. It’s light yet hearty and very grounding.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ lbs pasture-raised chicken thighs (or whole chicken)

• ½ of a white or yellow onion

• 2-inch knob of fresh ginger, unpeeled and halved

• 3 medium organic carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

• 5 Chinese red dates (can be found in Asian supermarkets or Amazon)

• 3 tablespoons dried goji berries (most cost effective to buy on Amazon)

• Sea salt

Directions

1. Rinse the chicken under cold water, place in a medium stockpot, and add enough cold water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, uncovered.

2. Once boiling, add onion and ginger to the pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 40 minutes, covered. Occasionally remove the lid to skim any foam off the top.

3. Remove from heat and remove chicken with tongs. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the cooked meat from the carcass and shred. Return the rest of the carcass to the pot.

4. Add 1-2 cups shredded meat (reserving the rest for another use), along with the carrots and red dates. Simmer over low heat, uncovered for 1 hour.

5. Set a timer to go off in the in the last 15 minutes, and stir in the goji berries.

6. You can leave the bones in the soup if you’d like or remove them with tongs.

7. Season with salt to taste.

8. Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe adapted from The First Forty Days by Heng Ou