Chicken and Rice Soup
The comfort of a warm bowl of soup is one of my favorite simple pleasures in life. I will admit, in my house we love soup so much we eat it year round, but I know for most people they like it best when it’s a little chilly outdoors. Chicken Rice Soup is a staple on our family menu. One of the things that I love about it is it doesn’t take long to throw together if you use a rotisserie chicken, which is what I do 9 times out of the 10 that I make it. Of course if you have the extra time you can make your own broth and roast your own chicken but for the sake of most busy nights I cheat with store bought chicken and chicken broth. The fresh herbs and cloves of garlic give this recipe tons of flavor and make it extra healthy. I like to serve it with a simple side salad and of course some muffins or bread. When I make it in the fall the number one request is for it to be accompanied by spiced apple crumb muffins (this recipe can be found under the recipe highlight on my instagram page) or crusty sourdough. On nights when there is not enough time to make muffins and I forgot to buy a baguette I like to put out a cheese board with an assortment of crackers and some slices of apples and grapes.
CHICKEN & RICE SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
3-6 cloves of garlic, chopped (I use 6 we love garlic)
3 leeks, chop white and light green part (2 small sweet onions make a good substitute)
3 medium (or 5 small) carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk (including leaves, this will be about 5 ribs), chopped
2-3 cups of jasmine rice
1 rotisserie chicken
6-8 cups (depending in the consistency you like) of chicken or veggie broth
5 stems of fresh thyme, you can chop or tie together with cooking twine
DIRECTIONS:
Before you chop your veggies, make 2-3 cups of jasmine rice following the cooking instructions on the bag and set aside.
In a large dutch oven heat 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium low heat and add your chopped veggies, a large pinch of kosher salt, a tsp of black pepper and the thyme. Cover with lid and let cook 8-10 minutes, removing lid 3 times to stir.
While your veggies are cooking down, shred 1 whole rotisserie chicken .
To your cooked down veggies add your broth, shredded chicken, rice, and a small pinch of salt. Let soup simmer on medium low for 10-15 minutes. If you have extra time, let simmer longer before serving.
Enjoy !
