I am a soup snob. I will eat canned soup, but not with any enthusiasm. (Exception: tomato soup, if I have a grilled cheese sandwich.) Making soup from scratch is a slow, but very simple process. The results are well worth the time involved.
Celery, carrots, onion, and garlic get chopped. I add garlic to most recipes by default, otherwise I get complaints suggestions.
The bird. (3.30 pounds in this case. Printz Charming complained of "too much meat" last time around. Imagine that!!) Clean out the insides like your mother/grandmother/YouTube video taught you.
Chicken & chopped vegetables go into the pot, along with rice, parsley, lots of water, salt, pepper, and thyme.
This soup makes for delicious leftover lunches, as the flavor improves with age.
Chicken & Rice Soup
(Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook)Serves 8
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 medium carrots, sliced (I used approximately 2 dozen baby carrots. I like carrots!)
- 1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) whole chicken
- 1 1/4 cups brown rice
- 3 quarts water
- 1 tablespoon salt (more to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- Optional additions: chopped fresh garlic and thyme to taste
Combine onion, celery, carrots, chicken, rice, parsley, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and water in an 8-quart pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, skimming off fat as needed for 1 hour.
Transfer the chicken to a plate or a colander. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat, discarding the skin and bones. Shred or chop the chicken and return to the soup. Add remaining 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste and reheat as needed.
To make the day before: After simmering for 1 hour, cool and refrigerate overnight. Debone the chicken and reheat the soup the following day. (Bonus: it's easier to skim the fat off after it has cooled and the flavor is even better on the second day.)
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