Do you remember the Maurice Sendak book about the boy who loves chicken soup with rice all year long?
I told you once
I told you twice
All seasons of the year are nice
For eating chicken soup with rice
My girls learned that poem many years ago. And November is definitely a good month for chicken soup and rice! That’s what my daughter asked if she could have for dinner tonight, with cornbread. Sounded good to me. It’s been rainy and cold here (well, cold for bay area California) and it sounded perfect! I mentioned the poem and she said “I remember that!”
If you want it really thick, as I made it tonight, just follow the recipe below. If you want it more soupy, add another cup or two of water or broth or cut back on the rice. I’m guessing this at 6 servings. I’m only feeding two and we have lots left over, some of which will probably be eaten for breakfast tomorrow. I went light on the chicken but if you need it more filling protein-wise, add more chicken.
Chicken Soup with Rice
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs oil
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, partially thawed and diced
- 3 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 -3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and minced optional
- 4 cups chicken broth and 2 cups water
- 1/2 – 1 cup raw rice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil and add the chopped onion, stirring and cooking a few minutes.
- Add the diced chicken and cook until done, while you’re peeling and dicing the celery and carrots.
- Add the celery and carrots while you mince the garlic and ginger, if using Stir and let cook a minute or two, then add the garlic and ginger and cook another minute.
- Add the broth, water and rice.
- Bring to a simmer and cook partially covered until the rice is done.
This goes great with corn bread. I’ll have to post a new recipe, although that posted one is good. The one I used tonight used sour cream and just a bit milk. It was really good. I’ve used the same recipe before substituting yogurt or buttermilk for the sour cream. I like the tangy flavor although it has more sugar than a regular cornbread recipe.
Note: If you have cooked chicken in the freezer or canned chicken, just add it AFTER all the veggies so it just heats through while the rice is cooking.
Taste and season. A lot depends on the broth. I tend to cook my own broth with very little salt so it is very flexible. But store bought broth is often very salty. You really have to taste.
This was really a perfect cold night meal. And leftovers will be just as yummy.
I am a big fan of soups and chicken soup is one of my favorites. Pure comfort and a meal in a bowl. I like you addition of ginger. I’m going to add some to my post holiday turkey soup and give it a try.