Mom’s Hearty Chicken Rice Soup

I had an idea this week that I’d like to make a chicken rice soup. We’ve had some colds going on here, and we needed something comforting. I looked at other chicken rice soup recipes, got some ideas, but they just weren’t quite what I was looking for. So I took some of this and a bit of that and made one of the best soups I’ve ever tasted. After supper, I sat down and tried to write it down before I forgot, because I definitely want to make it again.

Here it is:
Put chicken into large kettle and cover with water. Cook until juices are clear. For defrosted chicken, it will take about 15 to 20 minutes. For frozen, it’ll take at least another 5-10 minutes, depending on their size. Remove from heat, let it cool a bit, until you can take the meat off the bones, then chop into bite size pieces. (If using chicken breast, cool and cut into bite size pieces).

Take the water you cooked your chicken in and save about 4 cups.

In your same kettle, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery, and saute for a few minutes. Add uncooked rice and 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cook on medium low heat for about 18 minutes, or until rice is cooked and vegetables are tender.

(Note: I happened to have cooked rice in my refrigerator, so I just cooked my vegetables in the chicken broth, then added the 3-4 cups of cooked rice later-very convenient).

Add the rest of your reserved chicken broth, and the canned chicken broth. Then add your chicken, and then the seasonings. I listed the ones I used, but really, this is a recipe that needs to be seasoned according to your own (your family’s) preferences.

If you’d like to have it a little thicker, combine 1 cup water and 1/4 cup flour in a shaker, then add to the soup. To get the consistency I was looking for, I did this twice.

(Note #2: This soup would be even better with the addition of sauteed mushrooms, I didn’t think of it till after the fact…but if you like mushrooms, GO for it!!)

I served it to my family by putting it in their bowls and adding shredded cheese and a few crackers.
It was a huge hit!