On a cold winter day, there's nothing better than making a pot of homemade chicken soup from scratch. I love it. For years I concentrated on Chicken Noodle Soup because it was a favorite of both of my sons. But now that they're no longer living here, I'm favoring making the same basic recipe with rice instead.
A couple of weeks ago when it started snowing I headed to the local grocery to pick up supplies and got busy. Bonus: it's even better the next day. So even though there's only two of us living here now, I'll often keep the leftovers in the fridge and continue to enjoy the soup for lunch for a few more days. It's easier to make than one might think, but completely satisfying.
Here's my basic recipe:
Shelley's Chicken Rice Soup
(I'm not going to state amounts because you can make it according to your own preferences - adding more or less of each ingredient.)
- Chicken, cooked and cut in chunks (I sometimes use skinless chicken breasts, but other times use a whole chicken which I gently simmer for about 30 minutes then remove, skin, bone, and cut up and shred the meat for the soup)
- Chicken broth or natural chicken base & water (I prefer Kitchen Basics all natural chicken broth in a carton OR McCormick's Chicken Base with no msg) Use about 4 to 6 cups of liquid here.
- Carrots, peeled and chopped (or baby carrots or shredded carrots)
- Celery, sliced
- Onion, 1 whole yellow onion, chopped
- Cooked Rice - I prefer to use a box of Uncle Ben's Wild Herb Rice which I cook separately and then add at the end. But you can also use brown or long-grain white rice. Whatever. Just cook or steam it before adding to the soup so it doesn't get mushy.
- Fresh poultry herbs - this is usually some marjoram, rosemary, sage, parsley. Minced.
- Salt & Pepper - I love black pepper so use a lot.
Simple instructions: Get started cooking your chicken and rice in their own pots. In a soup pot, saute the onion, celery, and carrots in a little bit of olive oil until lightly browned. This brings out a lot more flavor then just putting them in the liquid raw. Add the chicken broth and herbs and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the cubed cooked chicken and cooked rice.
Season to taste. Enjoy!
Do you make homemade soup? I love to and usually in the winter make some kind of soup from scratch at least once a week. My husband is great to cook for because he pretty much likes anything I make. So that makes cooking fun too.
I think soup is great because you can be creative and change up basic recipes - dress it up or down. And just serve it for a simple dinner as is(if it's hearty enough) or add a salad or homemade rolls to round out the meal.
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