Whole-Grain Chicken Soup with Rice
14 cups chicken broth (or water plus bouillon)
2 cups (uncooked) brown rice (or a brown/wild rice mixture)
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves minced garlic (about 1 teaspoon)
1 large onion, diced
4 celery ribs, diced
6 carrots, diced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt (or more)*
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh)
4 cups cooked cubed chicken**
Instructions:
1. In a large stock pot, combine the broth, rice, butter, garlic, onion, celery, carrots, pepper, salt, rosemary, and thyme. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. When soup starts boiling, stir once and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for at least 45 minutes. Check to see how tender the rice is after 45 minutes (for brown rice), and cook 10-15 minutes longer if needed.
3. Add chicken meat, stirring gently. Heat on low for 10 minutes or until soup is heated through. Add salt to taste. Enjoy!
Additional Notes:
*You may need more salt, depending on how salty your chicken broth was. I used a low-sodium chicken broth and added a total of 5 teaspoons of salt for this recipe. Start with less, and salt “to taste”! 🙂
**If you wish to start with fresh chicken, use about a pound of meat, cut into cubes, and add with the veggies (step 1).