Recently a close friend of mine came down with a really bad case of the flu. I found out about it when the worst was over and she was ready to face eating something. I love to cook for my friends and I love the challenge of using what I have on hand.
Hmmm….what to make? I realized I had a frozen rotisserie chicken leftover in the freezer.
My friend loves brown rice and I know that is gentle food to an irritated stomach. A few basic steps, and this soup was born. It is now her new favorite.
Chicken & Brown Rice Soup
Rotisserie Chicken-(leftovers are fine)
water 4-5 cups
1-2 T. Chicken Soup Base
1 cup brown rice, uncooked
½ cup celery, chopped
1.2 c. carrots, chopped
dried parsley
I simmered the entire chicken, bones and all, in a large stock pot with about 4-5 cups water for about a hour. The broth was not concentrated enough to give me the flavor I wanted, so I added to taste a product called Chicken Soup Base. I use this a lot!! Find it in the soup section of the grocery store. It comes in other flavors like ham and beef, too. It is more concentrated and less salty than bouillon.
Strain the broth. I added a tbsp or so, to taste, to the strained broth to make a rich stock, then cooked the brown rice in the chicken stock 2 ½ c to 1 c dry brown rice. Set aside the meat to chop up and add to the finished soup.
Simmer about 45 minutes. Toss in chopped celery and carrot during the cooking time for extra flavor, color contrast, and nutrition.
Add some dried parsley and the chicken. The leftover broth and ¼ cup all purpose flour was mixed together and added to thicken the soup.
