Chicken and Rice Soup

Chicken and Rice Soup

On New Year's Eve, I felt like I was coming down with a cold.  I had a rough night's sleep, and I didn't feel much better in the morning.  So, I was yearning for a more bothy soup instead of the string of creamy soups that I have been posting lately.  The original recipe for this soup is Dianane Rossen Worthington's and I found it in a Williams-Sonoma cookbook "Soup & Stew".  I made some subtle modifications and it is just what the doctor ordered.  Don't get me wrong.  I do not want you to feel like you need to wait until you are feeling sick to make this.  It has a great texture thanks to the zucchini and carrots, and it's delicious.

---Enjoy

Chicken and Rice Soup

1. In a soup pot over high heat, bring the chicken broth to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken.
2. Simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.
3. Add rice, onions, carrots, tomato and marjoram to the hot broth.  
4. Over a high heat, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes.  
5. Add the zucchini and reserved chicken to the soup and simmer until the zucchini is tender, about 15 minutes.

Rice Varieties  Long grain rice has elongated slender grains that are much longer than they are wide.  When cooked, the grains remain fluffy and separate, making them popular for pilafa and soups, such as in this recipe.  Short-grain rice varieties tend to clump up and stick together when cooked, and are preferred for Asian and Caribbean cooking. Arborio and Carnaroli are Italian rices whose high starch contents make them perfect for risotto; jasmine rice is a perfumed rice popular in Thailand, and basmati rice, an aromatic, utty rice is used in Indian cooking.

Ingredients 6 cups reduced sodium chicken broth 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1/4 cup long grain brown or wild rice 1 yellow onion, finely chopped 2 carrots, shredded (4-5 ounces shredded carrots) 1 tomato peeled and diced (when out of season, substitute 5-6 ounces cherub tomatoes, sliced) 1/4 teaspoon marjoram 1 zucchini halved lengthwise and thinly sliced Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste