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

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of our favorite soups.  Sharon found it in the "WIL 92 FM Working Women's Survival Show 2000 Cookbook" and I make it several times a year. The recipe was submitted by Bobbie Ann Mason from WIL.   The only addition that I made to this recipe was to add a can of Rotel.  Either way, I think that you will really enjoy this soup.

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

1. Heat the olive oil in your favorite soup pot over a med-low heat and add the onions and garlic.  cook for 5-10 minutes or until the onion is softened.
2. Add the chilies, tomatoes with their juice, broth, Rotel, Worcestershire, spices and hot sauce and simmer the soup for about 20 minutes.
3. In a small bowl,  combine the flour and water and whisk into the soup.  Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the sour cream and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Garnish each portion with the tortilla chips.

Ingredients 1 med yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons) 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 4 oz can of chili peppers, chopped, reserving the juice 10 oz can Rotel 15 oz can Italian style stewed tomatoes, chopped reserving the juice 1 32 oz reduced sodium shicken broth 1 tsp lemmon pepper 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp hot sauce or to taste 4 tbsp whole wheat flour 1/2 cup water 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast cut into small cubes 1/3 cup nonfat or low-fat sour cream Salt and pepper to taste Tortilla chips