Chicken Rice Soup

           I love soups any kind of soup, but of course chicken rice is one of my favorite soups. It is a perfect for a rainy day like today. I also find a recipe from Ree Drummond in her cookbook. I love her show "The Pioneer Woman"and I have been watching her and other celebrity chefs on Food Network for many years. 

        I like this recipe that adds turmeric powder to create the colorful and flavorful. However, I always change some ingredients and create my own version. This is a tasty and hearty soup. Give it a try!

Baked Chicken 

Ingredients

2 pounds split chicken breast

2 garlic cloves, smashed 

2 teaspoons soy sauce

pinch salt and black pepper 

pinch ground thyme 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees 

In a baking dish or use a roasting pan, sprinkle the chicken with 1 tablespoon good olive oil, soy sauce, smashed garlic, ground thyme, salt, and black pepper. Bake the chicken until cooked through about 20 minutes and set aside.   

Making the Chicken Soup 

Ingredients

1 onion, finely diced

3 stalks celery, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced  

3 garlic cloves, minced 

1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

pinch turmeric powder 

pinch salt and black pepper 

2 cups cooked brown or white rice 

5 cups water or chicken stock 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce 

cilantro or parsley leaves for garnishing  

diced veggies 

chopped chicken 

Directions

In a pot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and stir in garlic, onions, carrots, celery about 3 minutes and sprinkle ground thyme and turmeric and stir well. Pour in 5 cups water, add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a simmer about 20 minutes. For this recipe, I use water, if using chicken stock that might already has salt in it. 

Prepare to cook rice by following instructions from the package. I use my leftover brown rice. 

Chop or shred cooked chicken and add into the pot including the liquid from the baking dish. Simmer for about 10 minutes and stir in cooked rice and sprinkle salt and black pepper to taste. Serve hot and garnish with cilantro or parsley leaves.

Yum!