Foodie Fridays - Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Happy Friday friends!  I'm sharing my second newspaper article today.  Hope you enjoy!

Springtime looks like it’s finally here, thank goodness!  The days are getting longer, our afternoons start to be filled with outdoor activities, and we all begin to look for fast, easy meals.  A great idea for this time of year are meals that can be made in advance and then pulled out and heated up as we need them.  Soup is a perfect make ahead meal and also perfect for this time of year when the nights can still be a little crisp.  Homemade soup can seem like a lot of work, but I promise it’s really not.  Make a big batch on Sunday for supper and then either put it in single serving containers in the fridge for quick grab and go lunches or freeze and thaw later for those nights you really do not want to cook. Moms and even Dads we all have those nights don’t we?  Now imagine if you had homemade soup to look forward to on those nights.  

This recipe for creamy chicken and rice soup is one I’ve adapted and changed to honestly make it a little faster and easier.  This soup can easily go from start to finish in about an hour and using some pre-cooked chicken and boxed rice mix helps to speed the process along.  I used rotisserie chicken breasts from Tem’s which were inexpensive and added some roasted flavor to the soup without me having to do a thing.  I also used baby carrots so I didn’t have to worry about peeling and they cook faster.  Cooking time is only about 30 minutes so the majority of the time you spend is chopping vegetables.  Hope you enjoy!

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

½ cup chopped carrots

½ cup chopped celery

1 medium yellow onion chopped

1 8 oz box mushroom chopped either white button or cremini

2 cups chopped cooked chicken - about three small bone in chicken breasts

32oz low sodium chicken stock

2 cups of water

2 cups of milk

½ cup all purpose flour

1 4.3 oz box of Rice A Roni long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

salt and black pepper to taste

½ teaspoon dried oregano

heavy bottomed soup pot or dutch oven

With your boiler over medium heat add the olive oil and butter and allow the butter to melt.  Once butter has melted add the onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes or so until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are cooked down.  Add garlic, dry oregano, and pepper and cook for a few more minutes.  Add chicken stock, water, and one cup of milk.  Whisk the flour into the other cup of milk until smooth and then add to the pot.  Cook for a few minutes until all liquids are combined and smooth making sure there are no lumps of flour.  Once mixture is smooth, add the chicken, seasoning packet, and the rice.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on the lowest setting for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked through and tender.  Stir at about the 10 minute mark to make sure the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Serve with crackers, hot biscuits, or toasted french bread.

As always please send me an email at lanapugh@gmail.com with any comments, suggestions, or questions.