With Ben fighting a cold — and the Man and I on the verge of catching it — I decided it would be a great time to make a pot of hearty chicken soup.
As with most things I cook these days, I am looking for things that are not only tasty, but have some shortcuts to them.
Long gone are the days of cooking down a whole chicken for stock. Instead I rely on good quality chicken broth from the store and a rotisserie chicken to make this Cheater Chicken Soup.
Toss in some celery, onion, shredded carrots (I buy them already shredded) and a handful of rice or pasta and there’s dinner. Pretty much any rice will do, but I tend to like a sturdier rice like arborio. I think it stands up better to being cooked, frozen and reheated. Or use some orzo pasta. (Note: Pasta will cook up quicker than the rice if you are in a hurry.)
I like to cook the rice or pasta right in the soup instead of cooking it separately because the starch helps thicken the broth.
I like the lemon and cilantro in this for a fresh twist. If cilantro is not your thing, try Italian parsley or a bit of fresh chopped basil. It reminds me a bit of a Greek lemon and chicken soup crossed with a tortilla soup. Minus the tortillas. (Though now that I think about it, the addition of tortillas and some avocado chunks would probably be pretty good.)
I like to make this for leftovers, freezing in individual servings for quick lunches or dinners to enjoy later.
Recipe: Cheater Chicken Soup
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 (10-ounce) package shredded carrots (or 3-4 whole carrots)
2 cups celery, thinly sliced
1 cup white wine such as chardonnay (optional)
8 cups chicken broth (I like Trader Joe’s low-fat, low-sodium, gluten-free)
1 whole, cooked chicken, meat removed from bones, roughly chopped (4 cups roasted chicken)
2-4 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice or small pasta such as elbow macaroni or shells
salt and pepper
Directions
1. Heat oil or butter in a large stock pot over medium-high heat, adding onion, carrots and celery. Add dash of salt and a couple grinds of pepper. Cook with lid on for about 5 minutes until veggies soften, stirring and making sure they are cooking, but not really browning.
2. Add wine and cook another 5 minutes.
3. Add broth, chicken and lemon juice and cook until hot.
4. Add cilantro and arborio rice plus salt and pepper to taste.
5. Cook 20-30 minutes or until rice is done. If using pasta, cook until pasta is done, about 10 minutes.
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Tip of the day: Cheater chicken soup is a post from: OC Moms: The Mom Blog
