Soup for a sick kid

I know most people think chicken noodle soup when they are sick, but since I don’t eat noodles and my daughter prefers rice (aww, she takes after me), we do chicken and rice soup. The kidlet has been battling a fever and congestion for the last four days so Saturday I ran out and grabbed the stuff to make her favorite chicken & rice soup.

I think this kid would waste away if she didn’t like soup. Since she was about 3 years old, soup has been one of the best (and sometimes only) ways I can get her to eat vegetables . I’m starting to suspect a biological reason for this, but I’m waiting to find out about this from a doctor.

Anyway, here’s my chicken & rice soup :*

*This is not necessarily a gluten-free or dairy-free recipe. I knew I was not going to be eating it, so I wasn’t checking the ingredients in everything.  I also was trying to make it fast. Cream of chicken soup is NOT GF or dairy-free. I’m not sure about the Uncle Ben’s.  

Chicken & Rice Soup

1-2 lbs of chicken thighs, with skin.

8 cups of water

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp whole peppercorns

Juice of one lemon

1 box Uncle Ben’s long grain & wild rice

6 oz frozen mire poix (diced celery, onions and green peppers)

6 oz frozen sliced carrots

1 can cream of chicken soup

Place the chicken thighs in a large stock pot. Add water to the pot. Then add the seasoning packet from the box of rice (do not add the rice), garlic, lemon juice and peppercorns. Bring water to a boil.  

Reduce the heat to low and let chicken cook at a slow boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from heat and cover. Let stand for about 25-35 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Take the chicken out of the stock with tongs and let cool until you can remove skin.

While the chicken is cooling, strain stock with a mesh strainer. Make sure you have a bowl or pot large enough to catch all the stock. Pour the strained stock back into the stock pot. I only put about half the stock back in the pot and refrigerated the rest for future meals.

Place the stock pot over medium-high heat and add the veggies. Bring the mixture to a boil and add rice. Lower heat to a simmer.

While soup is simmering, remove skin from chicken and discard. Then remove meat from bones. Dice chicken into small pieces. Add about half the chicken in the soup and keep the rest for later meals. If you want more chicken in the soup, add all of it!

Once soup has simmered about 15 minutes, whisk in the cream of chicken soup (this could easily be replaced with a little cornstarch roux to thicken the soup as well…or even leave it out for a thinner, brothier soup).

Let the soup simmer about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately!

Serves 6-8.