Chicken & Rice Soup

For the past two weeks I was battling a terrible cold that would not go away. No matter what I did. And it was miserable. A cold is such a common ailment but it also can be incredibly debilitating. Plus, I'm a huge baby when I'm sick. 

After week one I realized I probably needed some good old chicken soup. I didn't want to buy a can of soup because although they're cost-effective they also tend to be loaded with sodium. Since I've been on such a soup kick lately I figured why not try my hand at homemade chicken and rice soup.

It was pretty easy to make (not very labor intensive) and turned out wonderfully. It was exactly what I needed. And I could be wrong (or just supersticious), but I think it actually made me feel better. People do say chicken soup is the best cure for the common cold!

I hope you're not sick, but if you are, I encourage you to try this at home. And if you're not, it's a great recipe to add into the winter mix.

Chicken & Rice Soup

Servings: 6
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes 

3 small chicken breasts
1 onion, diced (I used a white onion, but yellow would certainly work too)
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 pound carrots, chopped
1/2 pound celery, chopped
6-7 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white rice, uncooked
Handful of fresh parsley 
Salt and pepper to taste

Season the chicken breasts with olive oil, salt, and pepper and cook in the broiler for approximately 10 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Remove, let cool for a few minutes, and then shred it as best you can. 

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the carrots and celery and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add about 4 cups of chicken stock, followed by the rice and chicken. The rice will absorb a lot of the stock, so you'll need to periodically add more. You can also add warm water as well. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for about one hour. The longer you simmer it the more the flavors meld, so you could probably simmer it for close to an hour and a half if you have time. 

Serve hot and enjoy!