What??...it never rains in California.
But when it does, all I want is soup.
I made this recipe up last month and was afraid I wouldn't be able to re-create it since I was using leftovers. So you know what I did? I made leftovers on purpose just for this soup.
You can vary the ingredients to suit your taste for sure, but my family is loving this version. In fact, my daughter is taking some to her favorite teacher tomorrow as he's trying to kick a cold.
Here's what I did:
TO MAKE SOUP STOCK:
1 COSTCO plump rotisserie chicken
1 onion, quartered
About 2 cups of celery with leaves
4 carrots cut into big chunks
1 Tablespoon Better Than Bouillon --chicken flavor (can use vegetable flavor instead)
Water to cover all
FOR SOUP ITSELF:
1 package Wild Rice (small box)
1 package Spanish Style Rice* (Lipton or Rice A Roni, both worked equally well)
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced kind of thick
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 cup butter (optional)
12 oz. baby carrots, kept whole
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped onion
In a stockpot, place chicken, onion, celery, carrots and bouillon. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
As soon as it boils, reduce heat to lowest simmer. Allow to simmer for 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare Spanish rice according to package directions. When done, set aside.
Then saute mushrooms in 1 T. butter until tender. Set aside.
When soup is done simmering, CAREFULLY strain stock with a colander and/or cheesecloth. Return stock to pot and add baby carrots, celery, & onion. Return to boil and then reduce heat to medium low.
Meanwhile, discard cooked stock vegetables and pull chicken from bones. Return chicken to stockpot. Add wild rice. Allow to simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Add Spanish rice, and mushrooms. Turn up heat to medium and heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If desired, add butter. (My mom adds butter to all of her chicken soups as it gives a rich, well--buttery flavor. If you are observing cholesterol you can surely skip this step!)
Salt & pepper to taste and serve.
