Have you ever visited the blog Cook for Your Life? If not, you need to check it out. Their team has created a complete online resource offering science-based culinary and nutrition information to cancer patients, survivors and caregivers, complete with tweaks for people with diet or flavor restrictions. They’ve even become a part of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
So as we get deeper into fall, we thought we’d share one of our favorite cold-weather recipes from the folks at Cook for Your Life, chicken & rice soup.
PREP TIME: 20 minutes / COOK TIME: 25 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
SERVINGS: 6
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 4 celery ribs, diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 2 teaspoons dill, fresh or dried
- ½ cup long grain brown rice (white rice for bland or low-fiber diets)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds chicken breast on the bone, skinned
- 5 cups water (or broth)
1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy sauce-pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, dill, rice, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the chicken and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 1 hour, adding more water if too much evaporates.
3. Remove the chicken and transfer to a colander. Once cool enough to handle, shred the chicken meat off the bone and return to broth to heat through. Discard the bones. Taste the soup for seasonings then serve.
If you are on a bland diet, here’s a way to transform this soup to fit in with your needs.
Discard the onion and sauté the remaining veggies until tender in a couple of tablespoons of stock instead of oil. Stir in a pinch of asafetida, if you can find, with veggies just as they start getting soft, before you add the chicken and water. This spice adds oniony taste without the digestive problems.
Use white rice instead of brown. White rice cooks in 20 minutes so if you like it al dente, add it about 20 minutes after you add the chicken in step 2. Cook for another 20 minutes. If you like your rice softer and starchier, add it in at the same time as the chicken.
We love this recipe and the tips and tricks we discover on Cook for Your Life, check it out for yourself and let us know what you cook up.
