Willie's Chicken and Rice Soup
My husband had back surgery a few years ago and our wonderful next-door neighbor brought us a huge pot of this soup, along with a batch of sugar cookies. It was the best "Get Well" gift for both of us! Of course, I requested the recipes and they both became our favorites. The soup is so easy to make and once the weather gets chilly, I make it a lot. Now that fall has arrived, it's back in my dinner rotation!
Ingredients
1 rotisserie chicken
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
1 package Spanish style Rice-A-Roni
Garnish with diced avocado or grated cheese (optional)
Remove cooked chicken from bones and shred/chop.
Place bones, skin, and juices in large pot and cover with water. Add chopped onion.
Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 2-4 hours.
Strain broth into a separate saucepan. You will need at least 6 cups of liquid. If necessary, add water to equal 6 cups.
Melt butter in the first pot. Add the Rice-A-Roni (including the seasoning packet but not the water as called for on the package) and saute for 2 minutes.
Return broth to pot with Rice-A-Roni and add shredded chicken.
Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
Add more water if the soup is too thick.
My Notes:
If I have time, I like to prepare the broth the day before. This allows me to chill it in the refrigerator (in the cooking pot, once it's cooled down), so I can skim off some of the solidified fat.
The seasoning for the Rice-A-Roni is fairly salty, so don't add any extra!
This freezes well, but you may need to add water to thin once you defrost it.
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It sure is about to be soup season! That's an interesting use of convenience foods, which would be economical if you used the Costco chicken that's below market price. I find rotisserie chickens pretty salty too, so it might be too much for me.
ReplyDeletebe well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae, I really like the Costco chickens since they're so much larger than the ones in our local grocery stores. I don't think they are quite as salty as the smaller ones.
DeleteVicki, this is such a convenient soup and it makes quite a few servings. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThis looks delish. I love soups when the weather is cold. May be a while yet before we make any but I need to keep this recipe in mind!
ReplyDeleteIliana, I'll bet you don't see cold temps for several more months, right? Enjoy when you do get a chance to make this. And thanks for spending so much time today visiting my blog! You win the most comment contest! :)
DeleteThis does look tasty and convenient!
ReplyDeleteMarg, I do love the convenience! And it smells wonderful as it simmers on the stove.
DeleteInteresting idea using a cooked chicken. My husband's family makes a soup using skinless and boneless chicken breast (2) , 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of sliced carrots, and a 1/2 of a bunch of curly parsley. They put it in the slow cooker with 4 cups of chicken broth and 3 cups of water and cook it for 5-6 hours on high. They love it..
ReplyDeleteJudee, that recipe sounds easy and delicious, too! Is the chicken cut up prior to cooking or do you shred it after it's finished? Thanks for sharing it with me.
DeleteSounds great for fall and winter cooler temps.
ReplyDeleteDiane, I may have been overly eager for soup weather. "Summer-like" temps will return this week and we may even hit the upper 70s!
DeleteThis sounds great -- I too like soup all year round. This would be a perfect way to use up leftover roasted chicken or turkey.
ReplyDeleteCandace, what I love about this particular soup is the ease of preparing and the wonderful fragrance that wafts through our house as it simmers. You're right about using leftover turkey, as well. Mmmmm, mmmm, good!
DeleteThis sounds delicious but I must ask what exactly is Rice a Roni!? It’s not something I’ve seen in Scotland!
ReplyDelete"Rice-A-Roni is a product of PepsiCo's subsidiary the Quaker Oats Company. It is a pilaf-like boxed food mix that consists of rice, vermicelli pasta, and seasonings. To prepare, the rice and pasta are browned in butter, then water and seasonings are added and simmered until absorbed." (Wikipedia) I never use the packaged rice mix except for this recipe. When I Googled it, I spotted a few recipes for homemade Rice-a-Roni. I think I might try one of those for this recipe in order to have some control over the sodium content.
DeleteIt sounds delicious, perfect autumn fare. I’ll have a good look on Google and try a recipe, thank for getting back to me!
DeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteI think I could make some version of that, even though I've not bought Rice-a-Roni or rotisserie chicken. It sounds and looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I think it would be fairly easy to come of with a healthier, more homemade version of this. Enjoy!
Delete