Chicken & Rice Soup

In case you haven't noticed by now, I have a serious love for comfort foods.  Stews, casseroles, soups, I love them all.  Now that the cool fall weather has officially settled in, soup is back on the menu in our house.  I actually don't think I have made any soups since last winter when I tried out a wonderful recipe for broccoli cheddar soup, but this soup brought my love for soup back in a big way.  I have been thinking about and searching for new soup recipes to try over the next few months and I am really excited about them.  So far my plans definitely include Italian wedding, minestrone, french onion, and wonton soup.

This chicken and rice soup was super satisfying, warming, and hearty.  It is a very classic chicken soup recipe, wonderful for the cooler autumn and winter months.  Or if you are feeling under the weather or down and out, it is the perfect food to make you feel a bit better.  This recipe makes a pretty big batch of soup.  We both had a huge bowl of it for dinner and then reheated it for several lunches too.  You could certainly freeze this to keep on hand for a quick meal as well.  I hope you give this soup a try and also check out the dinner rolls that I posted in the previous post, which were an amazing compliment to this beautiful soup (link below). 

Chicken & Rice Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
3-4 carrots, diced
2-3 stalks of celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 of a bell pepper, diced
2 cups shredded chicken
1 tsp poultry seasoning
6-8 cups chicken stock
2 cups cooked white rice
Salt & Pepper, to taste

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add the diced vegetables to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and cook until becoming translucent. Add the shredded chicken and poultry seasoning and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Once the chicken has started to heat through, add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  When the vegetables are soft add the rice and cook for 5 minutes more to make sure everything is fully warmed.  Be sure to check to see if the soup needs salt and pepper, especially if you are using low or no sodium chicken broth.  Serve piping hot with crusty bread or homemade rolls. 

Enjoy!