Herbed Chicken, Rice and Vegetable Soup
Chicken rice soup loaded with veggies and herbs in a chicken based broth infused with lemon. Eases cold and flu symptoms & makes a healthy and nutritious lunch or dinner option.
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots chopped into small pieces
- 2 celery stalks sliced into thin pieces
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 zucchini diced into smaller pieces (optional)
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2-3 cups boiling water
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts blotted with paper towel
- 1 lemon squeezed fresh added to soup 1 tbsp at a time
- 3/4-1 cup jasmine rice uncooked
Chicken Breast Herb & Spice Blend:
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- ½ tsp dry oregano
- ½ tsp dry rosemary
Soup Herb & Spice Blend:
- ¼ tsp dry sage
- ¼ tsp dry dill
- ¼ tsp dry thyme
- 1 pinch chili pepper flakes optional
Additional herbs/spices to add to soup:
- 2 whole bay leaves dry
- 1 tbsp dry parsley
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4-1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients.
- Wash peel, chop or dice vegetables.
- Prep broth and measure out rice.
- Prep the herb and spice blends.
- Dry the chicken, blot and add the chicken herb & spice blend.
- Sear the chicken on medium high heat for one minute per side. Then lower the heat and cook for 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside. You'll be cooking the onion in the same pan. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the stuck on bits. There's a ton of flavour in those little bits. Adding a bit of chicken broth will help to loosen anything stuck on bits.
- While chicken is searing, dice the onion and mince the garlic.
- Cook the onion on low-med heat for 8-10 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp of sea salt to the onion in the start of the cooking process.
- Add butter to the pan, melt it and cook the onion for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add the spices and toast for 2 minutes. Slice up the chicken breasts into smaller pieces while the spices toast.
- Next, add the zucchini (if using) and cook for 5 minutes more. If you opt to not add zucchini to the recipe, toss in the garlic and stir for 30 seconds till aromatic.
- Pour in the rice and stir for 2-3 minutes to toast it. Continue slicing up the chicken breasts into smaller pieces while the rice toasts.
- Now toss in the cut chicken pieces, stir for a minute or two, then pour in the chicken broth. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for another 15 minutes.
- In the last 5 minutes of cooking time, taste the soup for salt and pepper, add as needed, toss in parsley and the juice of a lemon. (1 tbsp at a time)
- Optional: Serve with green onion on top, and the zest of the lemon
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