Chicken with Rice Soup

RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 oven stuffer roaster chicken

6 quarts chicken broth or stock
1 medium onion
2 cups picked chicken
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
2 medium zucchinis
1 bunch green onion or scallions
1 head garlic
2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

Day 1: Make the Broth.

To make the broth, remove the neck and giblet pack from the chicken cavity and the thermometer from the exterior and discard.  Add 7 quarts of water to the 12 quart soup pot and turn the stove on high.   Chop 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, and 1 onion into chunks and add to the water along with a crushed head of garlic (paper removed, of course).  Place the chicken in the pot, cover and bring to a boil.  Then lower the heat to medium and slow boil for 1 ½ hours.

At this point, carefully remove the chicken from the broth.  Break it up with tongs if you have to.  Pick the meat off the bones and discard the skin. Place the meat in a container and refrigerate.  Put the bones back in the broth.  Add 1 cap of white vinegar to the broth.  This will help the fat to separate out.  Boil the broth with the bones in it for 20 minutes.

When done, place a colander in another pan or container that can take the heat and strain the broth to remove the vegetables, bones and other particulates.  Slowly pour the broth or ladle it out of the first pan and into the strainer over the second.  Cool the broth container by placing in a sink of cold water with ice.  When it’s cool enough, put it in the refrigerator and allow the fat to separate out over night. DO NOT MAKE THE SOUP UNTIL THE FAT HAS SEPARATED OUT OR YOU WILL SUFFER INTESTINAL DISTRESS!

(Quick and Easy 1 Day Broth Making Method

If you don’t have enough time to make the broth from scratch, follow these instructions:

Purchase 3 32 oz reduced sodium containers of chicken broth and slow boil 3 skinless chicken breasts with the bones in it along with the cut vegetables listed above for 45 minutes.  Remove the chicken and strain the bones and vegetables out of the broth.  Remove the chicken from the bones and put in the refrigerator.  This broth can be used to make the soup in one day using the Day 2 steps for making the soup from scratch listed below. The only exception is you won’t want to add salt or bullion to the broth since you are using a prepared broth product that already contains salt.)

Day 2: Complete the Soup

Take the broth that has cooled overnight out of the refrigerator.  Set in the sink with a plastic trash bag beside it.  Use a spoon to carefully remove all the fat that has floated to the top.

Place your chicken broth or stock in an 8 quart pan over medium heat and add one finely chopped medium onion. Prepare two cups of brown rice according to package directions. Cut the carrots into 1/8 inch long slices and set aside in a bowl. Cut the celery stalks and zucchinis into 1/8-1/4 inch long piece and set aside in a bowl. Chop the green onions into 1/2-1 inch segments and set aside. Crush or mince the garlic.

Turn the broth or stock heat up to high. Add the carrots and boil for ten minutes. Then add the celery and zucchini slices and boil for another ten minutes. Now add the chicken, green onion or scallions, crushed or minced garlic and chicken (broken into strips by hand) and 1-1 1/2 cups prepared brown rice and simmer for ten minutes.

Congratulations! You just made Hearty Chicken with Rice & Vegetable Soup.