Chicken Rice Soup

Chicken soup has long been a favorite fall and winter go-to, and with all the health issues facing us this year and no doubt next I decided to up the garlic content of this cold weather staple! If you don't like garlic...well, this isn't the cooking blog for you! Given the health benefits of garlic, I'd suggest sticking to the recipe, but to each their own!

Chicken Rice Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of butter

1 large onion (diced)

15 cloves of garlic (crushed or chopped)

Parsley (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

3 medium carrots (sliced)

3 ribs of celery (chopped)

10 cups of water

Bouillon (to taste)

4 chicken breasts (cubed)

Salt (to taste)

1 cup of brown rice*

*My preference is brown rice. If using white rice, see step 6 below!

Directions

1) Lord, bless!

2) Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot and then sauté the onion until translucent.

3) Stir in the garlic and sauté a couple of minutes before adding the seasonings and sauté for another minute.

4) Toss in the carrots and celery and keep sautéing for a couple more minutes.

5) Add the water and your favorite bouillon, bring to a boil, and add the chicken and brown rice (wait if you're using white rice!).

6) Once the soup is boiling again cover the pot, reduce the heat to low (with the soup still bubbling a bit), and simmer for 40 minutes. If you're using white rice it should only need 15 minutes to cook, so leave the chicken and vegetables to simmer on their own for 25 minutes before adding the white rice.

7) Remove from the heat and serve as is or with a dollop of sour cream, a bit of baguette - whatever you prefer! - and enjoy!