Brazilian Chicken & Rice Soup
I make this every other weekend or so when I am puttering around the house. It takes some time but is mostly hands-off. And then I am set for a couple of weeknight meals! It is far and away the kids’s favorite soup.
Time to cook 1 hour 30 minutes | makes 6 servings
Ingredients
1 whole organic chicken, or about 4 lbs.
1 onion, cut into quarters (not peeled)
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 handful fresh parsley stems
3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled (not chopped)
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp. whole peppercorns
salt and pepper to taste
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 carrots, grated
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
3 plum tomatoes, seeds removed, diced
2 cups cooked brown rice
lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
Rinse the chicken. Place in a large stockpot and cover with cold water by about an inch. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer – you should see bubbles popping around the edge of the pot but it should not be vigorously boiling.
Skim the foam off the stock as it is simmering.
After about 30 minutes of simmering and skimming, add in the vegetables and herbs. I should probably put this into a beautiful bouquet garnis, but I can’t be troubled.
Allow to simmer for about 1 hour 45 minutes. Pull out the chicken and let it cool. Shred the meat with your fingers and set aside.
Taste the broth. If it is flavorful enough, go ahead and strain it. If it tastes weak, add the chicken bones back in and simmer for another hour. Season with some salt.
Strain and cool the broth.
When you are ready to assemble the soup, reheat the broth. Add the rice, about two cups of shredded chicken, and the veggies. Heat through, about 5 minutes.
Serve with a wedge of lemon for squeezing right before serving. Delicious!
You should have enough shredded chicken left over for chicken burritos tomorrow!