chicken soup with rice chicken soup with riceI started reading Maurice Sendak’s classic book Chicken Soup with Rice to Kenya when he was two and it quickly became one of his favorites. It’s the story of a little boy who loves chicken soup with rice so much that he eats it month after month in a host of imagined settings.
Kenya’s not too far away from that level of affection for chicken soup himself. I often make a huge batch and freeze it in individual containers so that whenever either of my kids feel under the weather, I just defrost some and heat it up to make them feel warm and nourished. As Maurice Sendak made clear, “all seasons of the year are nice” for this healthful soup, but it’s especially heartwarming on those chilly days when your little ones have a runny nose.
One 4-pound whole chicken
¾ cup long-grain brown rice
4 quarts cold water (enough to cover the chicken)
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 small onion, peeled and halved
1 bay leaf
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1. Place all the ingredients except the parsley in a large soup pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim the foam and fat off the surface of the soup as necessary as it’s coming to a boil.
2. Cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 1 hour.
3. Turn off the heat, remove the halved onion, bay leaf, and chicken from the pot, and let cool.
4. Discard the skin and bones from the chicken and cut or shred the meat into small pieces.
5. Add the chicken and parsley to the soup, reheat, and serve.
OLESYA: Chicken Soup with Rice is easy to make, our go-to recipe in the winter. Freeze it to have on hand for when anyone in the family starts to get sick!
ASHLEY: A great lunch for a cold winter day. I can make a big batch, freeze it in smaller portions, and heat it up quickly in the morning while the boys are eating breakfast. Then just pour into a thermos and a hearty meal that I know they’ll gobble up is ready to go to school!