Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Sick Soup

The name of this soup should really be Chicken and Wild Rice, but Josh christened it Sick Soup many moons ago. When we were first married we lived in Independence, Texas, which is, according to Rand McNally, a ghost town. One evening he came down with a high fever and I didn't want to leave him alone for thirty minutes to drive to the grocery store, but also knew he needed to eat something healthier than the frozen pizza in our freezer...yes, we were young and dumb once. No pizzas in our freezer now, I promise. Anyway, I rummaged around in our cabinets and vegetable drawer and found ingredients to make the first ever Sick Soup. It's so simple and delicious, perfect for comfort or illness. I love to take it to friends who are sick, recovering, or just plain sad. Make this big portion and share half with someone who needs a little extra love.

The ingredients:

1/2 pound organic white meat chicken, boneless and skinless, chopped
1/2 pound organic dark meat chicken, boneless and skinless, chopped
3 cups Royal Blend rice (or your favorite wild rice mix)
8-10 organic carrots, cut on a bias about 1/4 inch thick
2 large stalks organic celery, coarsely chopped
32 ounces organic, low sodium, reduced fat chicken broth
32 ounces water
2 Tablespoons dried sage (you can also use thyme or tarragon, just pick one - don't mix them)
fresh cracked peppercorns
sea salt


Cut carrots on a bias (see below), chop celery and chicken - in that order, and toss into your favorite soup pot


Put remaining ingredients into the pot and stir gently.
Turn burner to medium heat, cover tightly with lid.


When the rice is fluffy, chicken is cooked, and vegetables are tender your Sick Soup is ready, about 45 minutes to an hour. I purposely don't put a lot of liquid in this soup because Josh is not a fan of broth, but you could definitely add more water or chicken stock to make this more 'soupy'.


This dish refrigerates well and serves as delicious lunch and leftovers the next day or two... or six. But it really shouldn't last that long because you're sharing it, remember?