Friday, September 26, 2014
Fall=Soup...Curried Chicken & Rice Soup
Ok sure, with me Spring, Summer and Winter also equals soup, but since Fall officially started this week I decided to use it as an excuse to make soup. Now if you have followed my blog for any period of time you know that I eat and make a lot of soup so it is becoming more and more challenging to find new and exciting soup recipes. Come on, there are only so many versions of lentil or minestrone, one girl can make. I am not saying I won't make those anymore, but, I was looking for something a little different...hence the Curried Chicken and Rice Soup.
Now lets start with the confessions..confession #1...I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of bone-in with skin. I know they have more flavor, but the thought of taking mushy, fatty chicken skin off a breast after it has been boiling for 30 minutes just brought up my gag reflex, and so, I took the easy way out.
Confession #2...this recipe has you blend the rice, but I tasted the rice before I blended it and I really liked the texture contrast and it had great flavor after being cooked in the curry. So, if I made it again, I would keep the rice whole. I have actually been eating the soup with a side of rice...yes, I am a carb fanatic!!
Confession #3...I did not own an immersion blender until my birthday last month. I don't know how I survived!! It is truly one of the coolest kitchen gadgets on the planet. Love it!!
To begin with, combine the chicken, carrots (I probably should have cut mine a little smaller), bay leaf and salt in a pot. Cover with 3 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn to low and cook covered for 20 minutes. There is something about the smell of boiling chicken that just grosses me out. I love chicken and once I can't smell it I am totally fine, but I have some childhood post traumatic stress over boiling chicken or something.
Next sautee the onions, sugar and salt in butter. Yum!! Add the curry powder and if possible truly follow the recipe and use Madras, it is less pungent and still has good flavor without being completely overpowering. Add the rice and 3 cups chicken broth and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Be advised that not all of the liquid is going to boil off like it does when you are just cooking regular rice.
Remove the chicken from the broth and shred the chicken. I just used 2 forks and shredded it that way. Word of caution...let it cool...unlike me...who just scorched the hell out of her hands. #smartgirl
Puree the rice mixture with the immersion blender. Then combine the rice mixture, the shredded chicken and the broth that the chicken was cooked in. Simmer.
Finally add the fresh mint and fresh dill. I know it sounds strange, but this really adds a nice flavor.
The soup tastes like it has coconut broth in it to me, but it doesn't. I think the rice gives it the creamy texture. Anyway, it has great flavor from the fresh herbs, curry powder and the salt of the chicken broth. It is a light and refreshing soup with a lot of depth. I also found that this soup is great leftover as the flavors do meld together well over time. Enjoy!
Here is the actual recipe:
Ingredients
1 bone-in chicken breast (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved
2 medium carrots, sliced diagonally into 2-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1/3 cup jasmine rice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Directions
Combine the chicken, carrots, bay leaf and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Add 3 cups broth and bring to a boil; immediately reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is just firm, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in another saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the onion is soft, 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the rice and the remaining 3 cups broth. Increase the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the rice falls apart, 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken from its broth; discard the skin and shred the meat into pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the same broth.
Puree the rice mixture with an immersion blender until smooth (or use a regular blender, then return to the pan). Pour in the shredded chicken and broth, stirring gently to combine; bring to a simmer. Toss in the chopped herbs and serve the soup with lemon wedges.
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