Рецепт Flavor Tip
If you're making a homemade chicken and ___ soup, how do you prepare the chicken? I bet many of you are thinking, "I boil it, then shred it...how else am I supposed to be making it?"
There is nothing wrong with that method. Not one bit. It is the traditional way all of our moms and grandmas used, and it's worked for this many years, so why change it? Let me explain! I have a ton of chicken soup recipes, and in 99% of them, I choose to roast the chicken instead. Even recipes that call for that old school method have been adapted in my recipe box.
I started doing this years ago, for a few reasons. First off, I find roasting the meat gives it an extra flavor boost that really adds another level to whatever soup it's going into. Secondly, I like to "work ahead" on meals, even if I'm home all day. I can easily roast the chicken earlier in the day, shred it, and stick in the fridge where it's waiting on me when dinner time rolls around. You could even roast it the night before, or on the weekend and freeze it until you're ready for it later in the week. It really frees up some time. And finally, roasting the chicken also lets me double up on recipes. I can prepare extra, use some for today's soup and then freeze some for another soup or casserole later on. This soup is a perfect example of how cooking the chicken like this will free up some extra time. If the chicken is done ahead of time, you can throw everything (well, almost) in the slow cooker and it's going to take care of itself without you having to come back and deal with the chicken mid-cooking.
The hubby loves the chicken and rice soup they serve at his work, so I was simply trying to treat him to something at home, and boy did I earn some wife points with this one! It's one of those that you can't wait to come home to on a cold day, and tastes great the next day too. (Be sure to add some extra liquid when reheating thought because that rice is going to soak up every last drop!)
Oh, and to anyone reading this who has the sniffles, or that nasty yuck that is going around, EVERY WHERE, this would taste so good!
If you are willing to think outside the box and trust me, switching out some roast chicken for the classic boiled/simmered version might just be the new kitchen hack you've been looking for! Crock Pot Chicken & Rice Soup
2 lbs. boneless chicken tenders
2 TBS vegetable oil 2 (32-oz) boxes chicken broth
3 carrots, peeled & diced
3 celery ribs, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
1 c. white rice
3 cups water
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried parsley Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400. Baste chicken with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes until juices run clear. Let cool. Shred.
To Crock Pot add chicken, broth, vegetables, water, bouillon, garlic powder, thyme, parsley salt and pepper. Cook on LOW 5 hours. Add rice, increase heat to HIGH and cook 1-1.5 hours until rice is tender.
*NOTE* Want to save even more time? You could easily use a rotisserie chicken for this. Discard the skin, shred it and you're good to go!