Chicken Soup With Rice or Noodles

Submitted by greksgirl

"I adapted this from a WW cookbook for my parents who always get chicken with rice soup. It is best when made totally from scratch and the chicken is cooked in a crock-pot but can be made using a store roasted chicken. I have also used red leaf lettuce and spinach in place of the escarole."

 

• Ready In: 4hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1 (3 -4 lb) chicken
• 1 (48 ounce) can chicken broth (I use Swanson's low fat)
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 carrot
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 pinch sage
• 1 pinch thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 -3 carrots, coarsely grated
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 2⁄3 cup short-grain rice or 2 cups Reames frozen noodles
• 1 head escarole, washed and coarsely chopped
• salt and pepper

directions

1. Remove excess fat and giblets from the chicken and discard.
2. In a 5-qt. crock-pot combine the chicken broth, chicken, celery, carrot, saffron, sage, thyme, bay leaf and kosher salt.
3. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or until the chicken falls off the bone. Remove the chicken and cool; debone and cut into bite-sized pieces.
4. Strain the broth through a sieve lined with 2 paper towels, this removes the sediment and some of the fat. This can be done a day ahead and more fat can be removed from the top of the chilled broth.
5. In a large sauce pan heat the oil over medium-high heat, saute the onion, carrots and celery until the onion is transulent.
6. Add the strained broth and bring to a boil.
7. Add the rice or noodles and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
8. Stir in the chicken, cover; simmer until the rice/noodles are tender and the chicken is heated through.
9. Remove from heat and add the escarole; cover and set aside until the escarole wilts, about 2 minutes.
10. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Reviews

[Tinkerbell]

Excellent! DH couldn't find escarole at the store & I forgot to tell him that red leaf lettuce would work, so we went without. But, everything else went according to the recipe. I loved the dressed up broth flavored with the saffron, sage & thyme. You could taste each individual flavor, yet they all melded together into one; just a great harmony of flavors! I used the rice option & everyone thought it was amazing. It was such comfort food! I ate the canned stuff when I was a kid but didn't like it after adulthood & now I can have chicken soup with rice again anytime I want. Easy, homemade & delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, greksgirl! Made & enjoyed for Fall 2009 Pick A Chef. You've been adopted! :) http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=310505&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0