Chicken Creole Soup

Chicken soup with a kick, really tasty and easy.

• Ready In: 1 hr 55 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons butter or 2  tablespoons margarine
• 2  medium onions, chopped (2 cups)
• 2  stalks celery, chopped (2 cups)
• 1  medium green bell pepper, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
• 2  teaspoons  finely chopped garlic
• 2 1⁄2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or 2 1⁄2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1⁄4 cup flour
• 4  cups chicken broth
• 2 (14 1/2ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained (I use the petite diced that you get at superwalmart)
• 2  dried bay leaves or 1  fresh bay leaf
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  ground red pepper (cayenne)
• 1  cup  uncooked regular long grain rice
• 2  cups water

Directions

1. Melt butter in 5 to 6 quart dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Cook onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic and chicken in butter 7 to 9 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is softened and chicken is no longer pink in the center.
3. Stir in flour.
4. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly, until flour is light brown.
5. Stir in remaining ingredients except rice and water.
6. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium low.
7. Cover and cook 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is tender.
8. Meanwhile, cook rice in water as directed on package; stir cooked rice into soup.
9. Remove bay leaves.