Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Lemony chicken and rice soup

Grab a spoon and enjoy this warming bowl of chicken and rice soup with a lustrous lemon background. With an evaporated milk base you will have a beautifully silky soup to enjoy on cold autumn nights.

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, chopped in bite-size portions

• 2 tsp Italian seasonings

• tt salt and pepper

• 1 tbsp oil

OR

• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken

• 1 medium onion, small diced

• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

• 4 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (omit if desired)

• 2 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1/4-1/3 cup white wine

• 1 cup carrots, diced

• 1 cup celery, diced

• 1 cup water

• 4 cups chicken stock

• 24 oz evaporated milk (2- 12 oz cans)

• 5 tbsp flour

• 1 cup cooked rice, of your choice

• spinach, about a handful, roughly chopped

• squeeze of lemon juice

• 2 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Instructions

Read Susie's Tips and Tricks below

1. In a fairly large, wide pot, add Italian-seasoned chicken and saute until fully cooked in a swirl of oil. Don't move the chicken around too soon; you want it to caramelize and create some flavour. You want the chicken to sear not steam. Don't crowd the pan.

2. Remove cooked chicken and set aside. Add add onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute, remove, and set aside as garnish. You may omit if you're not a fan of mushrooms. I won't mind...

3. Add carrots, celery, thyme, and nutmeg. Cook a few minutes, then deglaze pot with white wine to lift the fond. Add water and chicken stock, cooking until vegetables are soft.

4. In a small bowl with a spout, mix 12 oz of evaporated milk with the flour. Stir into pot; it should thicken slightly and become bubbly on medium heat, then add remaining 12 oz of milk and simmer.

5. Add cooked chicken, prepared rice, and spinach; a good pinch of lemon juice, lemon zest, and a smattering of black pepper and nutmeg. Garnish with mushrooms if you opted to include them.

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Susie's Tips and Tricks

By cutting up the chicken into bite-size pieces, you can easily remove chunks as they are cooked, and they'll fit perfectly on a soup spoon.

Prepared cooked rice can be purchased and saved for a quick meal. Alternatively, you can freeze cooked rice for use in this meal or completely omit.

If desired, use prepared, cooked chicken from a rotisserie chicken.

Using fat-free evaporated milk allows for a lower calorie count and yet gives excellent results.

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