Curried Chicken & Rice Soup

This recipe caught my eye courtesy of Food Network.  I adjusted it a little for my tastes and for what I had on hand.   It’s a pretty easy adaptation of a more traditional soup and great for cold nights!

You will need…

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 bone-in chicken breast (about 11/2 pounds), halved
• 1 c baby carrots, sliced diagonally into 2-inch pieces
• 3 bay leaves
• Kosher salt
• 6 c low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 T margarine
• 1 large onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 t sugar
• 1 1/2 t Madras curry powder
• 1/3 cup brown jasmine rice
• 3 T fresh mint, chopped
• 3 T fresh dill, chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges (opt)

Then you:

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Quickly brown the chicken.
2. Add the carrots, bay leaves and a pinch of salt, along with 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.
3. Remove from heat and place chicken on a cutting board to cool. Remove the bay leaves from the pot and any obvious pieces of skin or bone. (I ran mine through a sieve and dumped the carrots back in).
4. Meanwhile, heat the butter in another saucepan over medium-low heat. (You want it to be big enough to hold 6 cups of broth plus all the add-ins!).
5. 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.
6. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and shred the meat into pieces. Return the shredded chicken to its broth.
7. Puree the rice mixture in a blender (in batches) until smooth, returning to original stock pan. Pour in the shredded chicken and its broth with carrots, stirring gently to combine; bring to a simmer. Toss in the chopped herbs and serve the soup with lemon wedges.