This soup is one I’ve made twice in the last week. Once to share with others as we celebrated the birthday of a friend and then again to tweak it just a touch and take pictures in the daylight. Last night, we contemplated going out for dinner, but in anticipation of a Friday-night-after-Valentine’s Day restaurant rush, feasting on leftovers at home seemed a more sensible option. One last bowl remained in the pot that I had lazily placed on the top shelf of the refrigerator. It had been 3-4 days since I’d made the soup, and I’d either forgotten how delicious it was or assumed that its lack of perfect freshness would somehow hinder the experience. My feelings toward it were neutral; I was hungry, and it would fill the void. That’s all the consideration it received.
Two minutes in the microwave on high and dinner was served. Our meal was haphazard with us all eating different things and in different locations. My focus was on the kids and my husband as we chatted after a long day, yet in spite of the detachment with which I was eating, the soup grabbed my attention. I noticed the comfort I felt as I drank the warm broth that had been infused with my favorite herb, and the flavors, while simple, boldly presented themselves. Knowing that I was filling my body with nourishing fuel was an added encouragement. This is one soup we’ll be keeping around for a long time.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- Kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ¼ cups dry brown rice or brown and wild rice blend
- 7-8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 cups sliced fresh white button mushrooms or other variety
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (leftover roast chicken would be perfect here)
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium high heat, then add the olive oil, onion, and a generous pinch of salt. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes more.
- Pour the chicken stock into the pot along with the bay leaf and brown rice. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally, then cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Add in the thyme sprigs and sliced mushrooms, then stir to combine. Return the lid to the pot and simmer the soup for 20 more minutes until the mushrooms and rice are tender. (Feel free to increase the heat temporarily if needed to return the mixture to a boil, then again reduce it to low for the simmer.)
- At this point the soup is all but done. Add the shredded chicken, another pinch of salt and a generous amount of black pepper, then taste and add a little more seasoning if needed until the flavors pop.
- Fish out the bay leaf and thyme stems and discard. Serve.
ENJOY!
This is one my list! I love this soup! What a great combo of flavors and the pictures are amazing!
Thank you, Amber!
That sounds delicious and perfect for this weather!
Indeed! Today was such a mix. Apparently there were dusts of snow on the north end, but in Bellevue it was sunny and super chilly with the wind. I feel spring coming soon, though!
This reminds me of one of my very favorite baked pastas–swap the rice for pasta and add a little cream to the broth. This sounds even better, especially because of the weather we’ve had this weekend. Yum.
That does sound amazing, Jody!
I am going to make this tonight. Do you think making it in a slowcooker would yield the same results? I am worried about the rice getting too soggy… Anyone have thoughts? Thanks!
Hi Alissa! Please accept my apologies for not responding to this comment sooner. Did you wind up trying this last night? If so, how did it go? The question about using the slow cooker is a good one, and I actually considered trying to do so when creating the recipe for the blog post, but in the end I decided against it. Either way, the chicken has to be precooked, and the mushrooms need to be added some time after the brown rice since they require different cooking times. I think everything would cook fine without getting soggy if the timing was right, but it would require so much looking after that I’m not sure it would be worth it. The stove top method seems easier in my mind. I’d love to hear about your experience with this soup, especially if you do try the slow cooker.
Thanks for responding. I DID try the recipe in the slow cooker last night and it turned out perfectly. The rice wasn’t overcooked and the mushrooms floated to the top – so they were, for all intensive purposes, steamed. They flavored the broth nicely and were delicious. I added whole peppercorns to the recipe… Added nice flavor. I left the slow cooker on high for 4 hours while I went back to work and when I came home, the house smelled wonderful and my meal was ready. No extra effort on my part! I love the recipe and will be making this a staple. Thanks for the inspiration! I think next time I will also add some white wine or vermouth or cognac or brandy. I think that would go well in this soup to give it that extra something. Cheers!
I’m glad to hear it turned out so well, Alissa! I love your idea of adding whole peppercorns, and yes…I think some white wine would be fantastic here. Thank you so much for reporting back – I will have to try the slow cooker next time.