Chicken soup for the pantry

We have a lot of rice.

I'm not entirely sure where it came from, or why we have approximately four half-used bags or canisters of it, but we do. So my mission was clear: find a recipe to use up some rice. Not only would I be saving money on the grocery bill, but we would also be cleaning out the pantry. I did what I always do in times like these: I turned to Pinterest.

I found this recipe for Crock Pot chicken and wild rice soup. Never mind that none of our bajillion containers of rice was wild rice - I figured you couldn't mess this up too badly. And I was right.

The entire thing turned out really well and was ridiculously easy. We served it up with Publix's Tuscan roasted garlic bread, and it was the perfect antidote to a tired, chilly Monday. B said it reminded him of chicken and dumplins, only without all the heavy bread topping (although if we're being honest here, that's my favorite part). The rice was maybe a little overcooked - I don't think it necessarily needs 7 hours in the Crock Pot if you're not using wild rice. Six would probably be sufficient, or maybe even five. That would still give the chicken plenty of time to cook through.

All in all, we were really pleased with this dish, and we'll keep it on the rotation for fall and winter. Let me know if you make any alterations to the recipe (or if you actually use wild rice) and how they turn out for you - I'd love to hear!

xoxo,
E & B

Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked rice (regular rice is fine)
1 pound chicken breasts (we used slightly less, because that's all we had)
2 cups mirepoix (diced carrots, celery and onions)
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (I just used half a teaspoon of thyme and half sage)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups whole milk (I used skim, because that's what we had)
a few tablespoons of white wine
up to 2 cups additional milk or water

Directions:
Put rice, chicken, mirepoix, chicken broth, and poultry seasoning in a Crock Pot.
Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.There won't be much extra liquid left in the Crock Pot - that's okay.
Remove chicken breasts from the Crock Pot and allow to cool.
Using two forks (or your KitchenAid mixer), shred the chicken. Return chicken to Crock Pot.
When chicken and rice are done cooking, melt butter in a saucepan.
Add flour and let the whole mixture bubble for one minute.
Slowly whisk in the milk until a thick, creamy mixture forms. Stir in the wine.
Add this mixture to the chicken and rice in the Crock Pot.
Add extra water or milk as needed to adjust the consistency.
Season with salt and pepper, and you're done!

Nutrition: This makes roughly 10 servings. Each serving has approximately 261 calories, but that's with me using skim milk versus whole. Also, keep in mind I am in no way a nutritionist, dietitian, doctor, or nurse - I was way too bad at science for that. I'm just telling you what my MyFitnessPal recipe calculator says. :)