Evidently Fall has arrived.

just last week it was like africa around here... shorts, tank top.. trying to soak up the last bit of sunshine that central ny will see for the next several months.. several long months, in fact.  don't get me wrong.. i love fall.  the smell and sound of crunching leaves.. the harvesty pumpkin and spiced everything.. candles, breads and muffins.. coffee.. simmering water.. cider.  i love fall.  i like turtlenecks and football with cozy blankets and hot cups of tea.  most of all.. i love soup.  i have a special knack for soup.. i can turn anything into a soup, and for the most part, it's really delicious.  for the most part.  today, i felt the need for some chicken soup to get my chilled bones warm again..  i'm really good at chicken soup.  it's simple, packed full of veggies and best of all, 21 day fix approved!

Enjoy!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

(21 Day Fix approved!)

1 whole roaster chicken (or breasts if you don’t like dark meat)

water

1 large onion

3 garlic cloves

4 stalks of celery, leaves included

4 carrots

black pepper

low sodium chicken broth (i use chicken base/bouillon, but less than recommended so it lowers the sodium content)

½ cup corn

1 cup peas, fresh or frozen

1 cup wild rice (or brown)

parsley

romano or parmesan cheese

Rinse chicken (remove neck and giblet pack from the cavity.. or just use pieces or boneless breasts but the breast).  Place in a large stockpot and cover with water (if using base or bouillon add some now.  1 teaspoon or cube per cup, but I use 1 teaspoon per 2 cups to reduce the sodium content) or broth (about 6-8 cups).  Add black pepper to taste.. I happen to use a lot.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Chop onion, celery, carrots and mince garlic.  Add to pot.  Simmer for about 35 minutes (25 minutes for boneless skinless chicken breasts) or until the chicken starts pulling away from the bones.  Remove chicken and set aside to cool.   

Add the rice and bring back up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer (it doesn’t look like much rice, but remember it doubles!).  Cook until the vegetables are tender and the rice is cooked through (wild rice will take longer than white rice)

Remove chicken from the bones and chop or shred.  Turn the soup to very low and you should see any fat rise and form a layer on the surface.  use a ladle to spoon off as much of the fat as possible.  I ladel it into a measuring cup then it’s easier to spoon off the actual fat leaving any beoth behind that you can add back to the pot.  

Add the chicken, peas and corn.  Heat through. Stir in a couple of tablespoons of fresh (or dried) chopped parsley.  Ladle into mugs or bowls and finish with a grating of fresh romano or parmesan cheese.

serves a lot :)  1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 teaspoon (from any residual fat.. i don’t add any), ½ blue.  These serving sizes are approximate.. i just guage as i”m filling my soup mug.  I usually ladle in about 1.5 cups of soup.