Chicken and Rice Soup

From: A Pinterest Pin 

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
3 carrots, sliced
3 celery ribs, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cooked chicken
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup rice, cooked
2-3 cups water

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Saute the celery and onion for about five minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add all of the remaining ingredients into the pot and heat through. Can be frozen for up to two months.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! The instructions didn't say when to add the carrots, so I added them with the garlic and cooked them a bit longer with some broth from when I boiled the chicken. This was a very easy, quick recipe to make, and quite tasty! A "comfort food" as my parents would say!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

From: Southern Living

Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
5 cups water
1 (6.2 ounce) package fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (8 ounce) loaf pasteurized prepared cheese product, cubed
1 (10 ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Saute onion and carrots in a lightly greased Dutch oven over medium heat 5 minutes.

Add 5 cups water, seasoning packet from rice, broccoli, and chicken. Bring to a boil, and stir in rice; reduce heat, cover, and cook 5 minutes.

Add cheese and soup; cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was a delicious, filling soup. For the rice, I used a package of Uncle Ben's rice that was already cooked. I just threw it in a little later than what the recipe said. I used Velveeta for the cheese product. This was a really simple soup to make and the flavor was incredible. One of our new favorites!

Chicken Soup with Rice and Barley

From: Automatically Light! cookbook

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 cup carrots, coarsely chopped
2 cups onion, coarsely chopped
3 cups chicken broth, defatted
4 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup white rice
1/4 cup medium barley
1 tsp dried thyme

Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients through pepper. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until a fork pierces meat easily. Remove chicken and vegetables. Puree vegetables in a blender. Skim all fat from broth. Cut chicken into small pieces.

Return broth and pureed vegetables to the slow cooker and add rice, barley and thyme. Cover and cook at high for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until rice and barley are very tender. Add chicken during the last 15 minutes.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! What a classic comfort food recipe. I didn't use the slow cooker. I used the stove instead. I put all ingredients through pepper in a soup pot and brought to a boil. I simmered for about an hour and a half. I removed the chicken and veggies but I did not blend them, because I thought that sounded kind of gross. I added rice and barley to the broth/water and cooked for about 45 minutes. I then added the chicken and vegetables back in and cooked another 10-15 minutes to make sure it was all warm. Voila!

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice

From: Southern Plate

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, chopped
1 8-oz box Zatarain's yellow rice mix, cooked according to directions
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 15-oz can whole kernel corn, drained

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Scatter chopped onion over top. Spoon cream soup over top of that. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! What a simple, delicious, filling meal! I actually used chicken tenderloins instead of breasts and only cooked mine on high for about 5-6 hours. In the end, my 3-year old (who will eat anything) ate two servings, I ate two servings, and my 4-year old (who is pickier than my 3-year old) ate one bite of the rice/corn mixture and all of her chicken. Go figure. I love chicken and rice combinations and I love chicken and corn combinations, so I thought this was a great mixture of flavors and textures. I loved the slight crunchiness of the onion too. I loved this meal and I definitely recommend it.

Bourbon Street Chicken

From: My friend Kelly

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cut into bite-size pieces
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp cornstarch (if you want thick sauce)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned. Remove chicken.  Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well blended and dissolved. Add chicken and bring to a hard boil. Reduce and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.  Serve over hot rice.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! New favorite around here, especially considering the fact that every single person at my dinner table loved this! This will definitely be made again soon. Easy recipe and delicious, just the way I like it!