Cheddar Chicken and Rice Soup

We've been craving soups around here over the past couple of weeks.

Hot, creamy, delicious soups.... oh, how I love fall.

I spied this recipe from Picky Palate for a creamy cheddar chicken and rice soup and we decided to make it {with some adjustments to make it healthier} for dinner on Sunday evening:

• Adjustment #1 - reduce the amount of olive oil to 1 T.  
• Adjustment #2 - eliminate butter.  By thickening the soup a different way, the butter in the sauce can be eliminated.  There are saturated fats in the cheese, so I'll eliminate a few extra grams of fat by removing the butter.  
• Adjustment #3 - use brown rice.  Brown rice is much better for you, and it's easy to hide in the soup!
• Adjustment #4 - use white whole wheat flour as a thickening agent rather than all purpose flour.  If you are GF, use corn starch here.  
• Adjustment #5 - use more homemade chicken broth!  The soup was way too thick to enjoy with only 1 3/4 C chicken broth -- I ended up using 4 C, and still had a thick soup.  

Cheddar Chicken and Rice Soup - Adapted from Picky Palate
{Print Recipe}

1 T olive oil
3 stalks of celery, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 T minced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 C shredded chicken
2 C cooked brown rice
1/4 C white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 C chicken broth
1 1/2 C extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 C crumbled bacon, garnish

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Then, add in garlic and heat until the garlic scent is strong.  Add in diced celery and carrots and saute until tender -- about 10 minutes.

Stir in the shredded chicken and minced onion. Coat the veggies and chicken with flour.

 Then, slowly add the chicken broth, stirring after every addition until a creamy sauce is formed.  Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes until veggies are tender.  

Then, add in the rice, heating until warmed throughout.

Remove from the heat.  Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese.  Allow the soup's heat to melt the cheese -- then, scoop into bowls.

Garnish with crumbled bacon.

Enjoy!


This recipe is linked to:
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Delicious Dishes
URS: Soups
Your Recipe, My Kitchen