Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup
A comforting bowl of this hearty soup sure is good for the soul
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil, divided
- 1 whole chicken about 4 lbs - cut into 8 pieces, skin removed
- 2 teaspoon cumin divided
- 2 Tablespoon dried oregano divided
- 2 medium onions
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 carrots peeled and diced
- 3 celery stalks ends trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
- 2-3 to matoes on the vine diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 Tablespoon chicken bouillon
- 1 Tablespoon tomato bouillon
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 heaping cup jasmine rice rinsed well
- ½ bunch cilantro chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
For serving:
- Avocado
- Chopped cilantro
- Finely diced onion
- Warm corn or flour tortilla
- Tortilla chips
- Salsa
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 Tablespoon dried oregano, salt and pepper. To a large pot with a matching lid, add 2 Tablespoons of avocado oil on medium high heat and sear the chicken in batches until both sides of each piece are golden brown – I usually do this in 2 batches. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Once the chicken is seared and removed, pour about ½ cup water to the bottom of the pot to lift up all the brown bits. Add the chicken back to pot, starting with the biggest pieces at the bottom, along with ½ onion cut in half (so 2 quarter pieces) and 2 bay leaves. Cover everything with 10-12 cups water, cover the pot, bring to a boil and let simmer for 45 min to 1 hour or until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- While the chicken boils, chop up all the veggies and prepare the serving ingredients.
- Once the chicken is done, remove all the pieces to a plate, scoop out any foam that rises to the top and strain out the broth with a slotted spoon. Add in the chopped carrots, celery, and tomatoes, diced onion and minced garlic, coriander, chicken and tomato bouillons and the remaining cumin and dried oregano. Taste the broth and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Bring back to a boil, put the lid on halfway and let it simmer for another 15-20 min. In the meantime, de-bone and shred the all the chicken.
- In a skillet, toast up the rice with the remaining Tablespoon of avocado oil for 3-4 minutes or until slightly golden brown. ***Add the toasted rice directly into the pot*** (see note) along with the shredded chicken. Once the rice is fully cooked through, the soup is ready to serve! Add all your favorite toppings from the suggested ones listed and enjoy!
Notes
When you add the rice directly to the pot, it continues to soak up the liquid as it sits. The leftovers may have a porridge-like consistency. When you heat them up, add water to each serving to bring it back to a soup consistency.
Alternatively, you could cook the rice separately like normal in a small pot with ½ cup of tomato sauce, water and a bit of salt. Add the cooked rice separately to each serving.
Alternatively, you could cook the rice separately like normal in a small pot with ½ cup of tomato sauce, water and a bit of salt. Add the cooked rice separately to each serving.