I looked around to see what I had in the pantry and the freezer and decided on Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup. The original recipe is from a cookbook Katy gave me a few years ago, America's Test Kitchen, The Best Simple Recipes. It's a great cookbook and I've learned a lot of basic cooking techniques from it. The recipes all take 30 minutes or less. I've liked every single recipe that I've made from it.
A couple of my Facebook friends asked me to share the recipe. My recipe has been modified from the original. The original calls from white rice and fresh herbs. I didn't have either today so I substituted dried herbs and adjusted the amounts. I love that this soup is thickened with egg yolks instead of flour or corn starch. It ups the protein total and the leftovers don't turn to glue in the refrigerator.
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper
1/2 large onion, minced
1 cup carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 cup quick cooking brown rice
1 tablespoon dried parsley
juice from 2 lemons
4 large egg yolks
Boil broth in saucepan over high heat. Cover and set aside.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook until brown on both sides. Remove chicken to a plate (it will not be cooked through).
Lower heat to medium-low, add onion and cook until lightly browned. Stir in hot broth, scraping up any browned bits. Add carrots, thyme, and rice. Cover and simmer on low heat.
Transfer chicken to cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken and parsley to soup and continue simmering until chicken is cooked through and rice is soft.
Whisk lemon juice and egg yolks together in a bowl or heat-proof measuring cup. Whisking constantly, gradually ladle 1 cup of hot soup into the egg mixture. Then slowly stir the egg mixture back into soup. Cook about 10 minutes longer on low heat.
