[ recipe ] :: tomato, chicken, and rice soup

This has been one of my favorite soups to cook lately because it is tasty, healthy, easy, and cheap to make! Plus, I usually have the ingredients on hand and can throw this meal together in a snap. This recipe is based off of a turkey and wild rice soup that my grandmother used to make with leftover turkey. While I don't usually have leftover turkey, I do have chicken breasts in my freezer all the darn time.

To start, I cook the chicken breast in the slow cooker to get it tender and easy to shred, although you could use a baked chicken breast or even leftover chicken from the previous night's dinner. That's the beauty of this recipe - use whatever chicken ya got! I also use leftover rice, since I usually make a huge amount of it early in the week to make side dishes for other meals. I add the ingredients to a big soup pot, let it come to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and I have a piping hot delicious soup.


This recipe makes 4-8 servings, depending on how hungry you are...this is usually 4 servings for us since we eat it as our dinner. The Hubs and I had it for dinner last night with a baby kale salad on the side and were stuffed from just one big bowl. I'm not big on counting calories, but I was curious about this dish - I estimate that it is about 1600 calories for the entire pot, making it 400 calories per serving (based on 4 servings per pot of soup). It's really filling and gives you 1/2 cup of rice, 4 oz chicken, and 2 servings of vegetables - woot! Add on a big, leafy side salad with a drizzle of dressing and you have a well-rounded meal.

Ingredients
1 lb lean chicken breast, cooked and shredded
2 cups rice, cooked (brown, wild, or white rice, although cooked quinoa would be delicious, too)
1/2 a medium onion, diced (frozen onion works well, too)
32 oz (4 cups) low fat chicken broth
10 oz (1 can) Campbell's condensed tomato soup
2 cups water
28 oz (or 2 cans) diced tomatoes, including liquids
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Before starting, cook and shred the chicken and cook the rice (according to package directions). To slow cook the chicken breast, place in the slow cooker for 4 hours on HIGH, or bake at 350 degrees in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Shred using two forks.

In a large pot, add all of the ingredients, mix well to combine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease heat to medium-low and let simmer until the onion is soft and the garlic become aromatic, about 10 minutes.

Try not to eat the entire pot! For extra veggies, add shredded spinach or kale for a nice green color. This soup becomes thicker (and more delicious) the longer it sits in the fridge, so you may want to add a splash of water or broth before reheating. Enjoy!

- Maggie White