easy Chicken Rice Soup

Ingredients

Seasonings
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon mustard powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, diced
½ cup diced carrots
2 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 1/4 lb. bone-in chicken breast, see notes
fresh parsley, to garnish
Rice
1 ½ cups chicken broth
3/4 cups white long grain rice, uncooked. (Or 2 ¼ cups cooked rice.)

Instructions

1 Note: The rice is cooked separately in this recipe to ensure that it doesn’t soak up too much broth in the soup. This allows leftover soup and rice to be stored separately as well, as the rice continues to soak up broth during storage. This soup freezes very well, the rice can also be frozen in a separate storage container.
2 Pro Tip: Measure out the seasonings in a pinch bowl ahead of time. The rest of the recipe will fly by.
3 Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Soften for 4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
4 Add the seasonings, soy sauce, hot sauce, chicken, and chicken broth.
5 Bring the soup to a gentle boil and cover partially. Allow the chicken to slowly cook through (a rapid boil will make it tough). About 15-20 minutes. Remove the chicken and use two forks to shred. Return it to the soup. While the chicken simmers, cook the rice in a separate pot.
Cook the Rice
1 Add 1 ½ cups chicken broth to a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the rice and submerge it in the liquid. Bring back to a boil. Cover tightly and reduce to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes. Turn heat off. Let the rice sit in the pot, covered, for 10 full minutes. Any rice stuck to the bottom will release during this time. This will yield 2 ¼ cups of flavorful rice. Note: Other varieties of rice can be used and will require different amounts of liquid and simmering time. (Refer to package for instructions.)
2 Spoon the rice into serving bowls and ladle soup on top. If you don’t anticipate leftovers, you can add the rice right to the soup pot. Garnish with parsley and serve!

Notes
-Cuts of Chicken: Bone-in chicken breast or chicken thighs will add the most flavor to the broth. (I usually have boneless on hand and that works fine as well if needed!)
-Cooking the chicken: You can let the chicken simmer over very low heat for a longer period of time. This makes the chicken extra juicy and the broth extra flavorful.
-Using rotisserie or leftover chicken: 2 cups cooked chicken can also be used. You can add it at the same point as the chicken breast is added in the recipe and simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavors blend, but no need to bring it to a boil.