This protein chicken rice soup is a wonderful recipe for the everyday cook. It has it all! The combination of simple roasted chicken flavours and the black rice textures makes it a hearty comfort food in a bowl. The whole family will love it!
And, did I mention how simple it is to make it? No? Well, I will just put it this way, “EVERYONE can make it, YOU can make it”. It might look like a lot of work, but I can assure you, it’s super easy. In fact, all you need to do is: cook the chicken until golden-brown, cook the rice until “al dente” and last but not least, combine everything in the soup.
As you can see, I didn’t cook the chicken in the soup the whole time. I wanted to get more flavour out of it. Therefore, I browned it in some olive oil first. Also, it was cooked through and through, instead of only partially.
Besides packed with flavour, this protein chicken rice soup is also healthy. In other words, this soup is packed with protein (which you already know), fibre and vitamins. Among all, this makes it a great weight-loss soup, too. Omg, this soup recipe is just getting better and better. Wink.
Healthy, versatile and delicious chicken
Chicken is popular among adults and children. Of course, it is. You can prepare it in so many ways. The most classic would be chicken wings or roasted chicken. What is your favourite chicken recipe? I love roasted chicken, either just as it is, in a salad or wrap, in risotto, on a skewer, in a curry or in a stew.
Here you can check more chicken recipes: peanut butter crust chicken, fresh chili lime chicken, amazing Cape chicken curry, creamy banana-turmeric chicken, amazing chicken mango walnut salad, quick chicken tortilla wrap, delicious seven-spice chicken or summerish pea and radish chicken salad. However, this time, I used it in this protein soup.
Not only is chicken very versatile and as such can be combined with plenty of herbs and spices, fruits and vegetables, but it has also health benefits. In fact, chicken is a great source of vitamin B, fibre and protein. As we all know, it’s very low in fat, too (when skinless). Wink. Consequently, it’s ideal for whoever wants to lose some weight.
Do you know black rice
When it comes to black rice, you can pick your way how to prepare it. Firstly, you can cook it separately or in advance, secondly, you can use leftover rice and thirdly, you can cook it directly in the soup.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter how you’ll make it, you’ll always get a wonderful healthy soup. Wink. Yet, I decided to cook the rice separately first. Like that, I could control the rice not getting overcooked too quickly.
I love black rice. Most of all, I love the colour, which changes with cooking from deep black to deep purple. And, you can create a bowl of lovely pink rice, too. Just amazing! Besides being beautiful, black rice is also healthy. Since it doesn’t go through any processing, it retains antioxidants, fibre and minerals. Therefore, never drain black rice.
Moreover, just like chicken, is black rice also a wonderful ingredient if you are counting your calories. Wink. The mild, nutty flavour makes it perfect to pair with plenty of dishes, either sweet or savoury. Check this lovely purple risotto, delicious pink risotto with leek and rice-stuffed squash.
Ingredients for 2-3 portions of protein chicken rice soup:
- olive oil
- 300 g chicken breast (skinless)
- 100-120 g cooked black rice
- 1 onion (sliced)
- 1 carrot (diced)
- 300 ml of chicken broth
- 200 ml of vegetable broth
- salt
- 3-4 stems of fresh coriander
- fresh thyme (for garnish)
Start with the chicken. Quickly wash it under cold water and tap it dry with a paper towel. Next, in a non-sticking pan heat half a spoon of olive oil, place the chicken breasts in it and cook until golden brown on the outside and white on the inside. Then, remove the chicken from the pan and put aside.
While the chicken is cooking, you can already prepare the rice. Or, if you have some leftovers, use those. Anyway, in a smaller pot, drizzle some olive oil. Once it gets hot, add the rice and stir it, to coat all of the rice kernels. Then, pour in 200 ml of hot water (the ratio rice to water is 1:2) and cook until “al dente”. Most importantly, do not rinse the rice. Simply remove the pot from the stove and put it aside.
Combine the chicken and rice into the soup
Furthermore, peel and slice the onion, dice the carrot and thinly chop the coriander stems. Next, drizzle some olive oil in a deep pot. Once it’s hot, add the onion and diced carrot and stir until the onion becomes glossy. At this point, pour in the hot chicken and vegetable broth (you can use only vegetable broth, too), sprinkle with chopped coriander stems, season with salt and cook on medium-low for about 10 minutes.
In the meantime, pull apart the chicken (using your fingers) or simply cut it into smaller pieces. Pass the 10 minutes, stir in the cooked rice, liquids included, and the chicken to the soup and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Last, season with salt and pepper to taste, remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for 10 more minutes.
Finally, divide the easy protein chicken rice soup between two or three bowls and sprinkle with some fresh coriander sprigs and some fresh thyme. This makes a wonderful lunch or dinner idea, which you can serve with some plain yogurt or sour cream.
Enjoy!
PS
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
