cleansing chicken and brown rice soup
“It’s time to update this classic with gluten-free rice in place of noodles, and hits of jalapeno and crunchy radish. This is something I cook maybe every two weeks, so I have poached chicken on hand as well as dinner tonight. Save the broth for a weeknight when you need something soothing, stat.”
cleansing chicken and brown rice soup
serves 4 | prep 35 mins | cooking 4 hours (unless you do the fast version, see tip)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
25 g (1 oz/1⁄4 bunch) coriander, leaves picked, stalks and roots finely chopped
1 leek, trimmed, cut into 1.5 cm ( in) thick rounds sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
465 g (1 lb 1 oz/2 1⁄2 cups) cooked brown rice
2 spring onions (scallions), cut into 3 mm ( in) diagonal slices
2 fresh jalapeno chillies, coarsely chopped
3 radishes, finely sliced lime wedges, to serve
Chicken stock/ broth
1 x 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) free-range or organic chicken
5–6 black peppercorns
2 celery stalks, chopped 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs flat-leaf (Italian) parsley (including stalks)
1 fresh bay leaf
For the chicken stock, put the chicken breast-side down into a stockpot with the remaining ingredients, add about 3–3.5 litres (101–118 fl oz/12–14 cups) of cold water – to come about three-quarters of the way up the sides of the chicken – and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat as low as possible and skim any foam from the top of the pot using a large spoon (this cleans the stock, removes any impurities for a clear stock, if you like). Simmer gently for 35–45 minutes, or until chicken is tender.
Transfer chicken to a large board using tongs, taking care to drain stock from carcass back into pot. Leave chicken until cool enough to handle, then remove breast meat and refrigerate until needed. Transfer remaining carcass (with meat) back to the pot with the stock and simmer very gently for a further 30 minutes.
Remove chicken carcass, pick over it, reserving any meat, then transfer all bones, fat and skin back to pot and simmer gently for a further 2 hours. Shred the chicken breast and remaining meat, pulling it apart with your fingers into bite-sized pieces. Reserve 175–350 g (6–12 oz/1–2 cups) of the chicken meat to serve, and store the remainder in the fridge (keeps up to 3 days).
Remove any large bones from the broth and discard, then strain the broth through a fine sieve into a large jug or another saucepan. Reserve 1.5 litres (52 fl oz/6 cups) to serve now. Store remaining broth in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 1 week, or the freezer for 1 month.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium–low heat and gently sauté the garlic, coriander stalks and roots and leek for 5 minutes. Add the reserved chicken stock and simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until the leek is cooked. Add the chicken meat to the pot and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. Season to taste.
Spoon the rice into serving bowls and use tongs to divide the chicken meat between the bowls. Ladle the chicken broth over the top and garnish with spring onions, jalapenos and radishes. Serve with lime wedges.
Quick TIP
If you don’t have time to cook a whole chicken and have good stock on hand, you can gently poach a couple of chicken breasts and thighs in the stock to cover. Bring to a simmer, cover and turn off heat, not removing lid at any point. Let sit 30 minutes while you gently cook your veg in another pot in more stock. Shred chicken and serve as above.
This recipe appeared in Margaret and Me (Murdoch), my third cookbook. Photography by Rob Palmer.