Chicken Rice and Lemon Soup
This delicious chicken, rice and lemon soup happened today The seed for its creation was sown when I came across a sumptuous sounding Chicken Pilaf recipe in @ameliafreer’s new book Simply Good For You. I didn’t have everything needed to make the pilaf, so I decided to go with the flow and see what happened
Can serve 2 people.
INGREDIENTS
2 chicken thighs (skin on)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced
3 generous slices of lemon peel from an unwaxed lemon
200g brown rice
500ml chicken stock (today I used a @saykallo stock cube with water)
2 generous handfuls of chopped kale
Black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Using a pan (preferably non-stick) that has a lid and is large enough to make soup in, heat the olive oil on moderate heat. Once the oil is heated (but not spiting or smoking) add the chicken thighs, skin side down. Allow time for the skin to colour and crisp up a bit before turning and sealing the rest. Remove from the pan and place to one side for later.
Using the same pan and oil, add the onions and cook for a few minutes until they are soft and translucent, then add the sliced garlic and cook for another minute.
Next, add the lemon peel and rice, stirring everything well to ensure the grains of rice are nicely coated in the rich flavours from the pan.
Add the chicken stock and return the chicken thighs, then season well with black pepper.
Turn the heat down low and cover the pan. Cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When you are happy that the rice has cooked through, remove the chicken thighs and add the kale.
With with a sharp knife and fork remove the skin and any bone you find in the chicken and discard. Slice the meat and return to the pan for one final stir (by this time the kale should have wilted nicely into the soup.
Give the soup a taste to see if it needs more black pepper or any salt.
Serve with extra black pepper and some grated lemon zest on top.
