Cream of Chicken and Rice Soup

Ok, it's spring already!!  Hello - 40 degrees today and MORE rain???  Ugh.  This kind of weather puts me in the mood for some comfort food, so how does homemade Cream of Chicken and Rice sound?  I came up with this recipe last year because I like to go to the store and buy one of those pre-cooked rotisserie chickens for us for lunch.  I wanted something to do with the leftover chicken and the carcass, so this is what I "cooked up!" 

First make some rice.  Take 1 cup of regular (not minute) rice, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Set aside.

Put the leftover chicken and carcass in a large pot of water.  I just toss the whole thing in a huge pot.

Chop up about 3/4 cup celery and 3/4 cup carrots and toss in with the chicken.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 2 hours.   While you are waiting, you can go read a few blogs or check your email.

Remove the carcass and shred the meat.  Keep the broth!

Make a roux which sounds hard, but it isn't.  Grab another pot and add 1 stick of unsalted butter.  Melt it.  Add 4 heaping tablespoons of flour. Stir with a whisk.  Believe me, it works better with a whisk than a wooden spoon.  Slowly add 2 cups of HALF and HALF, stirring the entire time.   (Hey, I didn't say DIET soup)

Once creamy, gradually add cups of the broth with the celery and carrots to the roux. Take your time adding it.  I usually add a cup at a time and keep stirring.  It will be nice and creamy.  Just keep adding broth until the soup is the thickness that you like.  I personally like mine REALLY thick.  You may have some extra left over clear broth, but that's ok.  Add your shredded chicken and the rice.  Salt and pepper to taste.  It usually needs quite a bit of salt. 

Soup will thicken once it sits, so keep some clear broth to add to it. Enjoy!

Oh yeah, you can make this exact same soup using your leftover turkey at Thanskgiving or Christmas.  It's a great way to use up those leftovers.