Creamy Chicken and Black Rice Soup
With Thanksgiving over (even after giving away a ton of leftovers)… I still have quite a bit of turkey meat and stock in the refrigerator. (I make turkey stock every year from the leftover turkey carcass). We’ve now reached the point where we can no longer eat Thanksgiving leftovers without feeling bored… time to change the leftovers into something else!
Creamy chicken and wild rice soup is always great this time of year when the weather turns cold… so I decided to make a version of this, using turkey and some (non-glutinous) black rice (a.k.a. “forbidden rice”) that I had in the pantry that I bought at the Korean market. Black rice has a mild and nutty flavor, and a texture similar to wild rice. It contains a high amount of anthocyanin antioxidants (the nutrient found in blueberries) – the anthocyanin gives the black rice it’s dark color which turns a deep purple when cooked. The black rice will also turn your soup purple… so if you don’t want this (or if you can’t find black rice), use white, brown, or wild rice instead.
You can make this recipe with either cooked chicken or turkey leftovers. I like to add mushrooms for additional flavor, but this ingredient can be omitted if you do not like mushrooms. Also, the soup is pretty creamy without the addition of milk – so if you have a dairy or lactose sensitivity, you can omit the milk (but I like it better with just a little bit of milk).
Creamy Chicken and Black Rice Soup (4-6 servings):
Uncooked Black Rice
- 4 carrots
- 3 ribs celery
- 1 medium onion
- 10 oz. mushroom
- 1/4 c. unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 T. chopped fresh sage
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 1 c. uncooked black rice (or wild rice)
- 2 c. cooked chicken or turkey
- 8 c. chicken or turkey stock
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes (optional)
- 1/4 c. flour + 1/2 c. water
- 1/4 c. flour + 1/2 c. water (extra, optional)
- 1 c. milk (optional)
1. Dice the carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms.
2. Melt the butter in the bottom of a large stock pot over medium.
3. Add the carrots, celery, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
4. Meanwhile, chop the fresh sage and thyme. Add to the vegetables.
5. Cook the black rice (just as you would cook white rice) in a rice cooker. If you cannot find black rice, you can substitute with wild rice or regular white rice. (Cooked black rice will actually turn a deep purple color.)
6. Chop the cooked chicken or turkey. Add the meat and mushrooms to the pot.
7. Add the chicken or turkey stock, and bring the soup to a simmer. If the soup does not have a rich enough taste (this will depend on the stock that you use), you can add a few cubes of chicken bouillon to deepen the flavor.
8. Mix 1/4 c. flour + 1/2 c. water, stir with the back of a spoon to make a slurry (make sure all the chunks of flour are completely dissolved).
9. Add the slurry to the soup, stir and cook a few minutes to thicken. If the soup is not as thick as you would like, mix up a little bit more slurry and repeat.
10. Taste the soup and add more salt/pepper if needed. Stir in the milk – if you prefer to keep the soup dairy free, you can omit the milk.
11. Stir in the cooked black rice. Allow the soup to sit (covered) for about 10 minutes – the soup will thicken up a bit as it rests. Garnish your soup with some fresh chopped leftover herbs (if desired) and serve immediately. (The black rice will tint your soup purple.)
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