Creamy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Soup
This is the soup version of the favorite casserole!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- salt and pepper, as desired
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 7 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
- 2 cups broccoli florets, chopped into very tiny pieces
- 2 cups fully cooked chicken
- 1 cup half and half cream
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 12 to 18 round butter crackers (such as Ritz)
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-heat. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or just until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the broth and rice. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 14 minutes, or until the rice is almost tender. Add the broccoli and the chicken and cook for 6 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender but still beautifully bright green. Reduce the heat to low. Add the half and half and cream cheese chunks. Stir until the cream cheese has melted into the soup. Stir in the lemon juice and season the soup to taste with salt and pepper, adding more broth if the soup seems too thick.
- To serve, ladle the soup into six bowls. Garnish each bowl with ¼ cup shredded cheddar and 2 or 3 coarsely crumbled crackers.
Notes
- If you'd like to make this soup vegetarian, leave out the chicken. Add 4 peeled and chopped carrots with the onion. Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 426kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 14gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 1501mgPotassium: 319mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1245IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 316mgIron: 1mg
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