Slow-Cooker Herbs de Provence Chicken & Rice Soup {Powernap}
This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.
Next week I’ll be unveiling an awesome project I’ve been working on with Whole Foods. This fall they challenged me to feed our family exclusively from their store for one whole week on a $100 budget. I was so excited to take on this task since I’ve always loved Whole Foods but have in the past admittedly been wary of their reputation as a place to spend the “whole paycheck.” However, that all changed last week when, with some strategic shopping and the use of coupons, I was able to squeeze out a week’s worth of healthy meals on an incredibly limited budget. Starting next Tuesday I’ll report on all the details but today I am going to give you a sneak peak at a simple soup I made toward the end of the week to use up some of our tasty leftovers.
This simple classic soup could easily be made on the stovetop but I used our slow-cooker since I had a particularly busy day planned and wasn’t going to be home much. Before I took my daughter to school I added all of the ingredients to the slow-cooker and switched it on low heat. By late afternoon the soup was cooked and I flicked the switch to “keep warm” mode before leaving the house yet again for pick-up.
We adored this simple, nourishing soup for dinner. I plan to add it to my winter cooking repertoire when the baby comes. I know I’ll be turning to healthy, low-fat meals that are filled with lean protein to help me keep my strength up and this totally fits the bill. In the mean time, stay tuned next week when I share the details of my Whole Foods challenge and host a special giveaway so you too can enjoy some special goodies from their store!
Recipe
Slow-Cooker Herbs de Provence Chicken & Rice Soup
Ingredients
| 2 | cooked chicken breasts and any other leftover chicken meat you might have from a roast chicken (abut 2 cups total), diced into ½-inch squares |
| 8 | cups low-sodium chicken stock |
| 1 | cup water |
| 1 | tablespoons Herbs de Provence |
| 1 | cup uncooked basmati rice |
| 1 or 2 | teaspoons kosher salt, or more as needed |
Instructions
1. Place the chicken, chicken stock, water, and herbs de provence into the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4 hours. Then, add the uncooked rice and a teaspoon of kosher salt and cook on low heat for another two hours.
2. Be sure to stir the soup occasionally to make sure all of the flavors are incorporated. Once it has finished cooking switch the setting to “keep warm” until you are ready to eat.
Naptime Notes
Naptime Recipe Serving ideas
Serve up this delicious soup in a big bowl with a yummy vegetable on the side! It also begs for crackers or fresh crusty bread to sop up the broth!
Naptime Stopwatch
5 minutes prep time, 6 hours cook time in the slow-cooker on low heat
Naptime Reviews
This nourishing soup was a wonderful way to end our week of eating on a budget from Whole Foods!
Thanks for a quick recipe idea! I can already imagine how great this soup smells…
I’m sure I speak for all your readers when I say how glad we are that you and your family are safe. Only last evening did I reach a dear friend in PA – take care.
Thanks for the recipe! I’m very excited to read about your Whole Foods challenge!!! I LOVE shopping there but can’t seem to get out out there under $400. Looking forward to hearing your tips!
It seems odd to me that you would cook already cooked chicken for 6 hrs. in a crockpot. Can you not put uncooked breasts or other meat in for the 4 hrs. and then shred, and then add the rice for a further 2 hours?
Hi! I find that the flavors of the chicken and the broth really meld the longer they are able to stew at low heat. It also softens the cooked chicken just the right amount. Yes, you could do it fresh with uncooked chicken too, as you described. I was using up leftover chicken which is why I chose this method.
Hi, thanks for your reply. I will try it with the uncooked chicken. I was worried that the chicken would somehow overcook. This looks a bit like congee – have you ever had that?
Hi! I have! It is a thicker stew like that which we really enjoyed. If you want it thinner simply add less rice. 🙂