Crock Pot Chicken, Rice & Mushroom Soup
Try this Crock Pot Chicken, Rice & Mushroom Soup recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Crock Pot Chicken, Rice & Mushroom Soup recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 bay leaves
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 medium onions finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 large celery stalks finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 5 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup dried or 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
- 2 large carrots thinly sliced
- 1 small cauliflower head separated into large florets
- 3/4 cup brown rice (i used basmati) uncooked
- 1/2 tsp thyme dry
- 1 - 1.25 lb chicken breasts boneless & skinless
- 7 cups chicken broth low sodium
- Carbohydrate 26.26371 g
- Cholesterol 6440 mg
- Fat 1320.88214 g
- Fiber 5.17849997234345 g
- Protein 1602.45937 g
- Saturated Fat 373.979883333333 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (8859g)
- Sodium 6174.67266666667 mg
- Sugar 21.0852100276566 g
- Trans Fat 110.781303333333 g
- Calories 18823 calories
Step-by-step
- In a small skillet, on medium heat, add olive oil, garlic, onion, celery and, if using, fresh mushrooms (dried mushrooms do not need sautéing or soaking). Saute until onions are translucent. Transfer to a large crockpot.
- Add remaining ingredients, cover and cook on Low for 7-8 hours or on High for 4 hours.
- Discard bay leaves. Using an immersion blender puree big chunks of cauliflower or until desired consistency. For a chunkier soup, remove some rice and veggies before pureeing.
- Remove chicken, shred with 2 forks, return to slow cooker. Serve warm.
Brown rice cooked for seven to eight hours in a watery broth will disintegrate if you do not account for grain absorption limits and moisture release rates from the vegetables. While long-grain brown basmati holds its shape better than standard short-grain varieties, prolonged exposure to liquid past the tender stage turns the starches into a pasty slurry that coats the palate unpleasantly. Home cooks frequently toss raw ingredients into the basin simultaneously without realizing that root vegetables and dense grains require specific physical environments to soften uniformly.
Sautéing the aromatics and fresh mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil before transferring them to the slow cooker drives off excess water and concentrates umami compounds that would otherwise taste thin and boiled. Dried mushrooms skip this step entirely because rehydrating them inside the simmering broth extracts their earthy flavor directly into the surrounding liquid without requiring preliminary fat contact. Controlling this moisture variable prevents the soup from tasting muddy while building a foundational depth that raw simmering fails to achieve.
Puréing the cauliflower florets directly in the pot using an immersion blender creates natural body without heavy cream, though failing to extract the chicken and rice beforehand leads to shredded meat trapped in the blade. Removing the solid protein and grains prior to blending guarantees you retain distinct textures rather than producing an unappetizing porridge. Shredding the cooked boneless breasts with two forks rather than chopping them ensures the fibers absorb the reduced broth efficiently.
Dietary adaptations for this format remain straightforward since the base relies entirely on whole vegetables and broths rather than dairy thickeners. Swapping the brown rice for wild rice requires extending the cook time by roughly forty-five minutes to penetrate the tough outer hull. Always discard the bay leaves before serving to eliminate bitter flavor notes and prevent a dangerous choking hazard in bowls meant for children.
