Chicken Soup for the...Soul?

Yes, it's true that the term "soul food" was coined in the 1960s to describe traditional Southern food, but to me, soul food describes any comfort food that brings a group of people together to eat, e.g. family-style meals.  Here's a recipe for a hearty chicken and brown rice soup that will bring your family and/or friends together, especially when on a chilly, wintry day (I know...just in time for spring in a few weeks...sorry!).  If you live alone, this is a great way to create a big batch of balanced food for the whole week.  Oh!  And this is a great post-workout dinner as well.

I won't lie, I do take the easy way out by using rotisserie chicken instead of  raw meat, but doing so adds more flavor, and honestly, makes your life way easier.  I have a tendency to add a variety of vegetables to my soups, and I make this soup differently every time.  I am currently making a pot of the stuff and happened to add carrots, parsnips, celery, spinach, and parsnips; however, I have used different types of squash (chayote, yellow, etc.), leeks, and mushrooms with equal success.  Use your best judgment on what to add, and have a little fun experimenting!  Below are just suggestions on how best to whip up a batch, with some recommendations and guidelines on how to add a little more love into this dish.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-1 whole rotisserie chicken, roughly chopped into 1-2 inch cubes.  I tend to remove about 3/4 of the skin, but leave some for flavor; I also throw in the bones to flavor the broth.
-6 carrots, chopped
-3 parsnips, chopped
-1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
-6-8 cloves of garlic, chopped
-1 shallot
-3 stalks of celery, chopped
-1 bunch parsley
-3 tbsp chicken broth base
-1 cup brown rice (uncooked)
-A few sprigs of thyme
-Salt, to taste
-1 tbsp of fresh peppercorns
-1 tbsp Bolst curry powder (nope, I don't use anything else) -- this is my not-so-secret "secret" ingredient!
-1 tablespoon ghee

Preparation (chopping: 0.5 hour; cooking: 1.5 hours)

1. Fill half a large pot with water and add chopped chicken (with bones), chopped vegetables, garlic, shallot, onions, thyme, salt, peppercorns, thyme, parsley broth base, and curry powder.
2. Cook on high heat until contents of pot begin to boil, then reduce to medium heat for about an hour.
3. In the meantime, cook 1 cup of brown rice using a pressure cooker or rice cooker.
4. After about an hour, check on the soup and adjust flavors as needed.
5. Add rice to soup, then readjust flavors again (you may have to add a tad of salt after adding the rice).
6. Just before serving, add 1 tbsp of ghee to the soup.  This adds to the richness and comfort of the soup.
7. Serve piping hot, with love.

*A tip: Never add the rice until the very end, to limit risk of your rice melting/dissolving into the soup.  Also, never cook the rice IN the soup; your rice will just absorb the flavors of the broth.  This may end up tasting delicious, but you won't end up with soup -- only flavored rice.

 A bowl of comforting chicken and brown rice soup.