Nicole Monturo’s Vegetable, Rice & Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup dried navy beans
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 lbs. chicken – cut into pieces
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- ¼ to ½ cup chopped carrots
- ¼ to ½ cup chopped celery
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- ¼ to ½ cup chopped zucchini
- ¼ to ½ cup chopped yellow squash
- 1 qt. low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- ⅛ tsp. cayenne
- ⅓ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- ½ to 1 cup torn spinach leaves
- Parsley and thyme
Preparation:
- THE NIGHT BEFORE: Place beans in a bowl and add enough water to cover by two inches. Soak for 8 hours, then drain.
- Heat a small amount of oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy pot.
- Cook the chicken in batches, seasoning with salt and pepper and turning once until browned evenly (approx. 10 min.).
- Transfer chicken to plate and pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from the pot.
- Add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened (approx. 3 min.) while stirring often.
- Add garlic and stir until fragrant (approx. 1 min.).
- Stir in zucchini and squash and cook for another minute.
- Add stock, trained beans, parsley, bay leaf, and cayenne.
- Add the chicken back into the pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium low and simmer the soup until the beans are almost tender (approx. 1 hour).
- Add rice, thyme, parsley, and spinach and simmer until the rice and beans are tender (approx. 15 min.).
- Discard bay leaf and serve!