This is my husband’s maternal grandparents’ soup that they used to cook together, what he was raised on, this good wholesome and nourishing soup fit for a cold day or just for a cold. From the time we got together, he cooked this for me, knew it by heart. We would visit his grandparents, and his grandfather would be cooking this on the stove, well into his 80s. It was one of his grandfather Prost’s favorite meals– “The more onion, the better.”
Chicken and Rice Soup ~
~ Skirt in the Kitchen (adapted from Ed and Irene Prost) ~
Fill a large, heavy pot with water, 1 large chopped onion, hand full of mustard seed, 1/4 – 1/2 cup kosher salt (If using regular salt, only use 1/8 to 1/4 cup, but kosher is better, even tastes better.). More salt can be added later for taste and more seasoning (I like to squeeze in the juice of half of a lemon). Add 1/4 cup celery seed into the water and 1 tablespoon black pepper. Place the pot on high heat. Make sure water is very hot before adding the chicken. Wash a whole roasting chicken, leave the skin on everything except for the breast. Cut into pieces to accelerate cooking time. Once water has reached a boil before chicken is to be added, add the dark pieces, first; then breast, wings, and carcass. Boil on high heat for at least 45 minutes for a large hen. A good way to make sure chicken is thoroughly cooked through is that the meat will simply fall apart from the bone. When chicken is cooked, take from the pot, place on a dish to cool to bone it. Put the dark meat back into the pot, reserve the white for chicken salad sandwiches to serve with the soup. Return to a boil.
Add chopped celery, carrots,
and rice.
Also put in 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper and a couple dashes of your favorite hot sauce; a teaspoon of oregano, and if you wish– 2 bay leaves– It’s good, too. McCormick Fiery 5 Pepper is exceptional in this, as well.
Cook at a boil for 20 minutes after adding the rice. Let cool and serve.
Before soup is ready, go ahead and begin the chicken salad. Cut into small pieces, the white meat. You will need what seems quite a bit of the sweet pickle relish. Stir in mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, stone-ground mustard, ground cayenne pepper, freshly ground black pepper, kosher salt, minced pickled cherry peppers, minced onion, thinly sliced celery, and smoked paprika.
For color, we usually sprinkle on a bit more of the smoked paprika. Chill it in the ‘frig for sandwiches with toasted white bread to go with the soup.
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