What's the best soup to serve when it's cold outside or you're feeling down and out? Chicken and Rice soup, just like my Grandma used to make. Try it, you'll feel warm all over.

What you'll need:
Chicken Broth:
- 1 chicken (about 3 lbs.) or meaty chicken carcass
- 1 medium onion, halved
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 3 parsnips, chopped
- stems from 1 bunch of parsley
- 25 peppercorns

Soup:
- 5 celery stalks, chopped
- 5 parsnips, peeled an chopped
- 3 leeks, cleaned and chopped
- 1 bunch of parsley, chopped
- slat and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup of cooked wild rice

What to do:
For the Broth:
1. Place the chicken or chicken carcass into a large stock pot. Fill with water to cover. Add the remaining broth ingredients and cook over VERY LOW HEAT for 7-8 hours.

2. Strain the broth and discard the vegetables, but keep the carcass.

3. Place the broth in the refrigerator and when it has chilled sufficiently, skim off the fat that has risen to the top.

4. Pick the meat off of the chicken or carcass - tedious, but worth the extra effort. Reserve the meat and throw away the bones.

For the Soup:
1. Reheat the defatted chicken broth in a stock pot. Add the celery, parsnips, leeks, parsley and reserved chicken meat.

2. Cook until the veggies are tender for about 20 minutes over a low heat. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Add in the cooked wild rice.

Try sprinkling some Parmesan cheese on top or a little spoonful of pesto. Deeeeelish! Enjoy! This delicious recipe for chicken rice soup makes a serving for 6.

Try some of these other delicious chicken soups:
Chicken Asparagus Chowder
Chicken Barley Soup

And for more great soup recipe ideas, check out the Soup Hoopla! Website, where you'll find everything you wanted to know about soup and much more.
Tags: recipe ideas, medium onion, salt and pepper, chicken meat, freshly ground black pepper