Chicken Soup with Collard Greens, Carrots, and Brown Rice

I've been in a Soup and Stew mood the last few weeks, and I wanted to make another new soup for Alanna's soup event, which is happening during February. I had a lot of left-over chicken from one of those great Costco rotisserie chickens, so I was looking for an unusual twist on Chicken soup when I saw a recipe in The Gourmet Cookbook for Chicken and Rice soup using brown Rice. Gourmet explained how the same long-cooking qualities that make some people not like brown rice make it perfect for soup, and it made sense to me. Plus, brown rice is great for the South Beach Diet, and I love the nutty flavor. When I was thinking of something else besides the standard carrots, celery, and onions to give the soup a little more color, I looked through my recipe archives and remembered how much I loved collard greens in Hoppin' John Soup, and this recipe was created. I loved the way this turned out. Collard greens are very mild in flavor compared to other greens, and they're very nutritious, so if you've never tasted them, give this soup a try!

Chicken Soup with Collard Greens, Carrots, and Brown Rice
(Makes 8-10 servings, recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from The Gourmet Cookbook.)

12 cups homemade chicken stock (or use 7 cans chicken broth)
3 cups water
1 cup finely chopped onion (1 medium onion)
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
3 cups diced, cooked chicken
2/3 cup long grain brown rice
1 T poultry seasoning (I used Penzeys)
pinch hot pepper flakes (I used some wonderful Turkish pepper flakes from Burcu, thanks Burcu!)
2-3 cups sliced and coarsely chopped collard greens

In large soup pot, combine chicken stock, water, onion, celery, carrots, cooked chicken, rice, poultry seasoning, and hot pepper flakes. (A lot of this liquid will be cooked down, so don't worry if it seems like too much.) Turn heat to very low and simmer 45 minutes to one hour, until rice is tender.

Wash collard greens, cut away stem and center vein and cut leaves into fourths vertically, then into slices horizontally. Add collard greens to pot and simmer about 20 minutes more, until greens are wilted and starting to break apart. Serve hot.

More Chicken Soups I have Loved:
Chicken, Black Bean, and Cilantro Soup
Greek Egg-Lemon-Rice Soup
Thai Chicken Soup
Chicken Barley Soup
Chicken Soup with Garbanzos and Oregano
Chicken and Tomatillo Soup

Chicken Soups I'd Love to Try (some not South Beach Diet Friendly):
Colombian Chicken Soup from Simply Recipes
Greek Chicken Soup from Seriously Good
Thai Chicken Soup from Tigers and Strawberries
Crockpot Tortilla Soup from Gluten Free Goddess
Mexican Chile, Lime, and Chicken Soup from Lex Culinaria
Chicken Noodle and Fresh Thyme Soup from A Fridge Full of Food

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Tags:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes