Lime Chicken and Rice Soup
Slow Cooker and Gluten-Free
This chicken and rice soup for the slow cooker is quick, easy, and gluten-free. With just 10 minutes of simple prep, your slow cooker can do its thing while you go about doing yours.
It's filled with tender chicken, fluffy rice, lime, salsa verde, corn, cilantro, and spices. You'll love the way it pops with zesty flavor!
What is Parboiled Rice?
Rice producers label precooked rice as parboiled or converted rice. Precooking hardens the grain and makes it less sticky. When the rice cooks again, as in this slow cooker recipe, the grains are firm and more separate.
Besides having a distinctive nutty flavor, parboiled rice has advantages that regular untreated white rice does not have.
- It is more nutritious because vitamins transfer from the hull into the grain during the precooking process.
- It has a lower glycemic index which makes it a good choice for diabetics.
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 5-6 hours LOW Serves: 6
Ingredients for Lime Chicken and Rice Soup
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2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, excess fat removed 4 cups salsa verde 4 cups chicken stock 1 cup water 1 cup frozen yellow corn kernels 1 cup parboiled (converted) white rice, uncooked 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste) 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed 1 bunch fresh cilantro, rinsed and leaves chopped 3 small limes corn tortilla chips (optional) | Yum |
Directions for Lime Chicken and Rice Soup
1. Place the raw chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker. Pour in the chicken stock, water, and salsa verde.
2. Next, add the uncooked converted white rice, and frozen yellow corn.
3. Add the paprika, ground cumin, granulated garlic, and cayenne pepper. Depending on the "heat" in your salsa verde, you may want to add more (or less) cayenne pepper.
4. With lid on, cook on LOW for 5-8 hours (or on HIGH for 3-5 hours.)
5. About 20 minutes before you're ready to eat, remove the peas from the freezer and allow them to thaw. If you warm them in the microwave, heat in 20 second increments and give a quick stir before you add more time. You want them to stay pretty and bright green.
6. Remove the chicken breasts from the soup and place on a large plate. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
7. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker.
8. Stir in the thawed green peas.
9. Add the juice of one lime, and 1/2 of the chopped cilantro leaves.
10. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and sprinkles of paprika. Serve with corn tortilla chips on the side.
Bibliography
McGee, Harold. "Seeds: Grains, Legumes, and Nuts." In On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. New York: Scribner, 2004.
