Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Soup

My chicken and rice soup is loaded with vitamins and nutrients. Not only from the vegetables but the broth itself. Chicken broth, Is packed with goodness that can help heal and protect your gut, increase immunity and reduce inflammation. 

Ingredients:

• 1 whole, organic chicken (1- 1.2 kg)
• 1/4 cup of medium grain or brown rice 
• 2 medium carrots, sliced quarterly 
• 2-3 celery sticks, sliced
• 6-7 button mushrooms, sliced
• Handful of green beans, chopped
• 1 leek, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• Juice of 1 lemon 
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Wash the chicken thoroughly and remove as much skin as you can.
2. Place chicken in a deep pot, pour enough water to cover chicken.
3. Place the lid on the pot and on low heat bring to the boil. Cook chicken for about an hour and 30 minutes (the chicken is ready, when the meat can be removed easily from the bones). 
4. While the chicken is cooking, brown foam will rise to the top of the boil. Remove the foam with a spoon.
5. In the meantime, wash and prepare the vegetables.
6. Once cooked, remove chicken from the broth on to a plate.
7.  Add chopped vegetables into the pot and a cup of water. Continue cooking for another 45-50 min. 
8. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones and place back into the broth with vegetables.
9. Add rice and lemon juice. Continue cooking for  a further 10-15 min until rice is cooked. 
10. Serve this delicious chicken soup while still warm. Enjoy!

Serves 6-8