Armenian Style Chicken Rice Soup

Last week Newfoundland was hit by hurricane Igor, and although St. John’s had it better than many of the rural towns who had to declare a state of emergency, we still got hit hard and there was a lot of flooding, damage, and of course power outages. I personally lost my power for 36 hours, and with that my entire freezer defrosted. I hate throwing food away so I saved what I could, and when I gained power I decided to throw together a ‘everything but the kitchen sink” Chicken Soup with an Armenian touch.

Soup is something I love to make, my grandmother and my mother are both queens of soup making... and nothing in the world is better than homemade soups. I never make soup the same way twice, as I always find something new to add. This time I was influenced by the amazing chicken soups our dig chef Gohar would make us in Armenia this summer. The soups had flavourful broths, with a little bit of a spicy kick, and were filled with big chunks of chicken on the bone and whole vegetables and had a large amount of rice in it. I was never big on rice in soup, but after Armenia I loved it, it really turns soup into a hearty and filling meal.

Ingredients:
Chicken breast (I would have used chicken on the bone, since it adds so much to the broth and gives the soup a rustic touch, however with the amount of defrosted boneless chicken breasts in my feezer after Igor I decided not to be wasteful)
Chicken stock (homemade stocks are wonderful, but alas a can of stock also does the trick when you are short for time like me!)
Salt
Pepper
Summer Savoury
Bay leaves
Armenian mixed spices (from the most amazing spice bazaar in Yerevan.. it was a mix spice and older lady handed to me so I don’t know its exact contents, but I know it includes paprika, cumin, among other spices)
Saffron (not needed since it is so expensive, but I have lots from my visit to the middle east so it was something to add a unique kick)
Celery
Celery leaf
Carrots
Mushrooms
Onions
Garlic
Baby potatoes
Basmati rice
Olive oil

Directions:

Add a liberal amount of olive oil in a large pot on high heat, and add in the exotic spices (Armenian mixed spices, and saffron) and let the olive oil take on the flavours. Next add in your chopped onion (don’t be shy with them) and a minced clove of garlic and some minced mushroom (to a near powder). Once the onions begin to caramelize, add in your seasoned (salt and pepper) chicken breasts, and don’t make the pieces too small! Let the chicken get some colour and then add in your can of chicken stock. At this time you can add a couple dried bay leaves to the mix and a pinch of summer savoury. Dice up into larger pieces celery, carrots, and baby potatoes. Add some celery leaves to the mix, and leave the skins of the baby potatoes and add to the pot. Add two cups of water and close the lid and let simmer until the vegetables are soft and the stock has visibly reduced. Use your judgement if you need to add more water or more seasonings. The last step is to add a handful or two of basmati rice! Serve with some soup rolls and butter!

Rory <3>