chicken, leek, and rice soup

I hope nobody you know is sick right now. I hope it’s, at worst, a common cold, common boredom bred by self-quarantine, or a stubbed toe because you tried some ridiculous workout video you found online. Or, if you’re me, last week, after yet another thing fell out of my chaotic freezer onto my foot (I don’t even get to blame “fitness”) I decided to, what’s that word, it feels so unnatural to type… organize? Right,that. I decided to sift through the freezer and see what was taking up so much space and I realized that Deb Of A Few Months (let’s be honest: probably longer) Ago did a very cool thing and made an excess ofchicken stockand froze it in one-quart bags which meant that “wohoo! dinner is sorted!” I’ve published a few chicken noodle soups recipes to date. I’ve got aquite rushed oneanda leisurely one for when you want absolute perfection; there’s a grandma-style cozy on inSmitten Kitchen Every Day, my second cookbook, but one thing I’ve not yet covered is the simplest: a chicken soup you make with already-made stock.* Once you have it, things are incredibly easy: quick-cooking but never dry chicken thighs, any rice you have around, and this one leans heavily on leeks, as well. I adore leeks because I love onions and I love green vegetables and they’re halfway between, which means that they do double duty. Here, just a little garlic, sometimes a carrot stick or rib of celery (whatever I have to use up), and a couple big leeks perfume an entire pot of chicken broth that we simmer boneless, skinless chicken thighs in. Pull them out, cook the rice, shred the chicken, add it back and I mean, that’s it, You’re done. You just made soup. You’re pretty amazing, not that I have ever doubted it. Three absolutely key things, however, convert this from “uh, you just boiled chicken, leeks, and rice together” into something more dynamic. 1. Salt and pepper (listen toOprah, guys) — when you’re trying to get simple ingredients to wake up, it matters. Season each addition, each layer of the soup, well and you’ll build a pot with really robust flavor. 2. A finishing trifecta of an herb or herbs of your choice (I show parsley but also like chives and dill, or all three), some hot pepper flakes, lemon zest, and if you wish, juice too. I also love it with a nice dollop ofharissa. 3. Considering this a bit of a springboard recipe, with built-in flexibility. If you’re thinking that “a chicken soup without [any ingredient you’re shocked not to see here] just isn’t chicken soup” don’t skip it. It needs to taste like rustic coziness to you above all — I hope it does the trick. *Let’s talk about chicken stock:I find store bought chicken stock very uneven; some of it is so excessively chicken-y but not in a way that tastes natural; many are tinny-tasting too. They’re fine, to me, in blended soups or soups with a lot of ingredients (althoughbouillon pastehas always been my favorite, for both space and taste considerations) but I think the broth in chicken noodle soup should taste very real because there’s almost nothing hiding the taste and the only way to do that is to start by making your own. I, of course,have a recipe for that. But even if you don’t have, say, 3 pounds of chicken wings lying around, I can promise you that if you simmer a chicken carcass from leftover rotisserie with chopped onion, garlic, a bay leaf, a carrot, celery, peppercorns — whatever you’ve got — for 45 minutes and strain it, you’ll need up with something far more delicious than you can get in a box. And you’ll have cleaned out the fridge. Six months ago:Stuffed Eggplant ParmesanOne year ago:Extra-Flaky Pie CrustTwo year ago:Luxe Butterscotch PuddingThree years ago:Butterscotch PieFour years ago:Everyday MeatballsandRoasted Yams and Chickpeas with YogurtFive years ago:The ‘I Want Chocolate Cake’ CakeandCornmeal-Fried Pork Chops with Goat Cheese Smashed PotatoesSix years ago:Kale and Quinoa Salad with Ricotta SalataSeven years ago:French Onion TartEight years ago:Multigrain Apple CrispsNine years ago:Pina Colada CakeandWhole Wheat Goldfish CrackersTen years ago:Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese GlazeandCauliflower and Caramelized Onion TartEleven years ago:Devil’s Chicken Thighs with Braised LeeksandRed Kidney Bean CurryTwelve years ago:Greens, Orzo and Meatball SoupandBig Crumb Coffee CakeThirteen years ago:Strawberry Rhubarb Pecan Loaf