This is a creamy, satisfying soup that's so comforting on a chilly day. I've seen different recipes over the years and this is a combination of what I could remember and also leans quite a bit on the chicken and dumplings idea to get it started. Connor likes it so much that he asked for it to go in "the book". That's a win!
Saute for 5 minutes on medium low:
One diced onion
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
Then add:
3 cans low sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons ranch dressing mix (1 packet)
3 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken
3 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken
1 cup of uncooked rice (I don’t use instant because it
doesn’t hold together as well as the original because I like the longer cooking
time for the flavors to come together versus just the five minutes)
Bring this all to a boil and then lower the heat (no lid)
and simmer for 20 minutes (that’s how long this rice simmers… different rice
might be a little different.)
Then cover and
set aside for 5 more minutes
Cut up 12 oz veltetta into chunks, stir in and cover for a
few more mins until melted. I didn’t
turn the heat back on but let it sit covered for about 10 minutes while helping
Connor with homework and it was perfect. If we were pushed
for time, it would be super-fast to turn on the heat to medium and keep
stirring for a couple minutes.
