Every month media types like to trot out national days or months of significance, particularly during slow news cycles. How else can we explain the ongoing existence of trade association-generated events, such as national potato day, national popcorn day or…. (drum roll please) national horseradish month?
There’s another day that also gets attention for all the wrong reasons. Blue Monday, the third Monday after the new year, is statistically supposed to be the most depressing day of the year. It’s a result, say British analysts (who are probably paid by the international board of happiness) of a confluence of weather blues, the arrival of post-Christmas credit card bills, disillusionment with New Year’s resolutions, and plain-old lack of motivation. Sounds glum.
Not to worry; the day came and went this year without much incidence. Some might have even celebrated. (It was MLK day.) A few days later, I celebrated the passing of the most depressing day of the year by making a zippy soup from a rich, homemade chicken broth. It was a very simple soup–chicken and rice with a few additions for pep–but it’s the kind of healthful food that tastes good, feels good, and is good for you. Just what one needs in January.
The soup is actually very similar to this chicken soup, with a few notable changes. Here I used brown rice, which increased the cooking time substantially. (For this reason, after briefly sautéeing the vegetables, I remove them and add them later to preserve their texture–few things in soup are more depressing than mushy carrots.) I also had half a bunch of Swiss chard leaves on hand, so in they went, along with half of a serrano chile and some fresh-minced ginger. With these additions, this soup can help fight a head cold, but it’s also good eating any old time. Especially when skirting the winter blues… or national cold and flu awareness month.
Feel Good Chicken and Rice Soup
Makes about 2 quarts
2 to 3 bone-in chicken thighs
5 cups chicken broth (or 6 for a brothy soup)
Vegetable oil
2 stalks celery, diced into ½-inch chunks (about 3/4 cup)
2-3 carrots, diced into ½-inch chunks (about 1 cup)
½ yellow onion or 1 small yellow onion, diced into ½-inch chunks (about 1 cup)
Kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1/2 serrano chile, sliced thinly*
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/3 cup brown rice
1 cup sliced Swiss chard leaves
¼ cup chopped cilantro, plus extra for serving
Extra virgin olive oil for serving
Lemon or lime wedges for serving
1. Put the chicken in a medium pot and pour in the broth. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the chicken steep for 30 minutes.
2. Strain the broth through a mesh strainer into a bowl, then rinse the pot and return it to the stove. When the chicken breasts are cool enough to handle, peel away and discard the skin and bones, then shred the meat into spoon-sized pieces.
3. Heat the oil in the pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the celery, carrot, and onion, season with a generous pinch of salt, and sweat until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Set the vegetables aside and return the pot to the stove. If the pot looks dry, add a splash of vegetable oil. Stir in the garlic, chile, and ginger and sauté over medium heat until aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice and toast briefly, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
4. Stir in the vegetables and chicken and bring the soup to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Sir in the chard and cilantro and simmer for 5 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Serve each bowl with fresh cilantro and a drizzle of olive oil on top and a few lemon or lime wedges alongside.
*For less heat, remove the seeds from the serrano chile slices before adding them.
