Chicken-and-Rice Soup

It has been so cold this week, so soup was in order! When I was a child, my mom used to make us chicken and rice (a can of chicken-vegetable soup poured over rice) when Dad, who didn't eat chicken, was out of town. We loved it and that was my inspiration for this recipe. I made rice to go with Monday night's stir-fry and decided to make enough for soup. You could easily cook rice in the soup liquid if you don't have any cooked rice on hand—you'll just need to increase the liquid. Enjoy!

Chicken-and-Rice Soup
2 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. herbs de Provence
1 1/2 qt. chicken broth
5 cups cooked brown rice
3 cups cooked shredded chicken

1. Melt butter in olive oil in skillet; sauté onions and next 2 ingredients 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence. Add in chicken stock, rice, and chicken; cook mixture until thoroughly heated (mixture could be transferred to a slow-cooker at this point).