We have teamed up with Kroger, to bring you this delightful soup and priceless pantry staples ideas and tips! Our Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup Recipe + Pantry Staples is a healthy and nutritious recipe with chef tips to stock your pantry! Chicken soup has a way of melting all of our worries away–one flavorful spoonful at a time. Today’s homemade chicken soup is hearty and filling with chicken broth, onions, carrots, shredded chicken, rice, parsley, and a splash of lemon! Add a loaf of crusty bread for dunking into the broth, and you’ll be in heaven with our Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup Recipe!
Healthy benefits of Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup Recipe + Pantry Staples
Chicken soup always comes to mind when I’m in the mood to make something comforting. It’s soothing to my body, my mind, and my soul. There’s just something about a warm bowl of chicken soup in my hands. Today’s Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup is made with a whole chicken because we want to utilize all the great parts of a chicken, not just the breasts, and this is phenomenal knowledge to always have in the back of your brain.
You never know when you might need it! Perhaps, let’s say… during a pandemic?! 😉 The more knowledge, the better, I say! One great thing about using a whole chicken is that this broth is made from boiling the bones, which adds really great nutritional value.
• Our recipe boils the chicken bones because it’s highly nutritious. It also helps with digestion and maintaining a healthy gut because it contains glutamine (you can substitute making your own broth, with a store bought chicken broth or chicken bouillon + water, if you prefer. I encourage you to try making your own broth, however! It’s a fun little challenge and see if you can taste the difference as well). 🙂
• Making soup with the darker meat from a whole chicken is a great way to utilize the less preferred cuts of the chicken.
• We use the the thighs, wings, and drumsticks in our soup and reserve the breast meat for another recipe, or put them in the freezer to use later.
• The largest health-promoting nutrient of chicken broth is riboflavin, providing 11 percent of the daily value. It also contains a small amount of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, vitamin B12, zinc, selenium, niacin and vitamin E.
• Breaking down a whole chicken is not as tricky as you might think. I prefer to remove the skin and discard it. Follow this video tutorial to learn how – How to cut up a chicken. Yes, you CAN do it!
Ingredients for our Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup Recipe
- Chicken- has a very high protein content, which plays a very important role in sustaining our muscles. Rich in calcium and phosphorous for healthy bones. Stress reliever with tryptophane and vitamin B5. Immunity booster too!
- Rice- can serve as a good source of B vitamins (thiamin, niacin, and riboflavin) and iron. Rice is also an excellent source of manganese and magnesium. Brown rice provides more vitamins than white rice.
- Carrots- are a particularly good source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants. They also have a number of health benefits. They’re a weight-loss-friendly food and have been linked to lower cholesterol levels and improved eye health.
- Onions- Onions not only provide flavor, they also provide important nutrients and health-promoting phytochemicals. High in vitamin C, onions are a good source of dietary fiber, and folic acid. They also contain calcium, iron, and have a high protein quality (ratio of mg amino acid/gram protein).
- Parsley- Parsley is a versatile herb that provides a concentrated source of nutrients. It’s particularly rich in vitamins A, C, and K. The vitamins and beneficial plant compounds in parsley may improve bone health, protect against chronic diseases, and provide antioxidant benefits.
- Fresh Lemon- Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids, which are antioxidants. Antioxidants help remove free radicals that can damage cells from the body. These nutrients can help prevent diseases and boost health and wellbeing are some of the possible benefits of consuming lemons.
- Sea Salt- Sea Salt is mostly composed of sodium chloride, a compound that helps regulate fluid balance and blood pressure in the body. Since it’s minimally processed, it contains some minerals, including potassium, iron, and calcium.
Now, onto the next part of our Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup Recipe + Pantry Staples!
Pantry Staples are a very important topic right now, as we are all searching for ways to create from what we already have in our kitchens. I like to keep a positive outlook on life, including the current global health issue we are all dealing with. It’s not an easy thing, by any means, and I’m sure we’re all trying to do our best as we are in the midst of it.
For me, I gravitate towards what I love during hard times, as I’m sure we all do. But when it comes to the kitchen… it has always been my playground (during the happy and the hard)! It’s my creative outlet and my place where I enjoy working with my hands, my mind, and pouring my love into what I cook and bake.
My chef tips for making pantry cooking, fun!! 🙂
• I find that feeling deeply grateful for all that I have available in my cupboards and fridge is a great place to start!
• I’ve made a personal challenge out of pantry cooking by making a list of what I already have in my pantry, fridge, and deep freeze. Then I create meals from that list to maximize what’s on-hand. For more ideas on this refer to our Tips for Maximizing your Fridge & Freezer Food.
• Then… I get creative! What can I make with what I already have in my kitchen? Can I tweak family favorite recipes to work with the food stores I’ve got? e.g., use carrots instead of sweet potatoes, use coconut oil instead of butter, use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, use canned or powdered milk instead of fresh milk, use canned tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes or visa-versa?
• What are the minimum ingredients I can purchase to enable me to make the most recipes with my pantry stores? Taking time to research or create recipes with what’s in your kitchen is a fun challenge! You’ll be surprised at how fulfilling it is to work in this new way as you cook and bake.
• What are your family’s top three favorite comfort food recipes? Top three favorite home baked goods? Purchase any additional items needed to cook them because familiar meals are essential to helping your family feel safe during these times.
• How can I bring my family into the kitchen to create family fun cooking memories? Keep a few simple recipes in the kitchen, like: 5 minute French Bread Pizzas, 15 minute Dutch Babies, Kitchen Science: Homemade Yogurt, 5 minute Cinnamon Roll Waffles, 5 minute Funfetti Rice Krispie Treats Recipe, 10 minute Kids Homemade Ice Cream in a Baggie, 10 minute Easy Peasy Stroganoff, turn this recipe into an Easter Ice-Scream Bar with Cookie Cups Recipe, and a super simple easter recipe M&M’S® Easter Nests.
• Enjoy sitting down, talking, and being together with your family is gathered around the kitchen table! xoxoxo
If you’ve yet to try Smith’s (or any Kroger store) grocery pickup or delivery, NOW is the perfect time to do so. Shopping responsibly is soooo important right now, staying healthy, and home is too. I’ve been a long time fan of Smith’s pickup–trust me, once you start, you’ll never go back–and it is saving my bacon even more so now!
With two babies, and trying to do my part in staying home for the good of our community, I don’t want to go into the store and shop. Thank you, thank you, Smith’s for having a seamless pickup process, for free. Check it out, HERE!
A Tour of our Pantry Staples
We are each unique when it comes to food and flavors, and our preferences vary in a lot of ways. Yet, I think there are some good basic items to keep on-hand that can be utilized to make many different recipes. Today, we are going to take a look at a few of the basics that make up our pantry staples.
Grains & Legumes + Pantry Staples
• Grains: all-purpose flour, corn meal, oats, long grain white rice, brown rice, popcorn, quinoa, varieties of pasta
• Legumes: lentils, nuts, seeds, dry and/or canned beans; kidney, black, white, pinto, and garbanzo
• Packaged: bread, tortilla, crackers, cereals, granola, trail mix, potato and tortilla chips
Canned Goods + Pantry Staples
• Vegetables: diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, yellow corn, green beans, green chilis, olives
• Fruits: applesauce, peaches, pears, pineapple
• Proteins: tuna, chicken, chicken/beef broth or bouillon, soups, peanut butter, powdered milk, Vit D canned milk, and sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk
• Specialty: salsa, condiments, mayonnaise, olive oil
Fridge & Freezer + Pantry Staples
• Dairy: milk, butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, hard and soft cheese, eggs
• Fruits & Vegetables: any varieties your family likes; apples, oranges, lemons, bananas, carrots, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, mixed greens, onions, garlic, and potatoes are a nice variety.
• Processed: lunch meats, bacon, breakfast sausage, hard salami or prosciutto, hot dogs (kids!)
• Freezer: sliced bread, flour/corn tortillas, mixed vegetables, chicken, ground beef, proteins of choice
Sweets & Kids + Pantry Staples
• Kids: Crackers (gold fish are a must-have for our Carter!), fruit snacks, granola bars, chicken nuggets, cereals (honey nut cheerios), veggie straws, baby food & grains, formula (if needed)
• Sweets: Dark chocolate, dried fruits, favorite treats
• Beverages: Coffee, teas, hot chocolate, favorite bottle juices, white/red wine for cooking + sipping 🙂
• Baking Essentials: vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, spices, yeast, white sugar (make your own powdered sugar by pulsing white sugar in a blender until powdered), brown sugar, chocolate chips
A few of our Favorite Recipes for Pantry Staples
- No-Knead Artisan Loaf Recipe
- Poppyseed Chicken with Rice Recipe
- Homemade Flour Tortillas
- Green Chili Black Beans Recipe
- Homemade Italian Pasta Noodles Recipe
- Mediterranean Meat Sauce
- Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
- Salsa Chicken Bake
- Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easy Peazy Chili
- Irish Soda Farls Recipe
- Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
- Great Grandma Cora’s Rice Pudding Recipe
- Southern Black Beans and Rice Recipe
- Triple Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Our Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup Recipe + Pantry Staples is a healthy and nutritious recipe with chef tips to stock your pantry! Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup Recipe + Pantry Staples
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 255Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 656mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 23g 
Enjoy our Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup Recipe + Pantry Staples!
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Love Always,
Ruthie & Madeliene
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