This is a very basic recipe that uses leftover chicken soup and can be tweaked to include any leftover vegetables you have, alongside the ones in the recipe. If you have less than a litre of leftover chicken soup you can use what you have plus water to make it up to a litre plus chicken stock powder as required to add flavour. The starch in the dry Basmati rice that hasn’t been pre-rinsed brings a creamy consistency. Leftovers of this soup can become very thick when refrigerated, but can be thinned using water and some chicken stock powder.

Method:

• Heat the oil over a medium heat in a saucepan or casserole with a lid. Gently fry the onion for approximately 5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables give it a stir and cover with the lid, allowing the vegetables to sweat for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally so that they do not stick.
• Stir in the rice and allow the grains to become coated in the oil, being careful not to break up the vegetables. Add black pepper to taste.
• Pour in the soup/ stock and bring it to a boil. Put the lid back on and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the rice is cooked.
• Next add the cooked chicken and any additional leftover vegetables if you have them.
• If the soup becomes too thick, thin it with a little boiling water and a teaspoon of chicken stock powder so the flavour does not become too diluted.
• Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley.

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