Curried Chicken Soup

Beautiful Martina McBride's recipe of curried chicken soup is included in Hazel's Hot Dish: Cookin' With Country Stars. I changed it just a tad, so here it is -- my grandson Jeremy's favorite on a day when the thermometer reads 9 degrees!

1 cup Asian rice (white rice, not instant)

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced carrots (blender)

1/2 cup butter

8 cups chicken broth

4 chicken breast halves cooked and chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon curry

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup frozen peas thawed (optional)

Boil chicken until fork tender. Cool and chop in bite-sized portions. Reserve broth. Sauté rice, onion and carrot in butter for about 5 minutes stirring. Add reserved broth (adding enough canned chicken broth to make 8 cups), chicken, turmeric and curry powder. Bring to a boil; cut stove down to simmer. Cover and cook about 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Blend flour into milk and gradually stir into soup until mixture thickens. Just before serving, stir in half-and-half and peas.

Delicious anytime but especially great on a cold day.