Creamy Chicken Rice Soup, Product Review, and a Giveaway

This soup is so perfect for the cooler weather outside. And it really couldn’t be any easier to prepare. The stock that I used for this soup was sent to me by More Than Gourmet. They asked me to review some of their products and host a giveaway. I spent some time browsing their website before I agreed, because I wanted to make sure it was something that I would want to use and also want to give away. I was very interested in their products after doing some research so I happily agreed!

Some information about More Than Gourmet:

• Their products have no chemicals, no preservatives, no MSG, no artificial colors or flavors, and no fillers. No “Ham Flavor” here, folks!
• Products include: French Demi-Glace, French Veal Demi-Glace, Reduced Veal Stock, Reduced Brown Stock, Venison Stock, Roasted Lamb Stock, Roasted Chicken Demi-Glace, Roasted Chicken Stock, Chicken Stock, Roasted Turkey Stock, Roasted Duck and Chicken Stock, Duck Fat (Rendered), Seafood Stock, Fish Stock, Roasted Vegetable Demi-Glace (Vegan), Vegetable Stock (Vegan), and Mushroom Essence (Vegan).
• All are gluten-free except French Demi-Glace and French Veal Demi-Glace.
• All are low-fat except the Duck Fat (weird, the duck fat isn’t low in fat?).
• They also have ready to use cooking stocks and foundation sauces.

If you’re interested in purchasing their products, they can be found in some stores, but you can also buy directly from their website. Or you can enter to win my giveaway. Details coming!

My Take:

• I love the size of these! The ready to use stocks are great, but these small packages take up so little room in my pantry. All you need to do is add water.
• I love that there are no chemicals or preservatives or other nasty stuff in these. Now that I’m feeding a kiddo, that kind of stuff is even more important to me.
• Taste? So far so good. Haven’t met one that I don’t like yet.
• I also tried this sauce recipe with the Demi-Glace (added mushrooms, only used 2T butter instead of 5), and it was delicious over our steaks.

As I mentioned, I made soup with the Classic Roasted Chicken Stock. Or for you fancy-pants: Glace de Poulet Gold. Here’s the list of ingredients for the label readers: Chicken Stock, Roasted Chicken Stock, Mirepoix Stock (made of carrot, celery and onion stocks), Dried Chicken Stock, Salt, Gelatin, Water, White Wine. Nutrition info states 20 calories per serving, 0g fat, 4g protein, and 310mg sodium. Of course, the rest of my soup changed those stats. But whatever. Don’t worry about that, just make the soup.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
adapted from Taste and Tell (She did a slow cooker version!)

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onions
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups chicken stock (I used the Classic Roasted Chicken Stock, reconstituted with four cups of water)
2 cups water
1 package Long Grain Wild Rice Rice-a-Roni or Near East Brand (WITH seasoning packet)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
2 cups milk
2-4 cups cooked, shredded chicken thighs (or breasts if you prefer)

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat about 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Throw in the carrots, celery, and onion and sauté until slightly softened and onions begin to look transparent.
2. Add in reconstituted broth, water, rice, and the seasoning packet that is included with the rice. Stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes (or whatever is recommended on the package of rice).
3. In a separate small pan, melt your butter. Stir in flour and salt and pepper. (I didn’t add any salt at this stage because I knew the seasoning packet for the rice probably had plenty of salt in it.) Slowly add the milk, whisking to eliminate clumps. Stir this mixture into the rice and vegetable mixture.
4. Add your cooked chicken and cook until heated through (10-15 minutes).

Verdict of soup: So tasty. Filling, hearty and delicious. I was skeptical of the wild rice seasoning packet but it really added a terrific flavor to this soup. (Or maybe I should call it stew in our case…it was thick and jammed full of chicken.)
Husband’s take: LOVED IT. Let me begin by saying that I think he gets a little scared every time I say we’re having soup for dinner. Soup? For dinner? I’m sure he wants to say, “And then what else?” That’s why every time I make soup, I make sure to add TONS of meat and veggies and go light on the broth. If it’s more stew-ish, he’s less likely to complain. Okay, he never really complains when I’m cooking. But I can tell when he’s happy…and when he’s still hungry (=not happy). I’m not even kidding you–my version of this soup probably had 4-5 pounds of chicken in it. I don’t remember for sure, but I used a family pack of boneless thighs. Usually I ask my hubs if he’d want to see something appear again for dinner, and he actually beat me to the punch this time, making it clear that he would love to eat this again.
1-year-old daughter’s take: She chowed it down! Are you sensing a trend with my daughter? She eats ev.ry.thing. I’m so lucky. I’m sure it will change as she gets older.
Changes I would make: None! I meant to throw in some peas at the end, but I forgot. So maybe I would do that next time.
Difficulty: Easy!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED: Winner is Ley Willis, Congrats!

One winner will receive one Starter Pack of their choice from More Than Gourmet. (Choices are: Classic Demi-Glace, Classic Veal-Demi Glace, Veal and Beef Stock, Roasted Chicken Demi-Glace, Roasted Chicken Stock, Gluten Free and Great Sauces, or Very Vegan.) Only open to US residents.

To Enter:

Comment on this post. You can tell me what you would use this product for, or which product you are most excited to try. Or I’d love to know if you’ve tried it and what you think of it.

For Extra Entries (MAKE SURE to leave an extra comment for each or they won’t count!):

1. Follow @not_rachaelray on Twitter
2. “Like” Not Rachael Ray on Facebook 
3. Subscribe to my RSS feed or add your name to my email list (please confirm when you get the email asking you to do so).
4. Tweet about this giveaway! You can use this if you want: “Enter to win a prize pack of gourmet sauces from @sauceguy and @not_rachaelray! http://wp.me/p1AwA6-uS”
5. Share this giveaway on your Facebook page.
6. “Like” More Than Gourmet on Facebook.

That’s up to seven chances to win! Enter by Thursday night (10/27) and I’ll choose a winner using random.org on Friday morning (10/28). Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before I choose another winner. Prize will be shipped by the generous More Than Gourmet folks. Good luck!

Disclosure: I was sent free products to review. However, all opinions expressed in this post are, as always, 100% my own. I was not compensated for this post other than the free products.

Tagged as: chicken, creamy, giveaway, more than gourmet, soup, wild rice