Jan 17, 2011

Chicken Shiitake and Wild Rice Soup




Looking for more cold weather comfort food? This thick and creamy wild rice soup is a perfect one pot meal.

Chicken, wild rice, and mushrooms are combined in this rich and hearty soup with a touch of light sour cream. 

This was a recipe make-over requested from a reader in Minnesota who asked me to lighten up her original recipe, which was loaded with butter and heavy cream. I was eager to tackle this make-over, but I couldn't imagine just how good it would be. Even tested this on friends and family and all would agree, this soup is a winner. My one year old loved it too.

One thing to note is the rice expands the longer it sits, so you may need to add more water to adjust the correct thickness. This reheats fine the next day with a little added water.

For the wild rice combo I used Carolina rice, it comes in a seasoned package. If you can't find that brand, you could use Rice a Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice.


Chicken, Shiitake and Wild Rice Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Size: 1-1/2 cups • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 237.6 • Fat: 4.3 g • Protein: 14 g • Carb: 35.4 g • Fiber: 1.7 g  
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 8 cups (64 oz) fat free low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cups water
  • 2 chopped carrots
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 4 skinless chicken thighs
  • 4.5 oz long grain rice and wild rice combo (I used Carolina)
  • 1/2 cup long grain white rice
  • 4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tbsp light sour cream (vegans can use vegan sour cream or leave it out)
  • salt and fresh pepper

Melt butter in a large pot on medium heat, add onion and saute until soft nut not browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add flour and saute another minute.


Add chicken broth, water, carrots, garlic, celery, and chicken thighs, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add wild rice mix along with it's seasoning, long grain rice, mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste and simmer on low, covered 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Remove chicken from pot and shred with two forks, return to pot, add sour cream and more water if too thick, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve.
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106 comments:

  1. Looks awesome, I wonder if my kiddos would eat it.... Of course they could have hot dogs that night.... :)

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  2. Just curious, but why not brown rice in this recipe? I only buy brown rice now that I am on WW.

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  3. I'm thinking I'll never need another cookbook or cooking website. I LOVE everything you post and the fact that you have the points right there. I don't have to calculate. I'm making the pulled pork, cilantro lime rice, and black beans tonight. I'm so glad I found this blog!!

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  4. Tracey, I use both, depends on the recipe. I feel in some recipes, as far as taste, white rice can't be substituted. In others, it's fine. You could try it with brown and see if it gets as creamy. If you do let me know how it turns out.

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  5. First off I Love love love your blog. I have done WW in the past and it's been a bore and a pain. In the past I almost always had to cook a separate meal for my husband and daughter and I eventually got tired of doing that and the few things I could come up with that were quick and easy. Your blog has given me new hope! I have cooked several things already and my family has loved them! I was so excited to see this recipe because this is a healthier version of one of our favorite soups! Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into your recipes and your blog! Thank you for sharing it with us!

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  6. Quick question for you. You note to add flour after cooking the onion, but flour is not listed in the ingredients. How much flour should I use? This looks delicious! Thanks!!!

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  7. i think you are amazing! i love love love all your food!!! i think i am going to start a diet called gina's way!!! :) even my picky hubby thinks your food is amazing. i have also turned alot of people onto your site! keep up the good work!!!..i would like to see some more crock pot meals..as i just got a new one :) hint hint! take care and god bless!! xoxoxoxox
    trish p.

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  8. Kelexa, Trish - Thanks ladies!! I hope my recipes keep you on track and your family happy!

    Nikki- Thanks for noticing, it's 1 tbsp flour, I'll update now.

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  9. This recipes looks absolutely Delish! (although I got a chuckle about the vegans using vegan sour cream...in a CHICKEN soup recipe! ;-) )
    I am defintely adding this to my MUST Make list!

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  10. Looks like a very comforting winter dish.

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  11. Saw this while I was at work today and thought it would be perfect for dinner. It was fantastic!!!!! So flavorful and hearty. Thank you for this awesome recipe!!

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  12. Just wanted to let you know you won my $25 giveaway on Whipperberry!! Email me at alittlelovelyblog@hotmail.com to let me know what you would like from my shop! thanks :)

    cardsforyoushop.etsy.com

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  13. Thank you so much for posting. I can't wait to give it a try. Looks yummy!

    Barb

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  14. do you think bella shrooms would work? they are all i have on hand and a snow storm is in the works...

    maureen

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  15. Hmmm comfort food! It's chilly, it's dark and I want a bowl of this :)

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  16. This sounds great! I love soup so much, and am always looking for new light and tasty recipes to try!

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  17. Can I make this without flour?? will it make a difference? firstly dont have it, secondly watching gluten, ha.

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  18. Disarmywife- LOL!! I must have been fast asleep when I wrote that, too funny! Thanks for the laugh!

    Sure you can leave the flour out, the rice thickens the soup plenty!

    And yes, you can use portabella mushrooms, but shiitake really makes this soup (imo)

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  19. Interesting. I would never have though to add sour cream to this type of soup, but I'll bet it adds terrific flavor. This would be a quick soup to pull together after work too.

    Kristi

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  20. could you use ground turkey rather than chicken thighs? and if so, how would i go about adding it? at the same time as the chicken thighs? thanks!!

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  21. If you want to use brown rice in a recipe were white rice may have more the flavor you want, use brown Basmati rice...it is more like white rice, while still having the benefits of regular brown rice!

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  22. this girl can burn. This recipe came out excellant. I can't wait to put this in my husbands lunch tomorrow. I know he'll eat this one. I loved it. Wondered about that sour cream as I've never thought of that in soup. Make it ladies. It's good. Big thumbs up. !!!

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  23. STARTING WW NEXT TUE. WILL USE A LOT OF YOUR RECIPE'S THANKS KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. TED 1/18/11 10;44PM

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  24. I made this for dinner last night and it was out-of-this-world awesome! Everyone loved it and said it tasted like it had been simmering all day.

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  25. I made this recipe last night and used brown rice in place of the white. It was very creamy and delicious. I served it to my husband and father in-law and both raved about it. They couldn't believe it was a skinny recipe!

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  26. Although you can leave the sour cream out, I feel it really adds something to it! Thanks Tyt!

    Emanuela, I guess you could saute the turkey first then proceed as directed.

    So glad to hear it turned out good with the brown rice, I love brown basmati, I bet that would be great.

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  27. Can you use Chicken Breasts instead of thighs would it make a big difference in texture?

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  28. I did use breasts. It's great. Just had another bowl

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  29. I have left over cooked rotisserie chicken that's really easy to pick and shred....can I use that instead? If so, how much would you suggest and when should I add it to the soup? Thanks!

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  30. This is absolutly the best soup i have ever made or tasted!!I just used fresh mushrooms!My husband had the sme comment!Excellant... Bernadette Borkowski

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  31. Eating it now. YUM. Wonderful winter soup.

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  32. Made this earlier today and it is SO good!

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  33. I just have to say I LOVE your blog!!!! Everything I have made so far has been AMAZING! I just made this soup the other day and it was soooooooo tasty! I can't wait to make more of your wonderful recipes!

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  34. Another winner! This soup was so tasty and perfect for this cold winter day. My daughter loved it and I am going to have something to bring in my lunch all this week. Thanks so much! I love your site.

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  35. Just ate for dinner. Didn't change anything and was delicious!

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  36. This is the best dish I've eaten in months... and your blog is absolutely delicious!

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  37. I'm elated you all enjoyed this as much as we did! You can use breasts, but they should only cook 15 minutes, so you'd have to alter this.

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  38. I misread the directions and used a brown/wild rice blend bagged mix for the 4.5 oz combo listed, which didn't come with a seasoning packet! So, I added a chicken and herb bouillon cube and the flavor still came out wonderful!

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  39. Amber, that's what I would have done! Great to hear it was good with brown rice!

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  40. gave your yummy blog a shout on on my 1/25 post today!

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  41. This soup was fabulous. My friends and family LOVED it. I will be making it again for sure. Thanks for all the great recipes! Elizabeth

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  42. This soup was amazing! WOW! I absolutley loved it! I used 8 ounces of baby bella mushrooms though since that is what I had and I used brown rice instead of white. It was just as great! Loved it.

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  43. Made this soup and totally forgot the sour cream and it was still delicious.Thank you for your recipes

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  44. I'm making this right now and my house smells divine!! I can hardly wait to eat it!! I didn't have shitake mushrooms so I substituted button and I used leeks instead of onion.. I hope it's just as good! I'm excited about your blog.. Thanks for your posts

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  45. I bet the leeks were great : )

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  46. Looks great, definitely want to make it but I think I will cook rice separately. I don't like how rice expands next day in the soup. I'll just add rice to my bowl of soup when it'll be ready to eat.

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  47. Delicious and very filling!!!! Thank you! A definite keeper :)

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  48. Melissa Mullins2/9/11, 8:49 PM

    VERY nice - especially on a cold day like today. Loved it.

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  49. Is the serving size on this 1 and 1/2 cups? The dash is throwing me off a little so I just want to make sure I'm reading it right.

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  50. Love this recipe! So hard to find things my whole family likes but this soup was a winner! Even my daughter, who I sometimes believe only loves cheese and bread, loved it. She even wanted seconds!

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  51. I made this and thought it was pretty amazing considering I am not a huge fan of mushrooms! Love your blog and your recipes! :)

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  52. I made this last night and my husband said it was the best chicken soup he'd ever had. Thank you!

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  53. This is the best soup recipe I've tried in AGES. Seriously loved it!

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  54. Isn't this wonderful!! I'm so happy you all enjoyed it.

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  55. just made this for dinner, DELICIOUS!

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  56. My boyfriend and I absolutely loved this! I used a higher wild-to-long-grain rice ration, and no seasoning packet (the wild rice we end up comes on its own, not blended with other rice and not seasoned). It was a huge hit -- we just finished the leftovers, and I'm already fielding requests for another batch :) Thank you so much!

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  57. I am not a big soup-eater, but this one is amazing!!! It is so delicious and tastes like something you'd find at a great cafe. I usually don't like leftovers either, but I ate this soup for lunch for like a week after and loved it! This is definitely becoming a staple at our house!

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  58. Just made this AMAZING soup. Did I mention it's AMAZING? :) Thank you sooooo much Gina for this great blog!!! You make my life so much easier.
    Hugs and all my respect,
    Nico

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  59. it's amazing this recipe is still getting hits. I didn't subscribe to others but I still get the *this is amazing.*. I might have to make it again just because I keep hearing about how good it is. It was delicious.

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  60. I just made this.. It was AMAZING! I love your website thank you!

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  61. Okay so my mom doesn't like meat all that much.. what if i made this without chicken? How would that affect the points?

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  62. Gina,

    This is so good! I linked back to you (I think/hope) on my WIAW. Absolutely loved it...leftovers were even better! :)

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  63. Gina I found your website about a month ago, I have probably tried over 10 recipes. My soup is simmering right now, while I prepare the apple nut bread that you posted recently. I have loved every thing I've made and so has my family and husband! Thanks so much for all your hard work and inspiration!! I find it very difficult to find simple, yummy and healthy recipes but I've finally found it! :)

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  64. Elise so glad you liked everything you tried!

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  65. Do you think this would freeze well in individual portions?

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  66. I made this again last night, and I just have to tell you that it's probably in my top 10 of your recipes. I love, love, love it!! I love that the leftovers are amazing, too. It's so easy and fabulous. Thank you so much!! I'm basically in maintenance mode now thanks to you!

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  67. I made this recipe tonight but tweaked it a bit to make it more of a casserole. LOVED IT! I kept the chicken thighs on the bone. let the rice absorb most of the broth then added a bit of a low fat cooking creme and a little of the lite sour cream. I then baked the whole thing in a casserole pan to brown the chicken and thicken up the rice. DELICIOUS!

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  68. I made this for lunch today and it was delish! WAY better than opening a can! Thank you as always!

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  69. Great soup recipe! I used part shiitake and part porcini mushrooms and it turned out delicious.

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  70. Mine was thick like stew but not very creamy. Is the sour cream for flavor or texture? I was going to use greek yogurt instead of sour cream but realized I was out, so I didn't use either. And the 2 tbsps sour cream is for the entire pot, not per serving correct? (Sorry for the questions but I'm new to the kitchen and trying to learn.)

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  71. It is cold and wintery with lots of snow today so I made this wonderful soup. I loved it! The soup was easy to make, tastes amazing and is very filling. Thanks Gina! I love your blog!

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  72. I love this soup too, so good!

    The sour cream adds to the creaminess, it's a must.

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  73. This soup was amazing! I don't like celery, so I added leeks instead, and I used fat free greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It didn't come out as thick as Gina's, but it tastes incredible! And the chicken is the absolute moistest. So easy and definitely a keeper!

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  74. I'm planning on making this soup this week and I can't wait because of all the good praise it is getting!

    I only have one problem - I couldn't find a regular wild rice/white rice combo at the stores I checked. I did find the right combo in a Uncle Ben's box. It says it cooks in 5 min. so I'm assuming this is not the same thing you use. Can I still use the Uncle Ben's and do I need to make adjustments to the liquid?

    Thanks so much!!

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  75. Thanks for posting this as a favorite. I'm going to have to make this this weekend! It's getting cold in Chicago and this'll be perfect!

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  76. Gina, thank you SO Much for your amazing website. I've been making your recipes for a couple of months now and have not once been disappointed! This soup is fabulous and I have to stop myself from gobbling it up as I am dishing it out into containers. One question - do you think this would freeze well? It made so much - more than 1 girl can handle! Thanks!

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  77. I'm finishing making this today. I don't like using only chicken stock (the taste is meh) so I used chicken stock, water, and threw in chicken wings, carrot, onion, and celery last night and cooked for a good 5 hours to get the flavor comparable to homemade stock. I'll let you know how the full recipe turned out :)

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  78. I wonder if plain, non fat Greek yogurt would be a good substitute for sour cream

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  79. This might be a silly question, but do the chicken thighs go in uncooked? And the 45 minutes is enough to cook them?

    Thank you!
    Elizabeth

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  80. This soup is so delicious! The other commenters are right, those who hate mushrooms won't even taste them. So much flavor and it's the perfect comfort food for a cold winter day.

    For anyone else who might be concerned about this, I noticed that both rice packages suggested contain MSG, which I try to avoid. I bought the Carolina brand anyway, thinking that I could just omit the seasoning package and use a bullion cube instead, but the seasoning is actually mixed in with the rice. So I just went ahead and made it with that since it was too late to do anything about it at that point.

    I made it again tonight and this time found that Uncle Ben's makes a long grain and wild rice combo just like the other 2, except the seasoning packet is separate so you can omit it to use bullion instead. (That may be the case for the Rice-A-Roni as well but I didn't want to take the chance.) Thought this might help if anyone was lazy like me and wanted to just go with the packaged combo. :)

    Sorry for the long comment and thank you for another great recipe Gina!

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  81. I made this over the weekend, I added a tiny bit of sherry and it was amazing! big hit with the fam

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  82. I made this over the weekend, I added a tiny bit of sherry and it was amazing! big hit with the fam

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  83. DesignerGrl11/22/12, 8:35 PM

    I try to cook with whole grains and as many organic, non processed foods as possible. The seasoning packets in rice blends and other processed foods often have a tons of msg, sodium and starches in them, this bothers me. Can you suggest some seasonings to substitute for that packet?

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  84. This was SO good!! I modified it for the crock pot, tho...that way it could cook from about 230 until after we back from the gym. It was great! Thanks! Just added a bit more water at the end because the rice had swollen so much. Used chicken breasts because I didn't have (nor do we care for thighs) and I did a mix of shitake and oyster shrooms. GREAT recipe!! Thanks so much!! Two of my three kids LOVED it!! My third just doesn't care for rice or pasta, so that was why he didn't like it. He didn't even really try it, tho, just had it in his head that he wouldn't because of the rice (he is 6...you know how those little ones are!!). Will definitely keep this one!!

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  85. This is so amazing that I am blogging about it!

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  86. I was wondering how to make this in the crockpot? Looks really yummy.

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  87. Made this over the weekend and thought it had a nice, mild flavor. Next batch, I'll probably omit the sour cream and add a dash of sherry intead - I think that would make it a bit more robust. I also may try using barley instead of rice just for a variation.

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  88. If you were going to use Chicken Breast rather than thighs, how much should you add?

    Lindsay

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  89. I am making this right now and the kitchen smells wonderful. Thanks for the tip of the bullion cube as I try to stay away from the processed packages too. I have tired about 20 different recipes from your site and there was NOT one that we did not like. I found this site right after I joined WW and these recipes are wonderful since I don't have to worry about figuring points. And my husband loves all of them. He loves the fact that almost every day he gets a wonderful new meal. Thanks Gina! This blog is a God send!

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  90. I'm reflecting the same comment as Anonymous above me- if you were replacing the chicken thighs with chicken breasts, how much would you use?

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  91. I doubled this recipe (wow, that was a BIG pot of soup!) and used 6 big chicken breasts instead of the thighs and it is a nice hearty amount of chicken. I then froze the soup in pint sized canning jars - perfect for the 1 1/2 cup serving, plenty of room for expansion at the top. I just warmed one up for lunch and it was delish! Thanks for all your great recipes!

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  92. Yummy! Ate on it all week for lunches--so tasty and filling! Used regular mushrooms--not a fan of shitake, plus regular were on sale. :) Loved it!

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  93. I have been meaning to leave a comment (something I never normally do). I have been using thiis site for ALL of my dinners for the last 4 months. I joined WW and was looking for healthy recipes. I have lost 30lbs since I started and I have to give you a special thanks. I have made over 20 of your recipes and EVERY SINGLE ONE is awsome. I know this is why I have stayed on track and I never feel like I am forfieting any flavor. Whenever I make a new recipe...from your site of course and it is out of this world wonderful... of course.
    I always say "gina never let's me down" you are spoke of in my household as if you are a trusted friend :) thank you for making this journy so easy!

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  94. Has anyone tried to freeze this? Also, I used 8 oz. of chicken breast tenders and it was great!

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  95. Is this something that would freeze and reheat well?

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  96. Hi Gina,
    I can only find dried shiitakes, is it four ounces of dried or four ounces of fresh? Thanks!

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  97. Hi Gina, just have to say that I love your blog and it has become my go to place for dinners!

    Anyways, is there a way to make this recipe in the crock pot? The last time I made it I was wondering if that was a possibility!

    Thanks!

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  98. I'm a student and a complete amateur in the kitchen. I figured I'd try and tackle this, and I'm so glad I did! It tastes SO good, and I have a whole bunch for lunches now! It can be really hard to eat healthy when all you want to do is just eat out at the university.

    I just wanted to say thanks for the recipe <3 It was easy to make, and it's healthy too! I'll definitely be referring to your blog for my meals now.

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  99. Hi Gina, will the soup turn out without the seasoned pack of rice? I bought unseasoned wild and white rice without any seasoning....

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  100. My soup didn't get as creamy as I had hoped it would...I have not had any yet, as it went straight into the freezer, but it is husband approved!

    Any thoughts on how to make it thicker like in your pic, as opposed to more broth-based?

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  101. How did you cook the chicken? Did I miss that?

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