Basic Chicken And Rice Soup Gets A Flavor Overhaul With 2 Simple Ingredients

Chicken and rice soup is a staple comfort dish, particularly warming in the winter months. This combination is also easily elevated with the incorporation of vegetables like carrots, onion, garlic, and celery. You may have heard of using lemon to transform your chicken noodle soup, but there's another type of citrus that you might want to try instead. For a whole new flavor profile, try adding a hefty squeeze of fresh lime along with some cilantro. 

Common across Mexican and Southeast Asian cuisines, you've probably already enjoyed this duo in a different dish. It only makes sense to give it a try with your next chicken and rice soup. The lime juice will nicely enliven this otherwise neutral meal with its tangy zest, while the cilantro adds its grassy, herbaceous notes. Additionally, lime and cilantro are chock-full of potential health benefits that may help this combination naturally boost your immunity as well as manage blood sugar. 

For those who live in or are from the United Kingdom, you may be wondering about the difference between cilantro and coriander. It turns out they're both derived from the same plant and are equally tasty in this limey combination. Not only is this duo great with homemade soups, it can also brighten canned or boxed alternatives. This dish is malleable and easily adjusted to your personal liking. Simply upgrade with ingredients you may have on hand.

Incorporating cilantro and lime may seem simple, but you'll want to keep a few things in mind. First, wash your rice before cooking it unless your package's instructions say otherwise. This ensures it enters the soup fluffy rather than already mushy. Once rinsed, you can either cook it on the stove or flick on your rice cooker. But for those in a rush, you can always grab microwaveable or instant rice instead.  

As your rice is cooking, begin sauteing your veggies to capitalize on time. Then add your broth to simmer, routinely stirring before incorporating your pre-cooked chicken (store-bought rotisserie is a great option) and rice. Some will batch cilantro lime rice and chicken soup separately, blending them only when ready to eat, while others cook it all together. It's best to add lime and cilantro a little at a time, tasting as you cook. Some recipes call for a ¼ cup of juice, while others require the juice of two limes, or upwards of three. As for the cilantro, you'll roughly chop a handful of this fresh herb, and save some extra whole leaves for garnish. 

This recipe is very customizable and takes well to additional ingredients. The base components of rice, chicken, cilantro, and lime also pair nicely with tomatoes, corn, and diced avocado. You can also add a variety of beans for additional protein, as well as full-fat Greek yogurt added off heat to prevent separation. Crushed tortilla chips would make for more texture. You may even choose to lean into the citrus flavor by snagging a bag of lime-flavored tortilla chips for an extra zesty bite.