Chicken & Egg Drop Soup with Rice

Ingredients:

2 large, bone-in chicken breasts

1 carrot, peeled and quartered

1 onion, peeled and quartered

2 ribs celery with leafy tops, quartered

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper

1 lemon, sliced

2 bay leaves

2 quarts water

1 cup white long grain rice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 pound fresh spinach, stems trimmed and chopped

4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock

3 large eggs

1/3 cup cream or milk

a few grates of nutmeg

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place the chicken in a pot with the carrot, onion, celery, salt & pepper. Add the lemon slices and bay leaves to the pot; cover with 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer to poach the chicken until cooked through.

Strain the cooking liquid and reserve for later. Let the chicken cool to handle. Remove the skin and chicken bones, then pull the chicken into small pieces and reserve for later. Either discard the carrot, onion & celery or use in another recipe.

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup rice with 1 2/3 cups of reserved liquid. Bring to a boil, stir, cover and cook to almost tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep covered.

In a soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir for a minute, then add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add the remaining reserved liquid, plus the chicken stock. Bring to a boil.  In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with cream or milk, nutmeg and the cheese. Drizzle the eggs into the soup with a fork. The eggs will look like puffy ribbons running through the soup. Fluff the rice with a fork; add the rice and reserved chicken to the soup. Stir well and cook until all ingredients are hot.