Chicken & Rice Soup with Ginger & Veggies

My friend Sloan inspired me to make this delicious soup from the New York Times in my Donabe pot. It was so good. I used some suggestions from the comments section online and used her idea of also adding spinach. I used leftover white rice instead of brown rice (I always make extra rice for soup, fried rice, or other concoctions). The soup turned out great! My photos don't do the food justice sadly. 

It also reminded me of this Israeli Chicken Sofrito dish I posted awhile back, if you’re interested in a non-soup version with the same flavor profile. 

I will definitely make this again. Fantastic and easy soup you can throw together very quickly. While the soup cooked, I sautéed some veggies to go with the rest of my rice. Perfect dinner. 

Chicken & Rice Soup with Ginger & Veggies
Inspired by the New York Times
 
¾-1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and black pepper
2 T olive oil 
2 T minced ginger (maybe even more)
4 garlic cloves, minced (maybe even more)
2 t ground turmeric 
1 dried bay leaf
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups veggie broth
1 cup water
1 cup cooked white rice (even better if it's a day old)
2 zucchinis, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup chopped spinach
 
Garnish:
lemon wedges
chopped cilantro
 
Trim the fat from the chicken thighs. Season with salt and pepper but not too much salt because you don’t know how salty the stock might be. 
 
Heat a medium Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium. I used a Donabe pot. Add the oil, ginger and garlic and sauté for a few minutes, stirring so nothing burns. Add the turmeric and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
 
Add 5 cups of liquid. I used 2 cups chicken broth, 2 cups veggie broth and 1 cup water. Any combo will work. Add the chicken thighs and bay leaf. Bring to a soft boil, then turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. When timer goes off, add half of the zucchini pieces. Cook for another 15 minutes. 
 
Remove chicken and set aside. Remove bay leaf and use an immersion blender to blend the soup. Then add remaining zucchini, increase heat a little bit and cook for another 15 minutes. While it's cooking, shred the chicken. Then add the meat and juices, cooked rice and spinach. Test for salt and pepper. Serve with cilantro and a squeeze of lemon (or lime).