Rainy Day Soup: Chicken Rice Soup in Buttermilk Broth

The other day I wrote about roasting vegetables, and today I'm writing about soup.  You would think it was winter.  Alas, it is the middle of June, and with the exception of maybe 2 days in the last month, it still feels like winter.  But being a glass-half-full kind of person, winter weather does present certain opportunities, one of which is soup.

This evening I made a new favorite: chicken rice soup in a buttermilk broth.  I first made it by accident a few weeks ago.  It was one of those nights where I needed to use up a few random ingredients in the refrigerator, and this is what I came up with, not really expecting anything spectacular.  Much to my surprise, I immediately fell in love with the tart buttermilk broth that added so much flavor to a classic chicken rice soup.  And tonight I made it again.  Same results.  So now I offer it to you:

Chicken Rice Soup in Buttermilk Broth

As mentioned above, this soup can be made from a few ingredients often found in the refrigerator (you do keep buttermilk in regular supply, right?  If not, how do you make pancakes on weekends??).  The other great thing about this soup is that it is really fast- it does not require hours of simmering in order to develop it's tangy base.  30 Minutes.  That's all you need.

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium-sized onion

2 smallish-medium carrots

2 stalks celery

2 Tbsp chicken broth/bouillon powder

2 small chicken breasts

1/3 cup long-grain white rice

hot water

1 cup buttermilk

1-2 Tbsp dried mint OR dill

Directions:

1. Heat butter and olive oil on high in a heavy stockpot.

2. Chop onion, carrots, and celery to make a mirepoix.

3. Saute the mirepoix until soft, approximately 5 minutes.

4. Slice raw chicken breast into one-inch chunks.  Add raw chicken and the powdered chicken broth to the stockpot and brown the chicken until it is cooked through.  

5. Mix in 1/3 cup of uncooked rice.

6. Pour hot water into the stockpot until the chicken, rice, and mirepoix is entirely submerged in water.  Turn the stove to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes.

7. After 20 minutes, rice should be cooked, and the soup should be thicker.  Mix in one cup of buttermilk, the mint or dill, and salt and pepper if you so desire.

8. Soup is ready to eat immediately.