The cold & flue season is coming up. I made this for dinner this past week, when both me and my kid were feeling sick. The rice continues to absorb the broth so what began as a thin soup type of stew becomes thicker and almost a solid mass by the time you are finished dinner.

1 whole chicken, cut into parts,
or 3-5 pounds of bone-in chicken pieces
2 carrots roughly cut up (or 1 cup of those tiny peeled snack carrot fingers)
1 onion, coarse chopped
2 stalks celery, coarse chopped
1-2 Tbsp. salt, to taste
1/2 - 1 tsp. pepper, to taste
1-2 Tbsp. poultry seasoning (more if you are adding a lot of water)
2 sticks butter
2-3 cups white rice (not instant)


Place the chicken in a very large stock pot, fill pot with clean cold water , up so that water level covers chicken by a good inch. Throw in vegetables. Add salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and boil gently until the meat falls easily off the bones when you pick a piece of chicken up with tongs (about 2 hours). Add more water if it boils off too much.

Lazy method: Drop in 1 stick of butter and stir in rice without picking the chicken bones skin out, allow to simmer until rice is fully cooked, about 25 minutes, serve in bowls, let everyone else pick out their own bones. Top each bowl with an extra pat of butter.

Nicer presentation method: Before adding the rice, use tongs to remove all of the chicken pieces from the broth into a large bowl. On a separate cutting board or plate, work on each individual piece of chicken, separating the meat from the bones and skin. Discard bones and skin and return meat to the broth. Add in 1 stick of butter and rice. Allow to simmer until rice is fully cooked, about 25 minutes. Serve in bowls, with an extra pat of butter topping each.

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