Chicken and rice fusion

Thought I would share this.

The other day Mel and I were looking to do a quick dinner. We had the idea of a soup. It was cold, rainy, and she felt like a cold was coming on. Chicken noodle was an obvious first choice, as we had both chicken and noodles, as well as chicken broth and a few other veggies. Mel wasn't too fond of the idea of chicken noodle soup. She wanted something more substantial. So I told her I would come up with something. Here is what I came up with (sorry I didn't think to take pictures).

I cut up onion, celery, and carrot (known by the French word mirepoix [meer-PWAH]). I also cut up 3 cloves of garlic. I seasoned them with salt and pepper and softened up the veggies in a large pot to help bring out the natural sweetness. After about 4 minutes (when the onions started turning translucent) I added the chicken. I used the thigh. I generally like using the thigh because I think it tastes better than the breast, and it tends to keep its texture and not dry out like breasts can. I turned the heat up a little bit and cooked the chicken until almost cooked though. I then added the chicken broth brought it to a simmer. I use low sodium broth, it helps me better control how salty the dish is. I added some basil, bay leaf, and a little oregano like I would to a "classic" chicken noodle soup. However I started to add some twists. I add a good quality soy sauce to add some salt to the soup. Then I added some tumeric for a nice yellow color and some spicy Madras curry powder. It added a nice, deep, complex flavor to the soup without adding too much heat. I added 4-6 oz of heavy cream to add a little bit of thickness to the soup. I finally finished it off with rice instead of noodles. So I started off with a classic chicken noodle soup and ended up with a tasty fusion of classic chicken noodle soup and a coconut milk-curry rice soup. I think I will be making this again.