Last Sunday was my third day off in a row and I was feeling productive, so I made a big batch of this Crock Pot Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup. I loved that it was easy to make and that it would make plenty of leftovers for the upcoming week. I also got to use my new favorite product, Beast Clawz, along with the recipe. I started by chopping up my celery and carrots. Mike chopped up the onion for me, so I didn't have to cry! I added all my the veggies, spices, chicken breasts, and broth to the crockpot and put it on low for about 6 hours. Meanwhile, we straightened the house, took down Christmas decorations, and grocery shopped. (I told you I was feeling productive!) After 6 hours, I started cooking rice, shredded the chicken, added frozen corn, and the cream mixture. To shred the chicken, I used my new Beast Clawz. They are the perfect size for my hands and pull apart meat much easier than using two forks. I've also used them with pork for pork tacos and they work great! I highly recommend a pair of these if you shred meat often. To make the cream mixture, I measured the flour and milk into a container with a lid, sealed it, and then shook it up. I used skim milk, which cut down on the fat, but may have made it a little less creamy than other milks. I also think you could skip this step and just have the broth if you wanted. Once I stirred the rice in, we were ready to eat. My crockpot was full! I probably could have used my bigger crockpot, if I had thought about it more. After eating, we still had enough leftovers to fill my big 4 quart Pyrex bowl. We really liked the soup that night and have enjoyed its leftovers all week. I'm not sure how well this soup would freeze, so make sure you are prepared to eat lots of leftovers, feed a crowd, or consider halving the recipe. Overall, I was thrilled with the outcome of my first new recipe of the new year.

The New Austonian