Ingredients:

2 tbsp Olive Oil 1 cup Diced Red Onion
4 cloves Roasted Garlic
⅓ cup Fresh Cilantro
½ cup Cold Water
1 tsp Salt
1 ½ tsp Cracked Black Pepper
3 ½ quarts Chicken Stock
4 cups cooked Rice
1 slice of Lemon
1 tbsp Shredded Fresh Parmesan
1 tbsp Sour Cream

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a skillet and cook onion for 4 minutes- until translucent.

Purée cilantro, roasted garlic, salt, pepper, and ½ cup of water in the processor for 30 seconds.

Combine cilantro mixture, onions, and chicken stock in a large pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook 22 minutes and remove from heat.

Serve over bowls with ½ cup warmed rice.

Top with sour cream and shredded parmesan. Place a lemon slice on the side.

Serves 4-6

I made this soup in 2009 as a soup du jour, and after receiving a lot of positive feedback, I featured it on the monthly chef special.

You can roast the garlic in the oven, or you can toast the garlic, with the skins on, for 10-12 minutes in a skillet on medium-high heat.

Cooking the garlic in the oven makes it tender and creamy, but since you blend it in a processor, its consistency isn’t important.

Leftover chicken is ideal for this recipe, but you could buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store if you don’t have cooked chicken on hand. I don’t recommend using canned chicken for this recipe (or any other) since the flavor’s disturbing, and it resembles cat food.

Since the recipe is inexpensive to make, it was perfect for the recession times of 2009. It’s a great soup for any season, but if you see another economic downturn coming, break out your cilantro chicken recipe. It will ease your financial blues. Enjoy!