Chicken With Brown Rice & Leeks

Fast simple hearty soup that eats like a complete meal. 

Ingredients: 
2 Tbs Olive Oil

1/2 Cup White Wine
2 Quarts of Chicken Stock
3 Large Leeks
1 Cup Uncooked Brown Rice
2 Large Chicken Breasts

Preparation:
Leeks tend to pick-up bits of grit and sand as they sprout from the soil and need to be cleaned thoroughly. Start by trimming away the inedible tops and the root bottom. Splint the leeks length wise and then slice the halves about 1/4 inch wide. Place the cut leeks in a colander an rinse thoroughly with cold water and drain.


In your favorite straight sided sautee pan add and heat the pan on high heat. When the pan is hot add your leeks.Stirring occasionally let the leeks cook until they start to get a little brown on some of the edges and are tender all the way through, about 5-7 minutes depending on the quantity. Without lowering the heat add the wine. Stir occasionally and cook until about half the wine is reduced away.

Prepare the chicken breasts by trimming away any fat and connective tissue and then cutting them in half horizontally so that you have 2 pieces form each breast about 1/2 - 3/4" thick. 

In a heavy skillet on high heat add enough oil, (canola is my preference)  to just coat the bottom of the pan. When the pan and oil are hot start adding your chicken breasts. Cook each side about 3 minutes until chicken is cooked through and there is a nice golden brown crust on each side. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked. 

Let the chicken rest at least 5 minutes and then slice lengthwise into about 1/3 inch strips and then cut those in half or thirds. Allowing the breasts to rest before slicing them up will stop the juices from running out on your cutting board and will help retain flavor.

In a five quart pot add the leeks and the remaining liquid they were cooked in along with the chicken stock, chicken and the uncooked rice. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes until rice is tender.

If you feel the soup is too thick and would like more liquid add a cup of water or more stock to thin.