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Joshua McFadden's Chicken Soup with Brown Rice, Radishes, and Lemon

Joshua McFadden's Chicken Soup with Brown Rice, Radishes, and Lemon

This isn’t your average chicken soup with rice. McFadden’s twist on this comforting staple uses brown rice instead of white rice (to up the nutrition factor). He also adds earthy radishes, hot sauce, and lemon juice, to give it a super unique flavor profile that’s different from the chicken soup you’re used to eating on a cold winter day. We adapted his original recipe by cooking the lemony brown rice in the microwave first, which makes it even more of a breeze.

This recipe was adapted with permission from Grains for Every Season: Rethinking Our Way with Grains by Joshua McFadden.

All of Anyday’s recipes are tested (and retested!) in many different microwaves and home kitchens to make sure they work — and work well.

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Select your microwave wattage in the dropdown. The cook times in this recipe will automatically change accordingly.

To find your microwave’s wattage, look at the front panel, the side of the door, in the back, in the user manual, or Google the model number. If both an input and output wattage are listed, use the output.

Wattage translates to how powerful the microwave is. The higher the wattage, the faster your food will cook. The lower the wattage, the longer the cook time.

When in doubt, start with less time — you can always add more.

1000w

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Product Size

  • Small Dish
  • Medium Shallow
  • Large Shallow
  • Medium Deep
  • Large Deep

Prep Time

8 mins

Cook Time

32 mins

Free Time

to cozy up with a good book

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup (67g) long-grain brown rice, rinsed and shaken until mostly dry
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150ml) water
  • ¼ lemon
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • ½ small bunch radishes, with their greens if they look fresh
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • ¾ cup (105g) chopped cooked chicken (from making the broth, if made from scratch)
  • Tabasco or other hot sauce
  • Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for seasoning
  • 2 lemon wedges, for squeezing

Preparation

  1. Add brown rice, water, lemon, and salt to the Anyday Deep Dish. Cover with the lid (knob lifted.)
  2. Cook in the microwave at Power Level 3
    ✕

    Certain foods cook best in the microwave at lower power levels. 

    Different microwaves have different settings. See your microwave manual (or look it up online) to learn how to change your microwave’s power level.

    For many microwaves: enter the cook time, press the “Power” (or “Power Level”) button, and select a number between 1-10. Other microwaves may require selecting the Power Level first, and then entering the cook time.

    Microwaves list power levels in different ways. Here’s a guide to help you adjust:

    PL 10 = 100% = High (default)

    PL 9 = 90% = High

    PL 8 = 80% = Med-High

    PL 7 = 70% = Med-High

    PL 6 = 60% = Medium

    PL 5 = 50% = Medium

    PL 4 = 40% = Med-Low

    PL 3 = 30% = Med-Low

    PL 2 = 20% = Low

    PL 1 = 10% = Low

    You will know if the power level has been successfully changed if you hear periodic changes in the microwave’s tone after it begins cooking.

     for 30 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and rice is tender. Let it rest covered for 5 minutes to gently finish steaming.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the radishes by trimming the tops and cutting into halves or quarters. If using radish tops, rinse very well so there’s no grit left, then tear once or twice.
  4. After rice has finished cooking, add chicken broth, chicken, radishes, and radish tops (if using. Cover and cook in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until chicken broth is heated through, radishes have softened a bit, and greens are wilted.
  5. Add a few shots of hot sauce and some twists of black pepper. Taste and add more salt and lemon until the soup is both zesty and comforting at the same time. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and more lemon.

Serving suggestions & tips

  • It’s important to dial in the final flavorings of hot sauce, salt, lemon juice, and black pepper, especially the interplay of salt and lemon.
  • If rice is still too hard after the cook time, add a few tablespoons of water and continue cooking at the recommended power level in 2-minute increments.
  • If it’s taking longer than expected, increase the power level by 1. If it’s bubbling over or the lid is lifting, decrease the power level by 1.
  • Microwave ovens vary, even with the same wattages. Adjust cooking times as needed.