Spanish Style Chicken and Rice Soup

I love this soup for two reason's...it has a ton of flavor and has a great variety of color. I saw this on Rachel Ray a few years back. I replaced the noodles for rice and it works out well. It can be made on the stovetop or the crockpot. I prefere the crockpot because I can start it in the morning and forget about dinner until it's time to serve it.


Ingredients

• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 medium-size carrots, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 to 2 tablespoons (about a palmful) chili powder
• 1 bay leaf, use fresh if available
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) chicken stock ( 6 C water, 6 tsp GF chicken bullion)
• 1/2 C uncooked rice, lightly browned in olive oil **
• 2-3 chicken breasts cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 cup corn, frozen or fresh
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed

• For garnish:
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• A couple of handfuls of blue or red corn tortilla chips
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• We only garnished with grated Colby Jack cheese and dipped tortilla chips in it.

Preparation
I add everything to the crockpot but the rice and corn. Cook on low for 6 hours on low. Add rice and corn the last hour of cooking.

** FYI
The reason I browned my rice in olive oil first, is so that when I add it too the soup, it does not keep absorbing the juices.