Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 kg chicken thighs with skin and bones (about 6 pcs.)
• 2 tbsp. boiled brown rice
• 5 celery stalks, cut into 0.5cm thick pieces.
• 3 large carrots, cut into 0.5cm thick pieces.
• 2 large sprigs dill + 1/4 cup chopped dill for serving
• 2 large sprigs of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 small onion, peeled
• 8 cups lightly salted chicken broth
• 1 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Combine carrots and celery in a slow cooker. Add dill, thyme, bay leaf, onion, and 0.5 teaspoon salt.
2. Rub the chicken thighs all over, including under the skin, with 1 teaspoon of salt and place them on top of the vegetables. Add the chicken broth. Cover and simmer over low heat for 8 hours. Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, remove the chicken and stir in the rice. While the rice is heating, remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred the meat (it will fall apart).
3. After 15 minutes, turn off the slow cooker and remove the dill and thyme stems, as well as the bay leaf. Add the shredded chicken and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice and salt if needed. Season with black pepper and finely chopped dill to taste. Serve the soup hot, garnished with more dill.