I just finished making some Chicken & Rice Soup... although it's not your traditional soup.
I had purchased a large pack of chicken thighs and baked them. After cooling and quickly and simply stripping the meat off down the length of the bone with a chef's knife, I ate the meat-laden bones like a chicken wing, but the meaty portion I diced.
To make this quick soup, to about a quart of water I added a large chicken bouillon cube (or two regular square cubes will work), a corn starch slurry to thicken, not quite as thick as a gravy, but not watery either. After it's thickened by boiling the broth, I added a couple of cups of cheap, no-name-brand frozen mixed vegetables and the diced chicken (2-3 cups.) To this I added the spices; celery salt, freshly ground pepper and...gumbo file.
I thought, "Why not use my gumbo seasoning for something other than gumbo... just for fun," so I added about 2 or maybe 3 teaspoons of file (pronounced "fee-lay"), and that is what really set this soup apart as something unusual and very tasty!
Served on a bed of rice in a bowl after it's thoroughly warmed through, it has made my day (lunch first), but this evening, when I go to warm it up for dinner, I think I'll add a small can of "Mushroom Stems and Pieces" and a splash of Louisiana Hot Sauce. Thai Sriracha Sauce would also work.