Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients: 

1 cup uncooked wild rice blend

1 cup chopped yellow onion (from about 1 small onion) 

1 cup diced carrots (from 3 medium)

1 cup diced celery (from 2 - 3 stalks)

8 Tbsp butter, diced, divided 

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (measured from 3 14.5 oz cans)

1/4 tsp of each dried thyme, sage and rosemary (use fresh or dry, whatever you have)

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts halves (2 breasts)

1/2 cup flour

2 cups of heavy cream or at least 2% milk

1 tbsp Worcestershire

1 tbsp hot sauce

Directions:

1. Prepare rice according to directions listed on package. Reserve

2. Melt 2 TBSP butter in a large, heavy bottom pot.  Add onion, carrots and celery and saute until slightly tender, about 4 minutes, adding in garlic during last 30 seconds of sauteing. Add chicken broth, thyme, sage, rosemary and season with salt and black pepper to taste. 

3. Increase heat to medium-high, add chicken and bring mixture to a boil. Cover pot with lid and allow mixture to boil 12 - 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (rotating chicken to opposite side once during cooking for thicker chicken breasts - if they don't fully immerse in broth). You are basically poaching the chicken here in the flavored broth. 

4. Remove chicken and set aside on cutting board to cool 5 minutes then shred into small bite size pieces. 

5. Meanwhile reduce heat to low.

6. In a separate medium saucepan melt remaining 6 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook 1 1/2 minutes, whisking constantly. Then, while whisking vigorously, slowly pour milk into butter/flour mixture. Cook mixture, stirring constantly until it thickens.

7. Add the chicken and the rice back to the soup pot and stir. 

8. Add in your roux that you made with the butter, milk and flour and stir over low heat constantly. Your soup will instantly start to look like a cream soup. Continue stirring to ensure you don't have clumps of roux left. 

9. Make sure to taste for seasonings. I added a little more salt and pepper! Serve hot with crackers! 

Enjoy

Julianne