Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Oh how I love this soup!  It is buttery, rich, full of wonderful flavor and utterly satisfying.  As most soups go this one comes together very simply yet tastes as though you slaved over a hot stove top all afternoon.  My favorite kinds of meals!  

I was out looking for a nice soup to bring to our church's Wednesday night Lenten Soup Supper.  It is a pot luck and I needed something a little bit different.  Not weird-unique different.  Just not a chili, different. That seems to always be the soup of choice for most pot-luckers.  And although I love a good bowl of chili, 6 different kinds gets a little old after a while.   This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup caught my eye, not only for the beauty of it, but also the ingredients were all those I had on hand.  I discovered this one while peeking around Tasty Kitchen, a reader recipe submission section of Pioneer Woman's website.  If you are not familiar with Tasty Kitchen be sure to hop on over there.  It is incredibly fun and you will find a recipe for pretty much everything.  And if it isn't there, well then submit it yourself!  All recipes are submitted by homecooks and bloggers just like myself (and you too!)  I have quite a few of my own posted as a matter of fact.

Brenda from A Farmgirl's Dabbles hit the nail on the head with this one and it will be a repeat in our household from here on out.  Thank you for sharing such a lovely recipe with all of us!!!  My husband said it reminded him a bit of the best parts of a chicken pot pie.  He loves chicken pot pie and sadly for him I don't make it often enough.  But I will be making this soup!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
recipe courtesy A Farmgirl's Dabbles

1 cup Uncooked Wild Rice (I Prefer The Whole Grain Style, Not The Cracked)
½ cups Unsalted Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
2 stalks Celery, Chopped
2 whole Carrots, Sliced Into 1/4" Thick Coins
8 ounces, weight Button Mushrooms, Sliced
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
½ cups All-purpose Flour
8 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
2 cups Half-and-half
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
½ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Black Pepper
1 whole Bay Leaf
1 teaspoon Finely Chopped Fresh Thyme (or 1/2 Teaspoon Dried)
¼ cups Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley (or 2 Teaspoon Dried)
4 cups Cooked And Coarsely Shredded Turkey Or Chicken (smoked Meat Is Especially Nice In This Soup)
2 teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice

First off, you’ll want to get your wild rice cooking, so it’s ready to add to the finished soup. Prepare according to the package instructions. (It takes a while; the instructions on my bag says to cook it for 55 minutes.)

The remainder of the recipe can be made in one stock pot. Start by melting the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic. Stir well and saute until the onion is transparent and softened. Blend in flour, cooking until it bubbles a bit. Gradually add the broth, stirring constantly.

Turn up the heat a bit and bring the soup to a low boil. Boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat slightly and add the cooked wild rice, half-and-half, soy sauce, salt, pepper, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and turkey or chicken. Simmer for 20 minutes or until thoroughly warmed. Stir in the fresh lemon juice and taste test to see if it needs more salt and pepper.

Serve with crackers or warm bread.

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