🙂  Behold, my favorite soup!  I have always loved cream of chicken with rice and especially when wild rice is added.  This recipe has been one of our soup favorites for years.  It always turns out great.  Be sure to add the chicken fond (crusty brown bits on the bottom of your saute pan to the soup).  I usually shred my carrot, but I forgot this time, and chopped it.  It was just fine.  I used red bell pepper instead of green.  Do your own thing with this recipe but follow the basic rules of the amounts of butter, flour, broths etc. I didn’t plan for this recipe and had just milk on hand, so I subbed that for the half-and-half.

For the wild rice, it can be difficult to find.  I found my Lundberg’s wild rice blend (with brown rice) at Whole Foods and later at Jewel.  It’s also available on Amazon.

Use the amount of chicken that works for you.  It doesn’t have to be 3-4 cups.

This recipe makes a lot – but that’s great because you won’t be able to get enough of it.  For single people, you may need to freeze some.

I used my Lodge 7.8 QT. Dutch oven for this recipe for maximum space – Available here on Amazon.  I’m sure the 6 QT. would have fit this recipe well, also.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 cups cooked, cubed chicken 

• ¼ cup unsalted butter (I used 3 T. unsalted butter)

• 4 stalks celery, sliced (about 2 cups)

• 2 medium carrots, coarsely shredded (2 cups)

• 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup), or powder

• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)

• Heaping 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp. salt

• ½ tsp. pepper (freshly ground, please!)

• 3 cups cooked wild rice (1 cup dry=3 cups finished rice)

• 2 cups water

• 3 cups chicken broth (I prefer this brand, if not homemade: Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base).

• 3 cups half-and-half (or milk).  

• 2/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted, optional but awesome

• ½ cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin by getting a head start on cooking your wild rice.  You will need the wild rice pretty soon in step #4.

2. In a large pot or large Dutch oven, melt unsalted butter over medium heat.

3. Cook celery, carrots, onion, and bell pepper in butter about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.

4. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper.  Keep it moving to cook the flour but not too long it burns.

5. Stir in cooked wild rice, water, and broth.

6. Heat to boiling, reduce heat.

7. Cover and simmer 15 mins, stirring occasionally.

8. Stir in half-and-half or milk, almonds, and parsley. Add cooked chicken.

9. Heat just until hot (do not boil or soup may curdle and you don’t want to over-cook chicken.)

10. Serve hot with fresh parsley snipped on top, with crackers, bread, etc.