Soup...Yum, Yum Good - Creamy Chicken

Soup is something that I have always loved. Sometimes I think John gets sick of soup because we typically eat a lot of it, especially during the winter (isn't it usually the other way around though? You get sick so you eat soup). I have noticed though that he has taken a liking to some of the heartier soups I make, such as creamy chicken with white and wild rice, creamy chicken noodle, beer cheese and potato, and chicken and dumplings (which may not technically qualify as soup, but whatev). He has to have something with a little bit of substance and those usually do the trick.

Since it finally snowed, I thought it would be a good time to make a huge pot of soup. I didn't really need it to snow, but that seemed like a great preface to this post :) I opted for creamy chicken with white and wild rice. I rushed home from work, ran to the store and started my soup. Let’s be honest, the longer you let soup cook the better it is, so it can be tricky making a really good pot of soup on a weeknight. One of the advantages John and I have is no kids, which means we can eat as late as we want. I am not saying soup is difficult to make, it can just be a little bit time consuming letting it simmer and develop good flavor. You can do some tricks to speed up this process, such as using chicken, beef, or veggie broth versus making your own.

I come from a long line of soup makers. OK, that may have been an exaggeration. My mom is great at making soup and my grandpa was awesome at it too. He had a little café and made homemade soup each day. I think my favorites growing up were chicken noodle (homemade noodles of course - yes, I have talked about this before), tomato macaroni (which is about the easiest thing ever to make), and split pea (with nice big chunks of ham or ham hocks). I am pretty sure my entire family including my Martin cousins share the same love of chicken noodle soup as well.

When I make soup, I always make enough to freeze, so I can eat the leftovers later. Just be warned, this recipe makes a lot of soup!

Creamy Chicken Soup with White and Wild Rice

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken diced or shredded into about one inch pieces (you can use boneless skinless breasts, tenders, or thighs or you can buy a precooked rotisserie chicken or two, take the skin off and shred - that part is completely up to you).
• 4 stalks celery diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 4-5 medium carrots diced (or you can by the precut carrots in the bag - just use a couple of handfuls)
• 2 boxes of chicken stock (I think that is about 8 cups)
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 cup wild rice
• 1 cup medium grain white rice - cooked
• 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1-2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Place one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot. Brown chicken. Add in onion, celery, and carrots and let cook for a few minutes. Add in chicken stock, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil then turn to low and simmer for at least two hours. Add in your wild rice the last hour of cooking. With heat on low, stir in the cream. Bring back up to a simmer (not a boil, a simmer) and add white rice. Let cook for 15 more minutes. Mix cornstarch with cold water until smooth. Gradually stir into soup mixture until thickened (not too thick though). Let simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve in a bread bowl or with your favorite bread OR nothing at all...cause it is just stinking good! 

You can actually cook your white rice in the soup, but I find that when you do it just sticks to the bottom and doesn't cook. So, that is why I pre-cook, then add it in.

I am actually excited to take this soup out of the freezer and reheat it!