Chicken Wild Rice Soup

 

3 – 3 ½ cups shredded or diced chicken (approx. 1 lb chicken meat or 1 store bought rotisserie chicken)
3 cups cooked wild rice (2:1 water to rice ratio in rice cooker)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium carrots, peeled as desired & diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms (baby bella), trimmed & sliced
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 teaspoons dried poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons chicken base


4 cups chicken broth or stock, divided

1/2 cup flour

3 T butter
3 cups half & half
½ lemon, juiced
kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season


INSTRUCTIONS
Soften the veggies: Add the butter to a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (at least 5-qt capacity) over medium heat. Once melted, add in the carrot, celery, onion, & mushroom. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies have softened slightly, 6-8 minutes. If you haven’t already, this is a great time to shred or dice the cooked chicken.

Cook the aromatics: Add the garlic, dried poultry seasoning, & chicken base to the pot, stirring to coat the softened veggies. Cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Build the chicken & wild rice soup: Make a roux by whisking flour in melted butter until cooked. Pour the chicken stock & roux into the pot. Cook, stirring often, until the stock thickens, 2-3 minutes. Stir the shredded/diced chicken and wild rice into the soup. Increase heat to medium-high to bring the soup to a steady simmer, then cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to bring the flavors together.

Finish the soup: Stir the half & half into the soup, cooking for about 5 minutes more to ensure it’s warmed through without boiling it. Turn off the heat & stir in the lemon juice. Taste & season with additional salt & ground pepper as needed.