Wild Rice Soup

Still sitting on a load of turkey and turkey stock, I used more to make (another) favorite soup: Wild Rice.  Living in Minnesota for about 6 years, I learned to love this soup....a staple in almost every restaurant.

I've made many versions, but this one is a bit different.....it's more of a broth soup vs. a cream soup.  Although it does have a flour/stock slurry, it really doesn't thicken it up.  So if you like a lighter version, this may be for you (versus Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, see 11-23-13 post).

A few notes: this recipe calls for 8 cups of stock.  Personally, I would have started with 6 and added more if I needed more broth.  Also, I had just sauteed a couple pounds of mushrooms and saved the stems and made a bunch of broth.  So I used 6 cups of turkey stock and 2 cups of mushroom stock.  Also, this recipe calls for a Wild Rice BLEND.  I think I've found the Lundberg brand in just about every state I've lived in.

CHICKEN and WILD RICE SOUP (6-8 servings)

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 small onion or 1 large shallot, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 small carrots, chopped
S&P to taste
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
8 cups chicken/turkey stock
2 chicken breasts, cut in halved (or cooked shredded or cubed cooked turkey/chicken, amount to your liking)
3/4 cup wild brown rice blend
1 cup milk
1/4 cup milk

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, and carrots, season with S&P (or do this at the end), then saute until tender, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic and thyme then saute for 1 more minute.

Add chicken/turkey broth then increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Add chicken breast halves and cook until no longer in the center, about 10 minutes, then remove to a plate and set aside (if using uncooked chicken/turkey).  Shred when cool enough to handle.  Add wild brown rice blend to the pot then place a lid on top, turn heat down to medium-low and simmer 40-50 minutes or until rice is tender.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup milk with flour until smooth then add remaining milk.  Slowly drizzle into soup while stirring.  Add cooked chicken/turkey then simmer soup for 10 minutes uncovered and serve.

Recipe Source:  www.iowagirleats.com