If there's one good thing about winter, it's comfort food. Soup tops my winter comfort food list. The infinite variety means I can make soup every week without hubby saying I'm repeating myself.
But underneath that "infinite variety" there are a few basic recipes. This is a variation of a basic chicken soup made extra-delicious with wild rice and plenty of spices and seasoning.
Like many soups, this one starts with a "mirepoix", a combination of chopped onions, carrots and celery sautéed in four tablespoons of butter.
Then add a clove of minced garlic and sauté for another minute, being careful not to burn the vegetables.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over the vegetables and stir it all together.
Then add the chicken stock and the seasonings (thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste), and stir to combine.
It really was the bright yellow in this photo until I stirred in the spices and herbs, then it mellowed to a nice brown color.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, and add the chicken, rice, and wine. The wine of course is optional, it will still taste good without wine.
Simmer the soup for about half an hour, or a little longer if you like the rice more tender. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with crackers or a nice crusty bread.
This is a really tasty soup, and the wild rice makes it very filling. I hope you'll enjoy it too.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
1/4 cup butter (4 Tbsp)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
5 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp each of thyme, marjoram, sage and rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups wild rice, cooked
1 lb chicken, cooked and cubed
3 Tbsp white wine (optional)
1 cup half-and-half or cream (or milk, if that's all you have in the refrigerator)
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the onion, carrots and celery and saute over medium heat for about five minutes.
Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook carefully for another minute, being careful not to let it burn.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and butter and whisk together. Cook this for a few minutes to avoid a “raw flour” taste.
Whisk in the half-and-half, then whisk in the chicken broth. Add the thyme, marjoram, sage and rosemary; add salt and pepper to taste.
Reduce heat. Add chicken, cooked rice, and wine. Let simmer for 30 minutes (or longer if you want the rice to be more tender). Serve.
Wow! This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing! It looks like just the thing I need as we add solid foods back into my daughters diet!
ReplyDeleteSarah, I hope you and your family enjoy this. Soup is so wonderfully versatile - you can vary the ingredients according to what you have on hand, you can cut the vegetables smaller if needed and you can cook the soup longer so the vegetables are super tender if needed. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteYour soup looks tasty! What a fun series on doing a month of soups! Thanks for sharing at the Art of Home-Making Mondays Kathi :)
ReplyDeleteI will be making this this weekend. Thank you so much for the recipe. My husband is going to love this.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I hope your family enjoys it, it's very good!
ReplyDeleteThis looks so yummy, thanks for sharing at Good Morning mondays. Blessings
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy! Perfect for this cold winter day. Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteThis soup looks so delicious and sustaining - there's nothing like a good soup when the weather is so cold. I'd be happy to have you share this post with us on our Awesome Life Friday Link Up! http://rchreviews.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lynda. It's quite thick and very filling. I'll hop on over to your link up.
ReplyDeleteOh, that looks so yummy. Especially on a cold day like today.
ReplyDeleteSusan
Sounds great - and this is a perfect day for it!!
ReplyDeleteSusan and Shel - yes, this is the perfect kind of day for a good hot soup! Brrr it's cold out there.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for coming to the first ever (mis)Adventures Mondays Blog Hop. You are our first ever feature!!! We picked up a few extra ingredients and will be making this for dinner this week. Thank you and I can not wait to have a bowl!
ReplyDeleteWow! Thank you, Mindie, I'm excited to be your first-ever feature! Enjoy your bowl of soup!
ReplyDeleteI will try this with olive oil in place of butter and fat fee half and half, some dietary constrctions. Looks delicious
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it will be delicious even with the changes, Iris. It might not be as thick since using olive oil instead of butter won't be a traditional roux, but it will still be tasty.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it will be delicious even with the changes, Iris. It might not be as thick since using olive oil instead of butter won't be a traditional roux, but it will still be tasty.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this recipe! Thank you for sharing at Tuesdays with a Twist. You've been featured today at Back to the Basics!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of soup month! This one looks so creamy and warming - yum! Thanks so much for linking up to Awesome Life Friday - I hope you'll come back again this week! http://rchreviews.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lynda!
ReplyDeleteoooh!!!! Now this is right up my alley!!! I am putting this one on my menu planner!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing on our Soup Swap Recipe blog party for celebrate 365
oooh, I love soups. Thanks for sharing your recipes with us on the Homestead Blog Hop :-)
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