Chicken and Wild Rice Soup – Great Winter Warmer
Everyone needs a soup or two on hand that doesn’t come in a blue or red and white can off of a supermarket shelf. Having some soup to reheat at any time on hand is great for moms, dads, and kids and is even better because you can assemble the ingredients as healthy as you want from the very beginning! This simple recipe is great for anytime of the year as it tastes “light” enough to handle the spring and summer and yet “comforting” enough to handle the brisk falls and winters in the NW in particular.
This is a great recipe that fits that Sunday afternoon when you are cooking for the week. Needing only 1 1/2 cups of shredded chicken, it is a perfect way to take some of that shredded chicken from your homemade stock.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 32 ounces chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
- 2 cups of water
- 3/4 cup wild rise, rinsed
- 1/2 cup green onion
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp of cracked pepper
- 2 cups half and half (or regular milk ok for low fat option)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
- 8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, and chopped coarsely
- 2 splashes dry sherry, if desired (I desire...you should too)
Instructions
- In your big soup pot, combine broth/stock and water, add wild rice and onions, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat; cover and simmer 35-40 minutes or until rice is tender.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in half-and-half; cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Slowly add half-and-half mixture into rice mixture, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients. Heat gently, stirring frequently. Do not boil. Garnish as desired (I like fresh thyme or Italian Parsley).
- (When I make this I am always generous in the measuring of the rice, bacon and chicken!)
Whatever brand that doesnt cause the cat to preltcoije vomit or have diarrhea..! I currently use IAMs Multi Cat formula because I have 4 cats- two young adults (3yrs olds) and two seniors (8yr olds) I’ve experimented with several different kinds of foods- cheap to expensive I’ve been told by my vet that it doesn’t really matter what kind of food- once you find one that works, stick to it Changing diets leads to the irritable bowel issues and finicky eating habits My vet also mentioned that IAMs is one of the highest calorie cat foods on the market- so I moniter their food intake carefully and make sure they get plenty of exercise to work off the extra pudginess.Also- I’ve read that white chicken is good for them, or adding a touch of chicken broth to their foods And occassionally they can eat soft grain white rice (not brown- it’s too hard for them to digest)- the white rice helps them maintain regularity. I’ve never done the rice thing myself, but they do get the occasional chicken as a treat.