This is my go-to comfort food in the winter. The whole family loves it. It’s a delicious soup to make for new parents or to keep in the freezer for an easy weeknight dinner. The original recipe came from a Minnesotan church cookbook. How adorable is that? I’ve made a few adjustments. I prefer it with chicken, but you could easily substitute ham like the original recipe. If you can’t find wild rice, there are wild rice blends that would likely work as well, but the cooking time will vary. 

INGREDIENTS

RICE:

1 cup uncooked wild rice
4 cups water
1 & 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided

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SOUP:

1 stick of butter (or 1/2 cup)*
1 large onion, chopped (about 3 cups)
4 carrots, sliced (about 3 cups)
4 ribs of celery, sliced (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup flour
8 cups chicken broth
3 cups chicken, cooked and chopped or shredded in big pieces
1 cup heavy cream*

salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Rinse wild rice in cold water & drain.

Place wild rice, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 4 cups of water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 50-60 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the grains have split open.

Drain, fluff with a fork. Set aside

While rice cooks, in a large pot, sauté the onion, carrots, celery, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in butter for about 15 minutes or until slightly softened.

Add flour, stirring and cooking until flour is blended and cooked, about 3-5 minutes.

Add chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until all the flour-butter-vegetable mix is well-blended and there are no lumps of flour. Add chicken. Simmer until the vegetables are fully softened, about 20 minutes.

Add wild rice, and salt & pepper to taste. Heat thoroughly.

Add cream and reheat gently, but do not boil.

Serves 8-10, serve with fresh bread and/or salad. It freezes well.

*For a lighter version, cut the butter to 1/3 cup and switch cream to half & half or milk.