Minnesota Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients

• 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
• 7 cups chicken stock
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Put the wild rice in a saucepan with 3 cups of the stock, cover and simmer until the grains split open and turn tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot and cook the onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes, then slowly whisk in the remaining 4 cups of stock.
4. Add the whole chicken thighs, thyme and bay leaves and simmer until the chicken reaches 165°F, about 20 minutes.
5. Lift out the chicken, shred it and return it to the pot with the wild rice and any liquid left in its pan. Remove the bay leaves.
6. Stir in the cream, heat through without boiling and season with salt and pepper.

Notes