Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I'm having a long term relationship with a rabbit.

Mind you, I love rabbits, and would love to be involved with a fluffy, furry creature for the long haul, but this one is not furry. Or fluffy for that matter.  It's manly.  Yes, I said manly.  How so?  Well it's my better half, Mr MGG himself that is the rabbit.  Or more accurately, he EATS like a rabbit!

I've never met a man you enjoys soup and salad way more than beef and potatoes, or chicken, or pork!  Almost every time (almost) we go out to eat for dinner, I order something hot and hearty, like steak, chicken, tacos, or a wonderful pasta dish and what does he order? Salad, and possibly soup.   I think the stereotypical roles of men and woman's eating habits are reversed here!  What is going on???  

I'm used to it now (almost...ummm, not) but I always feel funny ordering this hearty meal and he gets the light, healthy salad.  But I'm not giving up my treat to have a steak.  So what to do?

Join them I guess!  So since he is such a soup fanatic, I myself was craving a hot hearty chicken soup.  During the chilly evenings I love to have soup and crusty bread for dinner. Reminds me of my mom making her Vegetable Beef Soup. Yum!  The best memories.  So I decided to make us a pot of soup last night, substituting the noodles for wild rice.  I just love rice in soup, don't you?

Kitchen Note:  I used Uncle Ben's wild rice mix which is parboiled and cooks in 20-25 minutes.  Using a regular long grain wild rice mix will require you to adjust the cooking time to about 45-50 minutes.

Nothing beats the flavor of chicken soup, and if you are under the weather a little, this soup will fix you right up.

Simple, quick, and tasty.  That's what this dish is all about. You can have this done in under 1 hour (about 45 minutes) By dicing the vegetables into a smaller dice they will cook quicker.

It's MGG approved, so that means your family will love it as well.  He at 2 big bowls and complimented it all the way. Then he leaned over and kissed my cheek and did the dishes... I guess living with a rabbit isn't so bad!

Enjoy a hot bowl of chicken and wild rice soup tonight.  



Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

serves 4-5

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/2 large onion, diced
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
salt & pepper
10 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon of dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 cup wild and long grain rice mix (such as Uncle Ben's parboiled wild rice mix)

In a medium pot add water (enough to cover the chicken breasts) and bring it to a boil.  Add the chicken breasts and poach for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile to a medium stock pot, add oil and heat over medium heat.  Add onions and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add carrots and celery and cook about 8 minutes until softened.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  

Add the chicken broth, parsley, garlic powder, and thyme and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes.  
Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and allow to cool slightly and cut the chicken into chunks or shred if you prefer.  Add the chicken to the stockpot.  Add the rice and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Serve.