Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I know it is spring and soup whether is no longer upon us, but crack a window and let the cool night air in and give this one a try. One of my favorite soups in the whole world is Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. I've been on a quest to find the best recipe to make it at home. This is it! It is perfectly creamy and full of flavor. It reheats well and actually is quite thick and less soup like when you eat it the next day. This soup will send you into soup nirvana. Your head will be spinning with sweet carrots, tender rice and moist chicken all perfectly mingled a bowl of soul warming goodness.

The recipe uses fat free half-and-half, but don't be fooled by the non-fat dairy. This is still wonderful and creamy. The fat free half-and-half has a sweetness to it. If you don't want the sweetness, you could use full fat half-and-half mixed with some milk to thin it down a little.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

½ cup butter
1 finely chopped onion
½ – 1 cup frozen corn (or ½ cup chopped celery, if preferred)
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ cup carrots, sliced
¾ cup all-purpose flour
6 ½ cups chicken broth (can use 7 bouillon cubes plus 6 ½ cups water)
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cups nonfat half-and-half

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, corn, chicken and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté 3-4 more minutes. Then add flour and stir well. Transfer mixture to large pot. Over medium heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly until all has been added. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer.

Next, add the rice, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper and almonds. Allow to heat through and then pour in the half-and-half. Let simmer 1 to 1 ½ hours. Be careful not to let the soup come to a boil or it won’t thicken properly – let it simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally.