Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Monday I went from soap making to soup making. I had talked to my very sick sister (enough already- get better!) and she said they had made OBB's chicken and wild rice soup and it was delicious.  I was planning to make soup that day anyway so I switched from chicken and dumplings to this soup.

Bud said it was "really very good." That's a huge compliment as he doesn't often comment on what he's eating.  

This recipe is in Our Best Bites new cookbook, Savoring the Seasons. You've already got your copy, right? Turn to page 146 and get cooking! For those of you living under a rock and don't have a copy, I'll write it down for you.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
5 T butter, divided
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic (I used about 1 1/2 tsp of pre-minced)
1 cup chopped carrots (that's 2 carrots)
2 cups roughly chopped baby bella mushrooms
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (see note below)
1 (12-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts (I left this out, not a big fan)
8 cups chicken broth (or 8 cups water and 2 T plus 2 tsp chicken base)
1 cup wild rice
2 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
Melt 1 T butter in a large stockpot over medium heat, then add the onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, celery and poultry seasoning. Sauté until the onion is tender (about five minutes). Add artichoke hearts and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about an hour. When the rice is tender, remove from the heat and add the pepper. Taste it to see if it needs the 1/2 tsp salt and add if desired.
When the soup has about 10 minutes left to cook, melt the remaining 4 T butter in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and make a roux. Slowly add in the milk, about 1/2 cup at a time to prevent lumps (you have to whisk quickly and keep whisking until all the milk is added). Add this to the soup and stir until combined. Simmer a few more minutes until it is slightly thickened.
Note: I didn't have any poultry seasoning! I was shocked. Good thing Google is my friend.
Homemade Poultry Seasoning from Food.com
2 tsp ground sage
1 1/2 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground marjoram
3/4 tsp ground rosemary
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper
Mix all the ingredients together and store leftovers in a Ziplock baggie.

Sometimes I am a dork. I bought two boxes of Rice-a-Roni long grain and wild rice mix. I knew I didn't want to use the seasoning, so I didn't open the little package that came in the box. Then I wondered where all the wild rice was, because there was only white rice in the package. I thought that if I only wanted white rice I wouldn't have bought the two boxes of Rice-a-Roni! After dinner, I realized the wild rice and seasonings were both in the little package, not just the seasonings alone. See? I'm a dork.