Creamy Chicken and Wild rice Soup - Weekend Recipe

In my former life as a museum director, I worked at a Native American Museum.  Each year we would have a brunch  in the winter time (in the summer we had a Pow-Wow!)

One of the highlights of the event was corn soup and wild rice soup.  Now since most people cannot get true Indian corn to make the corn soup, I thought I would share the wild rice recipe instead.  I love to get my wild rice from the Ojibwa in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Here is a great website for native food goods: nativeharvest.com.

Right now is Wild Rice or Mahnomin season so the best rice is to be had in the fall.  And this recipe is so very tasty on a chilly fall day.  The prep is best and easiest if you used already cooked chicken meat (dark is good too!) and precooked wild rice.  Making the rice per package direction until the skin splits and the rice curls makes it perfect.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2 tsp olive oil
2  cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
2 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 tsp. dried  thyme
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
1 cup whipping cream, heavy cream, half and half, or fat free half and half
2  tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

In a saucepan at moderate heat, pour in olive oil and heat. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté until onion is clear and vegetables soft. Pour in chicken broth and add the wild rice, thyme leaves, black and cayenne pepper, and chicken. Heat the soup for 10 minutes. Add the whipping cream. Stir in parsley and it's ready.