The main character in my novel, The Essence of Shade, offers this soup on the menu at Shady Lane’s Bakery & Cafe. It’s a meal in itself–hearty and packed with chicken and vegetables. It’s not an easy recipe, but so worth the effort! And what’s better than a bowl of hearty chicken soup on a blustery cold day? Seriously!
In my novel, The Essence of Shade, this soup is included on the menu at Shady Lane's Bakery & Cafe. It's a meal in itself--hearty and packed with chicken and vegetables. It's not a simple recipe, but so worth the effort! And what's better than a bowl of hearty chicken soup on a blustery cold day? Seriously!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces package wild rice
- 1 3 pound chicken, cut up
- 7 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 ounces sliced mushrooms, any kind I prefer porcini
- 2 TBSP. olive oil
- 1 cup sliced carrots, about 1/4 inch
- 1 cup sliced celery about 1/4 inch
- 2 TBSP. instant chicken bouillon granules
- 3/4 tsp. white pepper
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup flour
- 4 cups milk I use skim to cut down on fat
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
Instructions
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Cook wild rice according to package directions and set aside.
In a large pot, combine cut up chicken, 7 cups of water, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the chicken to a colander to cool.
Pour the chicken broth into a container and set aside.
In the large pot, add the olive oil and turn the heat to medium. Add the mushrooms and cook for 4-5 minutes. Then add the celery and carrots. Cover and cook on medium low for 10 minutes.
Return the broth to the vegetable mix and add the rice. Stir in the bouillon granules, white pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
While the broth is cooking, pull the meat from the chicken, making sure there are no bones and all the skin is removed. Set chicken meat aside.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 5 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Stir until thickened and starting to bubble.
Stir the milk mixture into the broth mixture. Add the deboned chicken and stir. Add the wine and heat through.
HEAVEN!!
Recipe Notes
This recipe was handed down to me from a family friend and adapted for this site.
This is seriously the best soup…ever!