Sunday, November 22, 2009

Angie's Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Angie is a high school friend of the hubby's, and she makes wonderful chocolate chip cookies. And pizza. And wontons. And nachos. And everything else that she's ever cooked for us. She sent this recipe to me a few weeks ago, and if Angie likes it, it's gotta be good. And pretty quick. Angie's a busy woman.

Wild rice is very popular in this area, because it's the state grain of Minnesota, which is right across the river. Wild rice is actually a water-grass seed rather than rice, and the grass from which it is harvested grows abundantly in the Minnesota lakes country. It's quite hardy and flavorful, making it a good addition to soups. It's my favorite of all the grass seeds.

I love chicken and wild rice soup -- with cream, without, with bacon, without, with mushrooms, without, high-fat, low-fat, etc. But always with crackers.

This recipe makes a pretty big batch, and I'm heading off to deliver a container to the hubby's older sister. She's been a godsend these past several weeks. She brought us food when the little man was born, has already babysat for us, and periodically checks up on me to make sure I'm still mostly sane (relatively speaking). And this week, she's helping the hubby's younger sister, who has a new baby and is moving into a new house. And THEN she and my mother-in-law volunteered to bring most of the Thanksgiving feast to our house on Thursday. So yeah, she deserves a lot more than a container of soup. But we'll start small.

And then I'm delivering a container to my little brother. He just likes soup.

I made just a few tweaks to the original recipe -- I halved the amount of oil, and tossed in a bay leaf and some sherry. I also used a long grain and wild rice combo. Wild rice is harvested by hand, making it quite spendy. It's easier to find it mixed with long grain rice. And even though I could probably walk to Minnesota and harvest some myself, I couldn't seem to find JUST wild rice at the local supermarket. I hope I'm not doing a disservice to Angie's recipe.

Angie's Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Serves 8

3 c. cooked wild rice or long grain and wild rice combination (1 c. uncooked)
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 rib celery, diced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped

Salt and pepper
1 dried bay leaf
1/4 c. canola oil or olive oil
1 c. flour
8 c. chicken broth

Additional salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. dry sherry (optional)
1 c. fat-free half and half

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat oil to medium-high. Add onion, carrot, celery, and chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add bay leaf. Sauté about 3-5 minutes, or until the veggies are softened.

2. Sprinkle in flour, a little bit at a time, stirring and cooking until flour is blended in. (Don't let it brown.)

It'll start to look very paste-like, but this is OK. This is forming the roux to thicken up the soup, and your veggies and chicken will again return to their usual forms.

3. Slowly add chicken broth, stirring until the broth and roux are blended.

4. Add the wild rice, and adjust your seasonings. Heat thoroughly.

5. Add the sherry and the half and half. Reheat gently, but do not boil. Remove bay leaf before serving.

9 comments:

Natasha in Oz said...

This looks like real comfort food! Yum! I bet that the sherry really makes a delicious difference. I hope that you and your family have a very special Thanksgiving together.
Best wishes, Natasha.

Cathy said...

Damn that looks delicious! I could eat soup every day.

Palidor said...

That looks delicious. And how nice of you to share! I wish I could have been a recipient. ;-) I love wild rice, but have never tried to make it at home. One of these days I'll give it a go.

Unknown said...

It was delicious! (from your li'l brudder)

Palidor said...

Hi Angel, thanks for your comments on my blog. You asked about a substitute for tamarind paste - you can use ketchup. You'll get a nice tang like the tamarind would add and also some sweetness.

Heather S-G said...

Sounds so belly-filling, YUM!! Hope your first Thanksgiving with baby was wonderful :)

chow and chatter said...

this soup looks great and interesting I didn't know it was grown in the US, love your blog, and congrats on the new baby, my daughter is 15 months now enjoy every second Rebecca

Kristen said...

wild rice, mmm something that we don't eat enough of. I think it is time to change that. This soup looks like the perfect thing for a wintery day. great gift idea.

Mr. Lau said...

Just made this tonight, it was really good and easy to make. I will definitely be making this again.