Warm up with Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

It’s raining in Seattle. Okay, it’s November, so I probably don’t need to point out the infamous rain. But, it’s the rain that inspired dinner tonight; so, it deserves the props. There’s a dampness in the Seattle air that permeates your sweater and the sweater over your sweater and after that your pashmina. It reclines under your skin and chills your body like an internal A/C system. It’s quite difficult to shake off, which is why so many people run to the nearest coffee shop, which isn’t much of a run, since you are cornered by the aroma of caramel lattes at every turn in downtown Seattle. But, since I’m a one-cappuccino-a-day girl, I need another form of heat. And, that heat is Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. I hail from wild rice country, so you know this has to be halfway decent. My daughter says it’s “num num!”

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup finely diced yellow onion

1 cup diced carrots

1/4 cup all purpose flour

6 cups chicken broth

1 ½ cups cooked wild rice

½ roasted diced chicken (1 ½ cups)

1 cup heavy cream

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

A handful of popcorn for garnish

Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for five minutes until translucent. Add the carrots and sauté, stirring occasionally, for five minutes until softened.

Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for two minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the rice, chicken, cream, salt, pepper, parsley and cook for ten minutes, until warmed through. Taste for seasoning adjustment. Garnish with popcorn.

Tip: Soft Parmesan Pretzels as an accompaniment to this soup is a big hit with my daughter. I buy frozen soft pretzels and sprinkle them with grated Parmesan before baking.