Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Wild Rice Soup 🍲🍄🐓✨

Ingredients (Serves 6)

• 2 tbsp olive oil or butter

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)

• Salt & black pepper, to taste

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 2 carrots, diced

• 2 celery stalks, diced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 8 oz cremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced

• 1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tbsp fresh)

• 1 tsp dried rosemary

• ½ tsp paprika

• 6 cups chicken broth

• 1 cup wild rice blend (uncooked)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half)

• 2 tbsp flour + 2 tbsp butter (for roux, optional for thickening)

• Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Cook the chicken:

   • Season chicken with salt & pepper.

   • In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil/butter over medium-high.

   • Sear chicken 4–5 minutes per side until golden. Remove, set aside.

2. Sauté vegetables:

   • In the same pot, add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 3–4 minutes until softened.

   • Add garlic and mushrooms, cook until mushrooms release liquid and start to brown.

3. Build the soup base:

   • Stir in thyme, rosemary, and paprika.

   • Pour in chicken broth, add rice and bay leaf.

   • Return chicken to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 35–40 minutes until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through.

4. Shred chicken:

   • Remove chicken, shred into bite-sized pieces, and return to the soup.

5. Make it creamy:

   • For a thicker soup: melt 2 tbsp butter in a small pan, whisk in 2 tbsp flour to make a roux, cook 1 minute, then stir into soup.

   • Stir in heavy cream and let soup simmer gently for 5 more minutes.

6. Finish & serve:

   • Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper.

   • Garnish with fresh parsley.

   • Serve hot with crusty bread.