Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Method

1. Start cooking the rice in a big pot with the chicken broth. Keep the seasoning packet aside — don't throw it out.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the carrots, celery (and onions, if using), and sauté about 5 minutes.

   5 min

3. Add the reserved seasoning packet and cook about 5 more minutes, or until the vegetables soften.

   5 min

4. In a separate container, mix the flour and pepper.

5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the vegetables, stirring to make a roux (it'll be like a thick buttery paste), and cook a few more minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.

6. Whisk in the cream a little at a time and stir until smooth and thickened. If it's really milky, up the heat a little and keep stirring until it thickens.

7. Add to the rice and cook covered about 15-20 minutes over low-medium heat, keeping it no higher than a low simmer so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot, until the rice is all the way done.

   20 min