Chicken, Bacon, Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients for 6

• 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – cut into 1 ½’’ cubes
• Kosher Salt & Ground Black Pepper - to taste
• 8 ounces Bacon - cooked & crumbled
• 1 Cup Uncooked Wild Rice - rinsed (SEE NOTES)
• 4 cloves Garlic – peeled & minced
• 1 Parmesan Rind + ½ cup grated parmesan - plus more for garnish
• 1 small Yellow Onion – peeled & diced
• 2 large Carrots – peeled & diced
• 2 large Stalks Celery – diced
• 1 TBS Fresh Thyme Leaves - plus more for garnish
• ½ tsp EACH: Dried Sage & Dried Rosemary
• 5 -5 ½ Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Stock - to taste
• 1 Cup Dry White Wine OPTIONAL
• 4 ounces Cream Cheese – at room temperature & cut into small cubes
• 1 ½ Cups Half and Half (SEE NOTES)
• ¼ Cup Cornstarch Optional Garnishes: Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, Chopped Fresh Parsley Serving Suggestion: Crusty Artisan Bread, Fluffy Dinner Rolls, Breadsticks

Ingredients for 50

• 10lbs chicken breast
• 4 (10oz) bags frozen onions
• 4c pre-cut celery
• 4, 8oz cream cheese blocks
• 4 (10oz) julienned carrots
• one head of garlic minced
• 10 tsp dried thyme
• 5 tsp sage
• 5 tsp rosemary
• 5c dry white wine
• 8c whole milk
• 48c chicken broth
• 12c wild rice
• 4.5lb bacon
• 10oz fresh baby spinach

Instructions

1. Season Chicken Breasts: Place the chicken breasts on a clean work surface and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken to the bowl of a 6 quart slow cooker or crockpot.
2. Add Ingredients to Crock Pot: To the crockpot with the chicken, add half of the bacon, all the rice, garlic, parmesan rind, onions, carrots, celery, thyme, sage, rosemary, stock and wine (if using). Season everything with salt and pepper to taste. Then, stir everything to combine.
3. Cover and Slow Cook: Cover the crockpot and cook on HIGH for 2 ½ - 3 hours or LOW for 4 ½- 5 hours. (SEE NOTES) (Tip: The chicken and rice will continue to cook in next steps - do not cook the chicken and rice to completion!!)
4. . Add Cheeses: Remove the lid of the crockpot. Then, remove and discard parmesan rind (optional - you can leave it if you want). Add the cubes of cream cheese and the grated parmesan cheese to the slow cooker.
5. Add Slurry: In a large 2-4 cup glass measure, combine the half and half with the cornstarch. Use a whisk to stir until well combined. Pour the cornstarch mixture (slurry) into the slow cooker and then stir to combine.
6. Cover and Slow Cook: Cover the crockpot again and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the cream cheese is melted, the chicken is cooked, and rice is tender.
7. Add Bacon, Adjust to Taste: When the soup is done slow cooking, stir in the remaining crispy cooked bacon. Taste the soup and adjust for seasoning with salt, pepper or additional half and half if you like a thinner soup.
8. Garnish and Serve: Divide the chicken wild rice soup among bowls and garnish with fresh herbs and more grated parmesan cheese if using. Enjoy warm, immediately.

Notes

Wild Rice: This recipe calls for real or cultivated wild rice, not a wild rice blend! The texture of wild rice in this soup is so much better than a wild rice blend! Stock: If you want a thinner soup, you can use 5 1/2 cups of chicken stock. However, I recommend sticking with 5 cups of stock. You can always thin the soup out later with half-and-half or more stock if desired. Half-and-Half: While I used half-and-half to cut some calories and fat, you can absolutely use heavy cream if you prefer richer mouthfeel. Slow Cooking Times: The exact cooking time depends on the strength of your slow cooker or crock pot.

To make freezer-friendly creamy chicken and wild rice soup: Freeze the uncooked wild rice, veggies, spices and chicken together in a large, freezer-safe, zip-closure bag. When you are ready to make the soup all you have to do is pop the contents of the bag into the slow cooker with some chicken stock, a bit of white wine and cook according to the recipe directions!