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Chicken Wild Rice Soup. Who doesn't like a hearty bowl of that? That could make even a good girl, go wild. I have been trying to work out the perfect recipe for this bad boy, for some time now. It's never been 'just right'. Something was missing. Until now. Oh yeah, when you wake in the morning and want the leftovers for breakfast, you know you did good.
This starts with the stock. It's the base for the deliciousness. If you start out with something that is sub par, how can you expect the finish to be grand? What I am getting at is, make your own stock. If you can't muster up the time to make the stock, then buy it, but know it's against my better judgement.
I buy my chicken at St. Joe Meat Market. Amish raised, $1.99 a pound, nothin' but good chicken. After all, if they're not using electricity, they definitely are not using antibiotics. I am a fan.
At the meat market, they will cut and package them anyway you like. Very cool. I always have them separate the wings and backs for making stock, hence this recipe calling for wings and backs, but you can use any cut of chicken. The only requirement is bone in, skin on. All the flavor is hiding in there. After my stock is made, I do use a catamount glass gravy separator to remove the fat that comes to the top. It also has a mesh screen at the top to catch all the stray onions and herbs that have given up their goodness into the stock. All you will have left is beautiful, clear, homemade chicken stock. You will be proud of yourself, and be sure to call your mom, she will be proud too.
For the stock:
2 chicken breasts (bone in, skin on)
2 pkgs of wings and backs
12 cups water
2-3 tbsp kosher salt
Pepper
1/2 onion
3 sprigs thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
First make your stock. Add chicken, water, kosher salt, pepper, onion, thyme, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is pulling away from the bone. Remove chicken and pick meat from the bones and reserve stock.
The following are the directions for the soup. Not many secrets in here, but always a few. I must share. One, use the leaves of your celery. I know most of us feed those to the garbage disposal, but please don't. They impart wonderful flavor and seem to just melt away into the soup. Two, when I say 'brown rice blend', you can use any kind that works for you, even just straight up brown rice. I will tell you what I use. Trader Joe's carries a wonderful option, called Brown Rice Medley. It consists of long grain brown rice, black barley and daikon radish seeds. I know, weird. Daikon radish seeds? Delicious. Trust me.
For the soup:
12 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour (divided)
1 pkg. (8 ounce) fresh mushrooms
1/2 onion
4 carrots
4 ribs celery (with leaves)
1 1/2 cups wild rice
1/2 cup brown rice blend
Approx. 4 cups shredded chicken
Fresh cracked pepper
2 cups half and half
In the Orange Pot, add 1/2 cup butter and melt. Add chopped mushrooms, onion, carrots and celery. Sauté until tender.
In a separate kettle, add approx. 4 cups of your reserved stock and your rice. Simmer until almost done, adding liquid if needed.
To the Orange Pot, add 1/2 cup flour and continue to stir, until flour has coated the vegetables. Ladle stock into veg/flour mixture until thickened. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour to remaining 2 cups stock and mix in, stirring constantly. Add rice/stock mixture, rice can continue to cook in the soup, add chicken. Finish with whole milk, half and half or cream.
That's it. Wild on flavor, but mellow to make. It will keep you out of trouble, not like the time I streaked down the hall at school. Remember that? Me neither.
