creamy chicken and wild rice soup

This is one of my favorite soups...so excited to share it with you!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon butter
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cooked, shredded boneless chicken breasts
1 (6 ounce box) Uncle Ben's long grain wild rice (the one that says "with 23 seasonings"...or something like that)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups milk

1. In a large pot, saute onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

2. Add broth, water, and chicken. Bring just to a boil, stir in rice (reserve seasoning packet for later). Cover and remove from heat.

3. In small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and flour. In medium saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Stir in seasoning packet, then stir in flour mixture (a little at a time). Whisk in milk (a little at a time), until smooth. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

4. Stir cream mixture into broth/rice pot. Cook over medium heat until heated through, about 10-15 minutes.  Stir periodically.

Here are some cooking tips to make this soup easier:
-Cook and shred chicken ahead of time.
-Cut all of the veggies up the day before.
-I use chicken bouillon to make my chicken broth.
-Let the soup sit for an hour or so after you cook it to let it thicken up. I either cook it in the morning and eat it that night. Or cook it one day and eat it the next.

This is so worth the prep time that it takes to make it. Josh thinks it's better than Panera. Thanks for the compliment, honey! I've even made bread bowls a couple of times with it. It is great with homemade rolls and salad.

Yum.