Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Got any leftover chicken in the fridge? How about leftover turkey? If you’ve just finished a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, chances are there is some turkey hanging around in the fridge. And once you’ve made some sandwiches, turn the rest into this delicious and hearty soup. Of course, if you managed to finish off the turkey, you can cook some more to make the soup from scratch, just let it cool before shredding it with two forks.

I’ve heard feedback on my recipes from many people – those who say they use my insturctions as vague guidelines to make a dish, and those who say they follow them to a T and want everything to be specficic – including amounts of salt and pepper. I try to be as exact as possible, but I can’t give salt and pepper amounts here, or in many places, since it depends alot on the other ingredients. Here, depending on if you use homemade stock or canned stock or the brand of stock, the salt level will vary drastically.

If you have leftover soup, add a cup or more water to it before reheating the next day, as the rice is likely to absorb liquid overnight.

Recipe: serves 4-6

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 medium onion
1/2 cup shredded carrots
8 ounces mushrooms, diced
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2-3 cups water
1 pound boneless skinless chicken or turkey, cooked and shredded
1 cup uncooked wild rice
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Peel and dice the onion and add to the pot. Cook, stirring regularly, 15-20 minutes, until the onions are golden brown. Add the carrots and continue to cook, stirring about 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and let cook 10 minutes.

Stir in the flour, then pour the stock and water in, mixing to incorporate all of the flour. Add in the chicken and rice, bring to a boil and then return to a low simmer. Cook for 45 minutes, until the rice is completely cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste.