Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I certainly have been enjoying making a lot of soups lately and my favourite has to be this creamy mushroom chicken and wild rice soup which is a combination of two amazing soups, cream of mushroom soup and chicken and wild rice soup! This soup has the best of both worlds with chicken, wild rice and plenty of veggies from the one soup to the mushrooms and creamy broth from the other soup and the combination is just magical! I like to use a variety of mushrooms from button, to cremini, shiitake, oyster, etc. and I saute them in butter before moving on to the veggies. I season the soup with a generous helping of parmesan cheese which just melts into the broth infusing it with its umami packed flavour! One of the great things about this soup is how easy it is to make and it only takes about 40 minutes making it a good meal even when there isn’t a lot of time. If you are looking for a tasty soup to enjoy this fall or winter this creamy mushroom chicken and wild rice soup is a great way to go!

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup wild rice (or a blend of rice including wild rice)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and diced or shredded
• 1 cup milk or cream
• 1 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
• salt and pepper to taste

directions

1. Melt the butter in a pan over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquids and the liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes, before setting aside.
2. Melt the butter in the pan, add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Mix in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the broth, rice, chicken and mushrooms, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 20-30 minutes.
5. Mix in the milk and cheese and cook until the cheese has melted, before seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.