Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

I am from and currently live in Minnesota, where I'm pretty sure this soup was invented. However, you'd be hard pressed to find a chicken and wild rice soup around here that isn't loaded with cream (and wheat). Not that I don't love a good creamy soup every now and then (especially when I know the cream is raw- straight from grass fed cows- or as minimally processed as my state will allow for it to be sold at my local coop, such as Cedar Summit Farms cream), but I especially enjoy a hearty, broth based soup. It seems so much lighter on my tummy, allowing me to go back for seconds (or thirds... seriously). And I also enjoy simple soups, which this soup definitely is.

I love it so much, I've already made it several times this winter. And it's only January 9th, which means I'll probably be making it several more times since winter isn't anywhere near being over (at least not here in the frozen tundra).

I do recommend serving it with some of your favorite bread or scones. What fun is soup if you have nothing to dip in it?


Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
3 carrots
2 stalks celery
6 button mushrooms
10 cups homemade chicken stock
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 lb of chicken breasts (leave whole)
salt, pepper

Heat oil in a large soup pan over medium-low heat. Chop onion and mince garlic. Add to heated pot and stir a few times. Chop carrots, celery, and mushrooms into bite size pieces and add to pot. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until vegetables are slightly tender.

Add stock, wild rice, and chicken breasts to pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered for 40-45 minutes, until rice and chicken are cooked. Take the lid off the pot and remove chicken breasts. Shred into pieces with two forks and place back into the pot. Salt and pepper to taste (I like a lot of pepper in this soup, so give your grinder lots of really good cranks).

Ladle into soup bowls and enjoy with some hearty, seedy gluten free bread.