Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Serves 10 in about 8 hours. The pot starts with bacon, then milk.

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon, chopped (omit for vegetarian)
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 large carrots, diced (2 cups)
• 3 stalks celery, diced (2 cups)
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
• 2 sprigs rosemary,* fresh (1 tbsp leaves, chopped)
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme,* or 1/2 tsp dried
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp pepper
• 3 chicken breasts, skinless/boneless (or 4 thighs). omit for vegetarian
• 7 cups chicken broth** (or veggie broth)
• ⅓ cup butter (5 tbsps)
• ⅓ cup flour (5 tbsps)
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups milk

Method

1. Tip in all ingredients except the butter, flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and milk to the slow cooker and stir, making sure the chicken breasts are not overlapping each other.
2. Simmer for 7 hours on Low or 4 hours on High.
3. When finished cooking, remove the chicken, shred it, and add back into the soup. Replace lid.
4. In a saucepan, melt the butter on med-high heat. Beat in the flour and salt, and let it cook for a few minutes while continuing to whisk. This gets the raw taste out of the flour.
5. Gradually whisk in the milk. The mixture will become quite thick. Keep whisking in the milk until all of it is incorporated and there are no lumps. You want it just loose enough to come out of the saucepan easily. If too thick, add just a bit more milk.
6. Mix the mixture into the hot soup. Stir very well and put the lid back on the slow cooker and let the hot soup thicken.
7. Stir. Taste and add more salt if needed. Plate with some crusty bread.

More slow cooker ideas are in the slow cooker collection.