BEST SOUP EVER. I could stop the post now and just leave you with the recipe, but I will tell you why, at the very least.

If it is cold as Siberia outside, this soup warms your soul and gives you a happy, cozy feeling, making you kind of like super chilly days (*if you can eat this and sit by a fire). With hearty rice, tender chicken and colorful veggies, it sticks to your bones in a very good way leaving you full and content, perhaps even mesmerized by the fluttering flakes outside you were just cursing the arrival of. After having one bowl you can conquer the snow pile outside your door and everything will be ok.

Notes: The original recipe calls for mushrooms, but I personally dislike them. If mushrooms are your thing, you can add them with the cooked chicken just before you let the whole pot simmer. You can find wild rice at Trader Joe’s and I save time by picking up a rotisserie chicken.

Wild Rice and Chicken Soup

• 1 cup wild rice
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 medium carrots, peeled diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 cups chicken stock or broth
• kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 3/4 cup half and half
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

Cook wild rice in the 4 cups of water for 40 minutes or until light and fluffy. Drain and set aside.

In a large dutch oven add olive oil, onion, carrots and celery. Cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add flour and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Pour in chicken stock or brother and bring to a boil. Add cooked chicken, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add cooked wild rice and half and half. Bring soup back up to a boil and allow it to heat through. Turn off heat and stir in chopped parsley. Ladle into large bowls and enjoy!