Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Another cold gray January day...so to warm it up I wanted to share this extra yummy soup that we love.  I came across it online and it quickly became a household favorite.  I made a few adjustments but the original recipe is from Cooking Light, September 2004 on My Recipes.  Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking wild rice

cooking spray

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups cubed peeled baking potato

1 1/2 cups frozen chopped vegetables (peas, corn, carrots, beans)

3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

1/2 cup all purpose flour

10 oz. light processed cheese, cubed (velveeta light)

3 cups chopped roasted skinless boneless chicken breasts (3 breasts)

4 cups chicken broth

3/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/3 tsp. salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.  

Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add onion and garlic: saute 3 minutes.  Add broth, potato and vegetables: bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cover, reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes or until potato is tender.  

Combine milk and flour, stirring well with whisk.  Add milk mixture to potato mixture; cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat: add cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.  Stir in rice, chicken, pepper and salt.  Garnish with parsley if desired. 

[Image courtesy of myrecipes and Becky Luigart-Stayner; Cindy Barr]