Chicken, Mushroom & Rice Soup

For this chicken soup you start with raw chicken to make stock from scratch. If you’re short on time, skip Steps 1-2 and use 12 cups low-sodium chicken stock and about 11/2 pounds shredded cooked chicken in Step 4.

Ingredients

Chicken Stock

• 1 5-pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, or 5 pounds bone-in chicken parts
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 14 cups cold water

Soup

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ cups diced onion
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ cups wild rice blend
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 ¾ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
• ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Instructions

• To prepare stock: Place chicken, coarsely chopped onion, carrots and celery, smashed garlic, bay leaves, parsley and thyme sprigs in a large stockpot. Add water. Bring almost to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 2 hours, periodically skimming off any foam that rises to the top.
• Remove the chicken to a clean cutting board. When cool enough to handle, pick the meat off the bones, shred and reserve. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the solids. (You should have about 12 cups.)
• To prepare soup: Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring often, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, about 1 minute more.
• Stir in the stock, scraping up any browned bits. Add rice, carrot, celery, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the rice is just tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Add mushrooms, parsley, thyme and the reserved shredded chicken and cook until the mushrooms are tender, 5 to 8 minutes.

Tips

MAKE AHEAD TIPS

• Refrigerate stock and shredded chicken separately for up to 4 days.

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