Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I found this basic recipe on Allrecipes.com and tweaked it a bit to add more flavor and reduce some fat. It was absolutely delicious and is now on our usual winter rotation.

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

1 pkg long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet

1/2 tsp salt (I omitted this as it was plenty salty with the seasoning packet)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup flour

5 tbsp butter

2 cups milk (I used low-fat, but skim would work well too)

2 cloves garlic - chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 onion chopped

Olive oil

1. In a large pot over medium heat add a swirl of olive oil to pan. Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery and sautee until tender (5 minutes). Then add chicken broth, water and rice. Cook for 15-20 minutes (per directions on rice).

2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter. Reduce heat to low and add in flour, salt and pepper slowly to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.

3. Stir cream mixture into broth and rice and cook over medium or low heat until heated through (10-15 minutes).

4. ENJOY!