"Souper" Sunday

Whew, I am exhausted.  After a weekend prepping for our party, it went off without a hitch.  We had a little over thirty guests (20 were kids) and have a lot of food leftover to keep my sweet tooth sufficiently taken care of for the week.  I have a busy three days ahead and am looking forward to a relaxing day (I hope!) on Thursday.

Today I am sharing the soup recipe we made last night.  I had intended to serve it for leftovers tonight, but we were full enough from our appetizers and treats that we opted to just snack instead.  I have had this recipe for a long time and for some reason it intimidated me and I never made it.  I thought I'd give it a try this weekend and it turned out great!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded (I used rotisserie chicken; just took the white meat off the top)
1 6 oz. package quick cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. butter
2 c. heavy cream

In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water, and chicken.  Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice reserving seasoning packet.  Cover and remove from heat.  In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and flour.  In a medium saucepan, melt butter.  Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly.  Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux.  Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth.  Cook until thickened, five minutes.  Stir cream mixture into broth and rice.  Cook over medium heat until heated through, about ten to fifteen minutes.  Serve with sourdough bread.  Enjoy!