Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

HOW TO FREEZE SOUP

  • Start by cooling the soup.  For a quick and immediate (especially for soups with rice or pasta) cool down, place the pot in an ice bath and stir to cool. Do not submerge it or allow any of the ice water into the soup pot.
  • Ladle the cooled soup into quart or gallon-sized heavy-duty freezer zipper bags.  Mark the bags with the date and the soup name.  Keep in mind that liquids expand when frozen so leave about an inch at the top of the bag for expansion. On the other hand, you don’t want it to get freezer burnt so remove as much excess air as you can.
  • Lay the soup bags down in a single layer on rimmed baking sheets and place the sheet in the freezer.  Once fully frozen stack the bags up on their side in the freezer to save on space.
  • Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight.  Reheat the soup on the stovetop on low or in the microwave at 60% power so as not to overcook any ingredients before it is hot.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 ¼ lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion chopped
  • 3 ribs celery chopped
  • 2 large carrots peeled and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • ⅓ cup flour
  • 1 cup wild rice blend see notes
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

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