I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Holiday time with your loved ones! Ours was fun, hectic, and non-stop for like 5 days straight, which resulted in 4 out of 5 of my household getting fevers and snotty noses. It’s in those moments I am extremely thankful for a caring, and attentive husband, coffee, and essential oils. Thankfully, we are all on the mend.
Speaking of Christmas…
Last week, we were at that point where we were going to be heading out of town, and busy with lots of family gatherings over the Christmas holiday, and didn’t want to do a big grocery trip, only to have the food not get eaten. We had to get creative. There were a few items in my pantry and fridge that I had, to come up with a recipe for: Chicken, carrots, milk, flour, and few other odds and ends. What to do? What. To. Do?
Well, I did what any self-respecting, has-it-all-together…desperate woman, who needs to feed her family, does. She turns to her Trusted Advisor on most things FOOD…Pinterest. You’re shocked, I know.
Anyway…I did my basic Chicken Slow cooker recipe search, because slow cooker. Whenever I have the opportunity to use my slow cooker, you can bet your sweet backside, I do! Anything that requires the least amount of work and clean up? I’m in! Plus, I just got a brand new 8 quart slow cooker, and was eager to test it out.
I will take a pause right here and just apologize to all you lovely readers. I was so wrapped up in creating the spice combo of this recipe, that I completely flaked on taking pictures during the preparation of the meal. Can you ever forgive me? Hopefully I’ll have my ducks in a row the next time I make it, and update this post with some more yummy eye candy for ya.
Back to the soup. It’s the perfect stick-to-ya-ribs meal for those chilly (or where I live, downright frigid) winter days. As a matter of fact, snow is in the forecast for us next week (woot! woot!), and I have this soup on my meal list. I’ll also be baking some yummy whole wheat dinner rolls, which will be the perfect addition to sop up that soup goodness.
So grab your slow cooker, and let’s get started! I got the base of the recipe from Little Spice Jar, but I took a few liberties and made my own changes, to make it my own.
If this soup warmed your belly, and your tastebuds approved…or if you did something different that worked great for you, leave a comment!
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice (not parboiled)
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 5 cloves minced garlic
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups of water (or chicken broth)
- 3 tbls butter
- 2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 drop dōTERRA Marjoram essential oil
- 1 drop dōTERRA Basil essential oil
- 1 drop dōTERRA Lemon essential oil
- 1 drop dōTERRA Oregano essential oil
- 1 drop dōTERRA Cumin essential oil
- 1 drop dōTERRA Black Pepper essential oil
- 1-2 tbls dried celery (or 1/2 cup chopped celery)
- 1 tbls dried parsley flakes
- 1 tbls dried Thyme (or 1 drop Thyme essential oil)
- Quickly rinse the uncooked rice under cold water, drain and place in slow cooker.
- Add chicken, onions, carrots, celery (if using fresh), garlic, bay leaves, chicken broth, water, and spices.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4 hours. During the last 30 minutes of your cook time, carefully remove the chicken and set aside. Allow the chicken to cool slightly before shredding.
- When the rice is completely cooked, add the chicken back into the slow cooker.
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a saucepan. Add the flour, and allow the mixture to cook for approximately 1 minute, while whisking occasionally.
- Whisk slowly while adding in the milk.Continue to cook until the lumps are gone and the mixture is smooth, thick and creamy.
- Add mixture to slow cooker, and stir to combine. Add more water or milk until you've reached your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- This soup will thicken as it sits. You can add water or milk during the reheating process, if desired.
- Store in a well sealed tupperware container in the fridge for up to 5 days (if it lasts that long) 😉
- ***The husband found this to be perfect, while I needed a little extra seasoning. Feel free to add as you like!
