Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Yum.  This dinner was pure comfort food and perfect for the fall weather we have been having.  I loved the hint of curry and the crunch of the slivered almonds, those two things made this recipe stand out among other soup recipes like this that I have tried.  For the bread bowl, just use your favorite roll or french bread recipe and shape the dough into large balls (about 6" in diameter) and then brush the dough with an egg wash before baking.  That's what I did.  I will post my recipe another time. 

*Be forewarned, this soup takes a while to cook after you get it going so be sure to start it at least 2 hours before you plan to eat. 

1/2 C. Butter
1 Onion, chopped
1 C. Frozen Corn
8 oz. Fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 carrots, sliced
3/4 C. Flour
6 1/2 C. Chicken Broth (7 bouillon cubes mixed with 6 1/2 C. water)
3 C. Cooked wild rice
2 Chicken Breasts, cut into small bite sized pieces (or cooked and shredded)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Curry Powder
1/2 tsp. Mustard Powder
1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 C. Slivered Almonds
2 1/2 C. Non-fat Half and Half

Combine butter, chicken, onion, carrots, mushrooms and corn and saute over medium high heat until chicken is done.  Add flour to pot and stir until well distributed.  Add chicken broth all at once.  Stir until thickened, then reduce heat to low.  Add cooked rice, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, pepper, and almonds.  Stir well then add the half and half.  Simmer on low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, but be careful not to boil soup.  This makes a large pot that will easily serve at least 10 people.  If you have a smaller family you can freeze the left overs.  Just let them thaw out in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then reheat in a pan on the stove top.