Creamy Chicken Soup with Wild Rice

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup uncooked wild rice blend
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 tablespoons More Than Olives Garlic Olive Oil
• 6 tablespoons butter, diced and divided
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
• ¼ teaspoon of each thyme, marjoram, sage, and rosemary
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1  ½ cups milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:
Prepare rice according to the directions listed on the package. Halfway through the rice cooking, in a separate large pot, add the More Than Olives Garlic Olive Oil. Heat to medium and add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté until slightly tender, about 4 minutes, adding in the fresh minced garlic during the last 30 seconds of sauteing.

Add to the pot the chicken broth, thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary, and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Increase heat to medium-high, add the chicken, and bring mixture to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and allow the mixture to boil 12 – 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Rotate the chicken during cooking to ensure it cooks evenly.

Remove the chicken and set it aside on a cutting board to cool about 5 minutes, then shred into small bite-size pieces. Meanwhile, reduce the soup to low and add cooked rice. Add shredded chicken to the soup when shredded.

In a separate medium saucepan, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add cornstarch and cook for 1 ½ minutes, whisking to combine. Continue whisking vigorously and slowly pour milk into the mixture. Cook mixture, stirring constantly until it thickens.

Add the milk mixture to the soup and cook about 5 minutes longer, or until the soup is thickened. You can simmer the soup for longer if you want the rice to soften more. Cover the soup with a lid and stir occasionally.

Stir in heavy cream and lemon zest and serve warm.