Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (using chia slurry)

This recipe makes a TON of soup! We ate it for dinner, had enough for leftovers the next day and I froze half for another time. I did cut the recipe back a little, so it will make slightly less, however, it will still be enough to feed 8 or freeze for another time. I actually like the freeze idea. I mean come on, do you always have the time to cook a meal? I love to freeze extras and have them for another day. I used chia seed to thicken this recipe instead of making a roux out of flour and butter. The starch from the whole grains and rice will help thicken as well. It makes it a whole lot better for you this way! If the chia seems difficult to you, don’t stress, it really isn’t that hard and the benefits are huge!! Especially if you are trying to go GF or dairy free! Give it a shot! I will be using the chia slurry recipe at the bottom in other recipes later on, so this is a good way to get familiar with it. They sell them at Neighbors Market in New Paris or you could find them at other health food stores or online as well. (usually by flax seed in the stores) Enjoy the soup!


Ingredients

1 C chopped celery
1 chopped yellow onion
1 C uncooked brown wild rice
1 C Himalayan whole grains
2 box chick broth
1 C chopped carrots
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp sage
1 tsp dried mustard
1 cup cold water
2 Tbs chia seeds
1 ½ lbs, chicken
6 C milk (I used skim)
2 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp pepper

Directions

In a large pot over high heat, boil the chicken in the stock until it cooks enough to shred. combine the celery, onions, rice, whole grains and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid. Remove from heat.
Make Chia seed slurry. (directions below)  Add slurry and 4 cups of milk, 1/2 cup at a time, until you get soupiness you desire. Add this and the chicken to the rice mixture and return the rice mixture to the stovetop over low heat.
If the soup seems too thick, add some or all of the remaining 2 cups of milk.  Some of the spices will clump if you pour them straight into the liquid, so put them all together in a bowl and stir round until all of the chunks are out. The salt will help break up the mustard powder. Season with salt, pepper and other spices and allow to simmer for 15min to an hour.

Chia slurry directions (The reason for putting this in the directions separate is because I will use the slurry in other recipes. The chia slurry can be used as a sort of binder in baked goods. You can replace milk or other liquids for baking. Replace milk for dairy free or replace water or any other liquid for the health benefits.)

Mix 2 Tbs Chia seeds with one Cup water in a container with a lid. Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds, then let sit covered for 30 minutes. After that 30 minutes, use a blender or submersions blender and blend for about 1 minute. The liquid will thicken up and that is your slurry.  You will still see bits of the seeds, that is ok!