Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Season the Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs (1 lb) with Salt (as needed) and Ground Black Pepper (as needed) .

Heat the Olive Oil (2 Tbsp) in the dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chicken and sear the chicken for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the pot, and set aside.

In the same pot, add Butter (2 Tbsp) , Button Mushrooms (1 cup) , Yellow Onion (1) , Celery (3 stalks) , Carrots (2) , Garlic (2 cloves) , and Fresh Thyme (4 sprigs) leaves. Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Then season with Salt (as needed) and Ground Black Pepper (as needed) .

After 5 minutes, turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the All-Purpose Flour (4 Tbsp) and stir until well combined. Stir continuously to ensure it doesn't burn. Cook for about 2 minutes.

Pour in the Chicken Stock (5 cups) . Stir occasionally until the soup is smooth and with no lumps.

Add the Wild Rice (1 cup) and turn to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for about 35 minutes.

Once the wild rice pieces have burst out of their shells, add in the Milk (2 cups) slowly while stirring. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, or until the soup has reached your desired level of thickness.

Serve the soup in a bowl, and garnish with Fresh Parsley (1 Tbsp) .