Chicken Wild Rice Soup

• 5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped
• 5 ribs of celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 large cans, chicken broth
• 2-3 handfuls of wild rice blend (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tsp lemon pepper

Cut each chicken breast in half for more even cooking. Fill a large soup pot halfway with water and bring it to a gentle boil. Add chicken and simmer for 12 minutes. Don't boil or the chicken will get tough.

Remove chicken from water and place on a platter. Discard water. Cover chicken with plastic wrap so that it doesn't dry out while cooling. When it's cool enough to handle, shred using hands and set aside.

In the same pot, melt the butter. Saute the finely chopped vegetables in the butter for about 10 minutes.

Pour in both cans of broth and lemon pepper. Bring to a gentle boil. Add rice and chicken and simmer at least an hour, or until rice is done.

I like to serve this soup with Ritz crackers, a splash of Tabasco sauce and a little bit of cream.

What I really like about this soup is that you can simmer it for days and it only gets better. You can't do that with a noodle soup. Add a small can of chicken broth on day 2 or 3 if needed.