Mushroom and Rice Soup

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped 
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2-3 carrots, chopped
• 1 lb of chicken breasts or thighs
• 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 1 tsp of fresh rosemary, dried is fine but fresh is preferable
• ½ lb to 1 lb of mixed mushrooms, I used Chestnuts and Pioppinos
• 6-8 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup of rice, I used short grained
• ½ cup of heavy cream
• Splash of lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat a heavy bottomed pot or stock pot on medium high heat. I personally used my dutch oven for this, but any soup pot will work! Add a drizzle of olive oil and, when the pot is hot, sear your chicken on both sides. If you use breasts like I did, make sure not to overcook them. This is only to get color on the chicken and provide a base for your soup, it shouldn’t be cooked through!
2. When the chicken is seared (but not cooked through), pull it out of the pot and set it aside. You should at this point have a lovely fond at the bottom of your pot. To this, add the mushrooms. Salt the mushrooms so they begin releasing moisture. When the mushrooms are starting to brown and no longer actively releasing moisture, add in the celery, onions, garlic, and carrots. Cook until the onion is translucent.
3. At this point, add in the thyme and rosemary, as well as salt and pepper. If you’re using dried rosemary, halve the amount - spices are much stronger dry! 
4. When the spices are smelling fragrant, add in the 6-8 cups of broth. How much you add is entirely up to how thick you’d like the soup to be. Cover and bring to a boil.
5. When the soup is at a boil, add in the rice. Boil for 5 more minutes and then cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the rice is fully cooked, about 30 minutes. Stir every few minutes or so to keep the rice from sticking and to agitate the starches in the rice, which makes for a creamier soup. 
6. When the rice has about ten minutes to go, add the chicken back into the pot with its juices. After about ten minutes, remove the chicken from the pot, either shred or chop it, and place it back into the soup. 
7. Once the rice is cooked through, add the splash of lemon juice and heavy cream to the pot. Salt to taste, and enjoy!