Instant / Slow Cooker Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Hello October! It’s sweater weather… You know what that means- soup season. And you know the first soup on Habitual Hostess is going to be a good one! It’s actually better than good… And we highly recommend you make it and consume it by the fire, while drinking a glass of red wine and admiring your fall decor.

1 yellow onion, diced (about 2 cups)
3-4 carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
3 celery stalks, diced (about 1 cup)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup wild rice blend (sadly the Whole Foods blend turns to mush- use @lundbergfarms blend or regular wild rice)
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
1 teaspoon dried thyme
6 cups chicken broth
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)

For Instapot:
Combine all above ingredients in an instapot and cook for 15 minutes.

For Slow Cooker:
Combine all above ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

To finish soup:
2 Tablespoons butter
8 oz sliced baby Bella mushrooms
1 Tablespoon corn starch
2 Tablespoons water
4 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup sherry vinegar (you can sub with red wine vinegar if you don’t have, but sherry vinegar really makes for the best flavor)
2 teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups baby spinach

While soup cooks, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and brown for about 7 minutes, or until golden and juices have released.

Once soup is done, turn your instapot/ slow cooker to warm function. Remove chicken breasts, shred them, and return to the soup. Add mushrooms and spinach. Cook a few more minutes until spinach wilts. Whisk together the cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water and add it to the soup. Add the mascarpone cheese and let it melt into the soup. Then, add the sherry vineager and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!