Crock Pot Chicken Vegetable & Wild Rice Soup

With the weather turning so cold this week, it has been a good time for soup in the crock pot. I looked at a couple of recipes to get some suggestions, but in the end made up my own concoction. A few of the recipes I came across suggested adding chicken bouillon cubes for additional flavor, but bouillon contains milk, as well as a ton of preservatives, so I decided to leave that out and get the flavor from herbs instead. The combination of the slow-cooked vegetables and herbs in the chicken stock provided plenty of flavor, while keeping this soup dairy free and really healthy.

I paired this soup with the Fall Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette that I posted last week, making it a complete dinner that was filling but not too heavy. I added an ounce of goat cheese to each of the salads when I made it this time, and it was a great addition!

This made quite a bit of soup, so I am planning to freeze what we had leftover. There will be an evening not too long from now, I am sure, when I don't have much time to make dinner and I will be really glad I tossed that extra soup in the freezer for an easy dinner!

Crock Pot Chicken Vegetable & Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients

1 pound organic free-range chicken breasts

2 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups organic celery, chopped

1 Tbsp minced garlic

8 cups organic chicken broth

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups organic carrots, chopped

1 (15oz) can organic sweet corn

1 cup organic wild rice

Directions

1. Place all ingredients, except wild rice, in slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours

2. Remove chicken breasts from slow cooker and shred, using two fork to pull apart.  Place chicken back in slow cooker. Add wild rice and cook on low for 4 more hours.

What are the nutritional benefits of this soup? Chicken is an excellent source of protein and is rich in B vitamins. Carrots are very high in vitamin A (with one cup providing over 400% of the daily value), and they are also an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Corn provides some fiber and vitamin C, folate and thiamin, as well as minerals phosphorous and magnesium. Celery provides fiber as well as vitamin K and folate. Wild rice is a great source of protein and antioxidants, as well as vitamins A, C and E.