Cold weather puts everyone in the mood for a nice, hearty soup. This one is sure to keep you warm and satisfied! Essential oils add subtle seasoning and health benefits.

Wild Rice and Thyme Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 large chicken breast, raw*
- 5 carrots, chopped
- 5 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 c. uncooked wild rice
- 8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 6 c. chicken broth* or chicken bone broth*
- 1 tsp. salt
- 6 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 c. flour
- 1 1/2 c. milk
- Thyme essential oil
- Rosemary essential oil
Instructions:
- Place the chicken breast, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, wild rice, mushrooms, broth, and salt in your Instant Pot.** Seal the lid and set the controls to 45 minutes on manual, high pressure.
- When the time is up, slowly release the pressure, making sure that soup doesn’t start spraying through the valve.
- While the pressure is releasing, melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove.
- Whisk the flour in with the butter, and cook on low heat for 1–2 minutes.
- Slowly whisk the milk into the saucepan, stirring until the mixture begins to thicken and forms a thick, creamy white sauce.
- Dip a toothpick into a bottle of thyme essential oil and another toothpick into rosemary essential oil. Stir the oils throughout the white sauce with the toothpicks.
- Pull the chicken breast out of the Instant Pot, shred it, and return the pieces to the soup.
- Stir the white sauce into the Instant Pot mixture, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the warm soup with fresh bread for wintertime comfort.
*For a vegetarian version, omit the chicken breast and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
**If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can also cook this soup in a slow cooker for 6–7 hours on low, following the same instructions.