Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

1 large onion, diced
2 c. carrots, diced
1 c. celery, diced
1 cube butter, melted
1 c. flour
Saute the carrots, celery and onions in a large soup/stock pot with the butter. Saute on medium heat until the vegetables are soft. Add the flour to the vegetables and season with salt, pepper, parsley and garlic powder (or fresh garlic). Combine until flour is evenly distributed on the vegetables. to the vegetables and flour mixture add the following:
5-6 c. whole milk, half & half, heavy whipping cream or water with powdered milk
1-2 cans chicken broth (start with one and see if you need the other)
4 c. cooked white rice (long grain, basmati, jasmine, etc. will work well)
1/2 c. cooked wild rice
4 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (if you have frozen cooked chicken in your freezer, use that--if not, just saute or boil the chicken breasts and then shred or cube before adding to the soup)
2 T. salt
1 T. pepper
2 t. garlic powder
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 T. dried parsley
Stir in the milk and chicken broth until combined and everything is mixed together. Once the milk/soup is warmed through, add the chicken breasts and rice. If the soup is too thick, add more milk or chicken broth. This recipe can easily be adjusted with more broth or milk to make the soup to your desired consistency. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes on low heat until ready to serve. Taste soup to see if any more seasonings, salt or pepper are needed. Garnish soup with extra parsley (dried or fresh). **Soup will be as thick as the type of milk product you use. If you use heavy whipping cream your soup with be extra thick and creamy. Using 2% milk however, will give you a thinner soup but still be delicious. If your soup is too thin you can always add a little more flour or cornstarch to your soup and let it simmer.