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1
Heat olive oil in a mid-size heavy soup pot over a medium flame till hot.
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2
Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, till soft and golden (lower flame if necessary to keep garlic from burning).
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3
When veggies are soft, add dried spices and cook, stirring, till fragrant, about 2 minutes.
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4
Add chicken broth, water, and wild rice.
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5
Bring to a boil, lower flame, cover tightly and simmer 40 minutes, till wild rice is almost done.
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6
Add cubed chicken and cook 7-8 minutes more, till chicken and wild rice are both done.
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7
(Don't overcook, or you'll have mushy wild rice and dry chicken!
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8
).
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9
Remove soup from heat and ladle about 1 cup broth into a small bowl.
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10
Let cool a bit, then whisk in cream, being careful to stir quickly so the cream doesn't curdle.
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11
Slowly whisk cream and broth mixture back into the soup, stirring till well mixed.
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12
Sprinkle with basil and serve.