1whole bonelessskinless chicken breast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1/2″ cubes
1medium onionchopped
1medium carrotpeeled and chopped
1stalk celerychopped
1/2green bell pepperseeded and diced
1clovegarliccrushed
1bay leaf
2cupschicken stock
1large starchy potatopeeled and diced
1/2cupwild ricecooked in boiling, salted water
2cupswhole milkroom temperature
salt and pepper
Instructions
Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat and cook it until it foams. Once the foam subsides, add the flour and whisk until it is incorporated with the butter. Continue to cook this “roux” until it turns a rich, medium brown color and has a nutty aroma, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent it from burning. Prep the rest of the soup in the meantime.
Heat your soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil, season the chicken with salt and pepper, and brown the chicken pieces in batches, placing in a separate bowl when they are sufficiently browned but not cooked through. There will likely be browned chicken bits stuck to the pot. This is good.
Add the onion, carrot, green pepper, garlic, and bay leaf and sweat until aromatic.
Add the chicken stock and, using a wooden spoon, remove the bits of chicken stick to the pot. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Once the carrots are tender, add enough salt and pepper to make a flavorful broth. Add the potatoes, chicken and wild rice and cook until the potatoes are tender, about another 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in the pot with the roux, slowly whisk the milk into the roux, being careful to whisk out any lumps as they occur before adding more milk. Cook this until it thickens up nicely, about 10-15 minutes, then stir it into the soup pot.
Adjust the seasoning of the chowder as necessary with salt and pepper. I like to reduce the heat to a simmer and leave it on the stove for another hour, but you could eat it now if you wish.