Creamy Chicken Soupe

This is the Best Chicken Soup i Ever made until now  so Creamy and Healthy In Cold Weather !!

Ingredients:

    1    Tbsp olive oil
    1    Medium yellow onion
    1   Tbsp minced garlic
    1/2 lb. carrots, sliced
    1/2 bunch celery, sliced
    1    lb. chicken
    1    whole bay leaf
    1    Tsp dried oregano
    1    Tsp dried thyme
    to taste cracked pepper
    1-2 Tsp (to taste) salt
    1    Cup Brown rice 
    6   Cups water
   1/3 bunch fresh parsley

 for the Creamy Mix:
    2   Tbsp butter
    2   Tbsp all-purpose flour
    2   Cups whole milk

Steps: 

1- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, dice

the onion (and mince the garlic if using fresh rather than pre-minced). Add the onion and garlic to the hot oil and saute until tender (5 min)

 2- If using fresh carrots and celery, clean and slice them while the onions are sauteing. Add them to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes more.
  3-  Add the chicken breast (whole), bay leaf, oregano, thyme, cracked pepper, dry rice, and 6 cups of water to the pot. Do not add salt yet. Bring the pot up to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for one hour.

 4-  Near the end of the hour, begin to make the creamy milk mixture. In a small pot, melt 2 Tbsp of butter over medium heat. When it is fully melted, whisk in 2 Tbsp of all-purpose flour. Cook and stir the butter and flour mixture for two minutes. Whisk in the milk and allow it to come up to a simmer, whisking occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. Once it reaches a simmer, it will have thickened slightly.
5- Carefully remove the chicken pieces from the soup and shred or dice with a knife and fork. 

6- Rinse and chop the parsley. Add the parsley and the thickened milk mixture to the soup. Season with salt to taste. I used about 2 tsp of salt, but start with a little and add more as needed. I also added a touch more pepper at this point. Serve hot!

 Enjoy!