Chicken Wild Rice Soup

1¾# skinned-boned chicken thighs

½c 5-rice blend, rinsed and dried

1 med.-lg. yellow onion

4 lg. cloves garlic

½t fresh ground pepper

½-1t Sicilian blend spice*

1-2T sunflower-coconut oil

1-2T white balsamic vinegar

2c water

1c chopped celery

1½c chopped carrot

2T chicken soup base

4-6c water

Rest of the

onion and garlic-chopped

4-6 oz. slice-chopped spinach

Trim all the fat off the thighs, cutting them into small pieces, into a heavy-bottomed 5 qt. pot.  Add the rinsed-dried rice.  Finely chop ¼ of the onion and 1 garlic clove and add that to the pot.  Season, (*use your favorite: Italian Seasoning, Lemon Pepper, etc.) then drizzle with the oil and vinegar.  Mix all this with a wooden spoon over med.-high heat.  When it begins to sizzle, cover and turn off the heat.  Let it marinate, for 30-45 minutes, stirring a couple times.

Add the next group of ingredients.  Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook 30 minutes.  Put the final group of ingredients in the pot, stir, then simmer another 30-45 minutes.  

The soup is ready when the celery, carrots and rice are cooked the way you want them.  Check the flavors.  Add more seasonings or soup base if needed. . .Lin