take-out fake-out: panera's chicken and wild rice soup

Ingredients

• 1 box uncle ben's wild rice
• 1 rotisserie chicken shredded (or some shredded poached chicken breasts)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk

Directions

1. Cook the wild rice according to package directions, but remove from heat about 15 minutes before it's done. Drain the excess liquid, and set aside.
2. In a pot over medium heat, saute the carrots and onion in 2 tbs butter  for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and cover. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is tender. Add the broth to the stock pot, and add the partially cooked wild rice. Stir in the pepper and salt; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour until smooth. Whisk in the milk, and continue cooking until mixture is bubbly and thick. Then stir all of the milk mixture into the broth mixture.
4. Mix in the reserved chicken meat.  Allow this to heat through for about 15 minutes.

This makes lots of soup, I usually half this recipe, I have never frozen it, but I would guess that you would freeze the soup base and just not add the rice.