Crockpot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

2 boxes Rice a Roni long grain & wild rice
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c. onions, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
3/4 c. shredded carrots
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
3 cans chicken broth
2 c. water
2 T. poultry seasoning (I used 1 pkt of seasoning that came with rice too)
3 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. flour
2 c. milk ( or 1/2 & 1/2, for thicker soup)
salt & pepper to taste

Place liner in crockpot. Place first 10 ingredients in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. In the last 1/2 hour of cooking, remove the chicken, cool, and shred between two forks. Add the chicken back to the crockpot and stir to combine.Remove bay leaves.

 *I stopped here because I wanted a broth based soup. But if you want a creamy soup, melt the butter & oil in saucepan. Add flour and let cook for 1 minute. Whisk the mixture while adding the milk. Continue to whisk until all lumps have dissolved. Allow to thicken and become creamy. Add to crockpot. Stir to combine. Add additional milk or water to your preference if it becomes to thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

** soup will thicken as it sets