Panera Chicken & Wild Rice Soup (Crockpot Copycat)

6 cups homemade chicken stock

1 large chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces (or not)

1 box Rice-A-Roni Long Grain & Wild Rice

2 large carrots, sliced

2 large ribs of celery, sliced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Spray the interior of your 6-quart slow cooker with Pam. Place all ingredients EXCEPT the heavy cream, cornstarch, and water, into the slow cooker in the order listed. Set to "high" and cook 5 to 6 hours, until vegetables are fork tender and the chicken and rice are done.

Remove chicken (if, like me, you tossed in an entire breast), cut into bite-size pieces and return meat to the pot. Pour in heavy cream stirring to combine. Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup water whisking to ensure there are no lumps, and stir into the ingredients. Return the lid, and allow to cook another 15 minutes until it reaches desired thickness.