Annie - that looks very similar to the recipe Byerly's has printed on the bags of wild rice they have sold for the past 30 years. It is delicious. They also have it in the deli and in the frozen section because it is so popular. I usually add sherry in place of the white wine when I make it. The tiny package of rice I sent is actually Byerly's cultivated wild rice. I sent it for you to compare the colors between cultivated and the marsh grown wild stuff. I will have to try Alexa's method of microwaving the rice. I do mine on the top of the stove OR baked in a covered casserole in the oven. I'll give the MW a try. Hope you come home to a tasty batch of soup on Sunday! And let me know how you cook the rice ahead of time in the crock pot. I got that large crock pot earlier this year. That would be yet another way to cook up large batches to freeze. I have to make a huge batch of the soup for the deer hunting trip. Getting the rice done ahead of time in the crock pot would be great. Teresa

The grocery stores' delis around here make a similar salad but they have cashews (and they use chicken) and celery in it. It's great. Besides the outstanding flavor, there's the differences in textures that contribute so greatly.

CHICKEN AND WILD RICE CASSEROLE 6-8 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed chicken stock butter 3-4 stalks celery, chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 boxes wild rice 2 cans cream of chicken soup 8 oz. sour cream crushed potato chips, optional Boil chicken in dutch oven until done and then cut into cubes. Saute celery and onion in a little butter until translucent. Cook wild rice according to package directions using stock from cooked chicken instead of water. Mix chicken, celery and onion, rice, soup and sour cream together and pour into a greased 9X13" dish. You can top casserole with crushed potato chips, if desired. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. This casserole can also be assembled the night before and then baked the next day, but bake an additional 15 minutes or until casserole is hot throughout. Serves: 12-15. *Recipe can easily be cut in half and baked in a 9X9" dish for fewer servings. This is by far the best chicken and rice casserole you will ever eat.

I know you said you had some soup recipes, but here's another one for you :-) * Exported from MasterCook * Cream of Chicken & Wild Rice Soup Recipe By :Becky Chatham Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 cup wild rice 1 whole chicken (3-4 pounds) -- skinned and cut up 7 cups chicken broth (or broth and water combined) 2 stalks celery -- sliced 2 small onions -- chopped 2 large carrots -- sliced 2 tablespoons oil 2 cups mushrooms -- sliced 3/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup flour 4 cups half and half 3/4 cup white wine Boil rice in 8 cups of water for 30 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes, or until soft. Meanwhile, put chicken in large pot and add broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes. Strain rice and set aside. Remove chicken from broth, and when cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones, chop and set aside. In a large skillet, saute celery, onion, carrots and mushrooms in 2 tablespoons oil until onions are translucent. When done, add to broth in large pot and bring broth to a simmer to complete cooking of vegetables. Melt butter in same skillet, and when melted, add flour and cook until smooth and bubbly. Add half and half, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil, then boil and stir for 1 full minute. Add white sauce to broth and stir well to combine. Add reserved wild rice, chicken meat and white wine. Continue to cook until heated through, then serve. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -