In a large 10 Quart pot over medium-high heat sauté butter with onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables have slightly softened, about 2 to 3 minutes.TIP: Use 2 teaspoons only if you’re using low sodium chicken broth. If you’re using regular chicken broth without reduced salt, then reduce this to 1 teaspoon salt.
Pour in chicken broth. Add in bay leaf. Place raw chicken in the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat.
When boiling stir in rice then reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer for 15 to 17 minutes until rice is tender.
Remove cooked chicken from the pot and use two forks to shred it all. Add chicken back into the pot.
Stir in parmesan cheese.
In a small bowl, stir together heavy cream and cornstarch until fully combined. Pour into the pot. Simmer over low heat, uncovered for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, remove bay leaf, and sprinkle soup with parsley before serving.
Notes
Important note on salt: Use 2 teaspoons only if you’re using low sodium chicken broth. If you’re using regular chicken broth without reduced salt, then reduce this to 1 teaspoon salt.Leftover turkey would be great in this soup as well.You can use leftover rice in this soup. Follow the directions as is, but leave out the rice until the end. Stir in the precooked rice and warm through.