Step 1

Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker.

Step 2

Stir in chicken stock, wild rice, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Add mushrooms during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

Step 3

Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.

Step 4

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and half and half, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Step 5

Stir chicken and milk mixture into the slow cooker. If the soup is too thick, add more half and half as needed until desired consistency is reached.

Step 6

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.