Begin cooking the rice according to the package directions in either a saucepan or a rice cooker, replacing any water called for with chicken broth. Save the rest of the chicken broth for the soup. My rice took 2 cups of broth to cook in, so I had 6 more cups for the soup.

Heat the olive oil in the bottom of your stock pot on medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then cook until nicely browned on the outside. Remove the chicken from the pot, and shred with forks. Set aside.

Add the butter to the chicken drippings in the pot and melt. Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the pot. Season with more salt and pepper. Sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic powder (and onion powder if using) and mix well into the veggies.

Once the veggies are sautéed through, add the broth to the pot and bring to a nice, gentle, bubbling simmer. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom and make sure nothing is stuck. Add the thyme, chopped fresh parsley, and bay leaf.

When the broth is simmering, add the cooked rice and chicken. Simmer for 20 minutes, until everything is soft and mellow.

Whisk the milk and sour cream together in a separate bowl. Use the ladle to remove a scoop of the hot broth, and hold it for about a minute to cool off a bit. Add the broth to the dairy in a slow trickle, stirring as you go. Once the scoop of broth is fully incorporated in the dairy, turn the temperature down on the soup and add the dairy mixture in. Stir well to incorporate.

Serve warm with oyster crackers or crusty bread.