Bring 12 oz (1 bottle) hard cider and 3 cups chicken stock to a boil. Add the wild rice and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Keep an eye on the pot and add water if it looks like it is getting too dry before the wild rice is tender. Turn off the heat when the wild rice is tender, 45-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the cut potatoes in another saucepan with the remaining chicken stick and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to maintain a gentle simmer on that pot as well. Keep an eye on the pot and once the potatoes are fork tender, 15-20 minutes, turn off the heat.

In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, heat 1 tablespoon each of the oil and butter. Whisk some salt and pepper into the flour, and then quickly dredge the chicken thighs in 1/4 cup flour before adding them to the hot pot to brown on both sides, about 6 minutes per side. Then remove them to a bowl.

When the chicken has cooled a bit (you could do this quickly while the onions are browning), quickly chop it into bite sized shreds. Reserve in the bowl.

Add the remaining oil and butter to the pan, and then add the chopped onions with a pinch of salt. Stir. If not enough liquid releases to scrape up any bits of chicken left behind, splash some of the remaining cider into the pot to deglaze. Keep the cider by the cooktop and deglaze with it as needed.

Cook the onions until they are lightly caramelizing, and then add the garlic and thyme. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring.

Add the mushrooms to the pot and stir to incorporate. Add a pinch or 2 of salt, and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes while they cook.

Deglaze the pot with the remaining hard cider and then add the chicken (along with any accumulated juices) back into the pot.At this point, if the potatoes are tender, add a ladle or 2 of their cooking liquid to the pot. If the potatoes are not yet tender, carefully just add them--potatoes and cooking liquid--into the larger pot with the chicken. Either way, bring to a boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer to braise the chicken.

When the chicken is cooked through, hopefully the potatoes and wild rice will each be done also--if not, just turn the heat way down on whatever is cooked while everything catches up.

Add the wild rice, including its cooking liquid, to the pot with the potatoes and chicken.

Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons flour into half of the half-and-half (or half of the milk/cream mixture). Slowly add this paste to the soup, whisking to avoid lumping. Then add the remaining half-and-half with the lemon juice. Heat until it is piping hot, stirring occasionally, but do not return to a boil.

Taste for salt, pepper or lemon juice. Remove the bay leaves. Garnish with tender thyme sprigs if desired.