ninja foodi chicken vegetable soup

Name: ninja foodi chicken vegetable soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 Tbsp butter or margarine; 4 cloves garlic (minced); 1 medium-sized onion (finely chopped); 2-3 celery ribs (cut into 1 cm/2/5" slices); 2 large carrots (chopped); 5 medium-sized potatoes (cut into large cubes); 1 medium red bell pepper (chopped); 600g bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (approximately - (1.2 lbs) ); 1 tsp red pepper flakes (use more or less, to taste ); ½ tsp dried parsley; 1 tsp Italian seasoning; 1 tsp dried thyme ((or 3 sprigs fresh thyme)); 1 tsp salt ((or more, to taste)); black pepper (to taste); 3-5 bay leaves; 2 chicken bouillon cubes ((or 1½ tablespoons chicken bouillon powder)); 5 cups chicken stock (unsalted or low sodium ); 4 cups water; ¾ cup long-grain white rice - uncooked ((approximately 170g)); ½ cup milk ((to make the soup creamy)); 1 tsp cornstarch,tapioca flour, or arrowroot flour (to thicken the soup ); fresh chopped parsley (optional - for garnishing)