Chicken Wild Rice Soup is an easy, one-pot meal for those days you need a little comfort. Cozy up with a bowl and a hunk of bread and call it a day.
This soup is a copy cat of Panera Bread’s famous bowl. The combination of milk and starchy rice turns this soup into the most satisfying and creamy spoonful. Bon Appetit!
Versatility Tip: Want to switch things up? Substitute wild rice for white rice, quinoa, bulgur or even russet or Yukon Gold potatoes. So long as you’re adding a bit of starch, it will turn out creamy and delicious.
How to Make Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Making Chicken Wild Rice Soup couldn’t be any easier. Grab a big soup pot, roll up your sleeves and get ready to fill your house with the most irresistible aroma.
- Preheat a big soup pot. Add chopped carrots and onions and sauté.
- Add flour and mix to incorporate.
- Add broth concentrate, water, wild rice, chicken and bay leaves to the pot. Bring it to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until rice is tender.
- Add milk and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and season to taste.
- Serve piping hot!
Hot Tip: Broth concentrates, like Better than Bouillon, are a game changer. They take up so much less space than clunky cans of broth and are packed with flavor. If you haven’t tried using one before, this recipe is the perfect chance to experiment!
FAQ
This is the perfect soup to use up leftover chicken or turkey. Shred up the meat and add it directly into the soup pot with 15 minutes of cooking time left.
Although tempting, I wouldn’t recommend freezing soup that contains milk or rice. Oftentimes, it wont reheat well and will curdle and turn to mush. Only make as much soup as you can eat in a week!
Omit the flour and thicken the soup with a gluten-free flour substitute or cornstarch. Technically, wild rice isn’t rice — it’s actually a form of grass and is naturally gluten-free.
Add some dill or Italian parsley on top of your soup for an extra pop of flavor. Fresh herbs always elevate soups, so be generous!
Serving Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Chicken Wild Rice Soup is a meal on its own but pairs well with any bread of salad. Try accompanying it with our Caesar Salad Recipe or our Garden Salad Recipe. If you’re in the baking mood, whip up a fresh French Bread baguette.
Storing Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Store your Chicken Wild Rice Soup leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It should last for up to a week. The kicker? It gets more flavorful as it marinates and makes for leftovers that just keep getting more awesome.
Hot Tip: The soup does thicken as it sits in the fridge. If it’s a bit too thick for your taste, add a cup of broth to loosen it up.
More Of Soup Recipes
As a Ukrainian cook, I’m all about my soups. Check out a couple of my favorite, soul warming recipes below:
- Fish Soup Aka Ukha – This soup is light, herby and super healthy.
- Beef & Barley Soup – This soup holds its weight and eats like a meal all on its own.
- The Classic Borscht – If you haven’t tried borscht, you must. Full of healthy beets and cabbage, it’s filling and light at the same time.
- Cabbage Rolls Soup – Cabbage rolls in soup form. YUM.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 1 cup onion diced
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sprouted rice & quinoa blend or Wild Rice
- 1 lb boneless chicken
- 2 qt water
- 2 tbsp Better Than Bullion
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt adjust to taste
- 2 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat a heavy bottom pot with butter. Add chopped carrots and diced onions and sauté until the onions turn translucent.
- Add flour to the pot, stirring until evenly incorporated.
- Add Better Than Bullion, water, wild rice, chicken and bay leaves to the pot. Bring it to a simmer and allow to cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Add milk to the mix and cook for 5 additional minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt.
- Serve soup while it's nice and hot. Whenever the soup cools down, it will naturally thicken up but will thin out once it's reheated.
Today is such a dreary day and this is the perfect soup to cozy up with to warm up. So easy to make and absolutely delicious!
Yes perfect for those gross kinds of days!
I'm a fan of one-pot meals and this one was delicious! Thank you!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for your feedback!
This soup looks so amazing and super easy to make. I can't wait to try it sometime!
I hope you love the recipe, Matt!
Thank you for another easy delicious recipe! Absolutely perfect for a busy mama. This must be the easiest soup I have ever made , yum!
Thanks for the reminder!!! I need this in my life 😉 summer is too busy.
This looks so delicious!
Will there be printer-friendly options for your recipes in the future, where all directions can fit on one page, without step-by-step pictures? I'm compiling a binder of recipes and hoping to add quite a few from your website 🙂
Hey Tanya, we will look I to removing images from print out. Thanks for letting me know.
How can I make this without a cast iron?? Just all on a stovetop? (I'm gana get a cast iron real soon!)
You could cook it on a stove top, but coking time may be different. Just on it while its cooking. Also you may need to add more water because it would evaporate on a stove top.