Description
My favorite cozy chicken and wild rice soup recipe is made with the most delicious creamy broth, a generous helping of veggies and greens, plus the classic chicken and wild rice that we all love!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 small white or yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock)
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts*
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, diced
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon finely-chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups plain milk (cow’s milk or plant-based milk)
- 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Sauté the veggies. Melt butter or oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, celery and garlic and sauté for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the flour and sauté for 1 more minute, stirring frequently.
- Add in the next round of ingredients. Gradually pour in the chicken stock, stirring the soup frequently as you pour so that the clumps of flour can melt into the broth. Add the chicken breasts, mushrooms, wild rice, rosemary, bay leaves and stir to combine.
- Simmer. Let the soup continue cooking until it reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer, cover, and cook for 40-45 minutes or until the wild rice is tender — being sure to stir the soup every 5-7 minutes so that the bottom of the pot does not burn.
- Shred or dice the chicken. Use tongs to carefully transfer the chicken breasts to a clean plate. Then you can either dice or use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, and stir it back into the soup.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the milk and baby spinach until combined.
- Season. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Taste and season the soup with however much salt and black pepper you think it needs.
- Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Chicken: Or feel free to add in 3-4 cups of (precooked) diced or shredded chicken instead of raw chicken.
Instant Pot Option: To make pressure cooker chicken and wild rice soup, simply add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, chicken stock, chicken breasts, wild rice, rosemary and bay leaves to the bowl of your Instant Pot. Cover, seal and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural release, followed by a quick release. Meanwhile in a separate saucepan, heat the butter over medium-high heat until melted. Whisk in the flour until combined and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Then whisk in the milk until combined and continue heating until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add the mixture to the soup. Continue on with steps 4-7.
Crock-Pot Option: To make slow cooker chicken and wild rice soup, simply add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, chicken stock, chicken breasts, wild rice, rosemary and bay leaves to the bowl of a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours, until the rice is tender. Meanwhile in a separate saucepan, heat the butter over medium-high heat until melted. Whisk in the flour until combined and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Then whisk in the milk until combined and continue heating until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add the mixture to the soup. Continue on with steps 4-7.
