Description
This hearty Chicken and Wild Rice Soup features tender chicken, earthy wild rice, and a creamy broth flavored with herbs, vegetables, and a touch of white wine. Perfect for a comforting lunch or dinner, this recipe offers a delicious balance of savory richness and wholesome ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
Rice
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
Soup
- 1 ¼ lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- ¾ cup carrots, sliced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (e.g., Frank’s Hot Sauce)
- ⅓ cup flour
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ chicken bouillon cube
- 1 cup packed baby spinach
Seasonings
- ¾ teaspoon dried basil
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the rice: Cook the wild rice according to package instructions using 1 ¾ cups chicken broth. Once cooked, stir in 2 tablespoons butter, fluff with a fork, and set aside.
- Prepare the chicken: Pat chicken breasts dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Sear chicken for 3-4 minutes per side until lightly golden but not fully cooked. Remove from pot and let rest for 10 minutes; then dice or shred with forks.
- Deglaze the pot: Turn heat off, add ½ cup dry white wine to the pot, then set heat back to medium. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen browned bits. Reduce wine by half, about 4 minutes.
- Sauté vegetables: Add 3 tablespoons butter, diced onion, sliced carrots, and diced celery to the pot. Cook for 5-6 minutes until softened. Stir in minced garlic, soy sauce, hot sauce, dried basil, oregano, parsley, mustard powder, thyme, and black pepper. Combine well.
- Add flour: Sprinkle ⅓ cup flour over the vegetable mixture and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously to form a roux.
- Add liquids: Gradually add 5 cups chicken broth in small splashes while stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Then add 1 cup heavy cream in the same manner. Add ½ chicken bouillon cube and bring the soup to a boil.
- Simmer with chicken: Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and add the diced/shredded chicken along with any juices from the plate. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes, keeping below a boil to avoid toughening the chicken.
- Add spinach: Stir in 1 cup baby spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted.
- Serve: Spoon the cooked wild rice into serving bowls and ladle the soup on top. Alternatively, combine the rice with the soup pot directly if no leftovers are expected, then serve.
Notes
- Cook the rice separately to prevent it from soaking up too much broth, which helps maintain leftover soup quality.
- Leftover cooked rice can be substituted; use 3 cups cooked rice if preferred.
- Bone-in chicken breasts or thighs add more flavor to the broth but boneless breast works well.
- Leftover or rotisserie chicken (about 2 cups) can substitute fresh chicken and should be added at the end.
- If avoiding alcohol, replace white wine with additional chicken broth.
- Optional: Sautéed mushrooms add great flavor; prepare separately and add at the end.
- The hot sauce, soy sauce, and mustard powder are for subtle flavor enhancement and are not spicy.
- Pair this soup with Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Buttermilk Biscuits, No-Knead Bread, or Ranch Oyster Crackers for a full meal.
- Store soup and rice separately in airtight containers; refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
- This soup freezes well when rice and soup are frozen separately to maintain texture.
