The thing I love about this soup is how hearty it is. Wild rice is an amazing grain to help keep you satisfied and full. Every time I make soup I am always excited about the colors all the different vegetables create in my dish. We know the more colors you eat, the healthier your meal is and the longer you will live! The basic ingredients of onions, celery and carrots always make me happy! I make sure I have these ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator at all times.
When making this soup, I like to cook the wild rice the night before. It takes about 45 minutes for the rice to cook, but oh, what a delicious smell it provides. Once the timer goes off, (I always use a timer), I turn off the heat and leave it on my stove. In the morning, I have perfect rice and it only takes about 30-40 minutes to put the soup together.
How To Make
Wild Rice Chicken Soup
1. Cook the wild rice. I started making this soup several years ago when I could purchase a wild rice mix from Costco. They discontinued it and then I had to find a new place to buy it because everyone in my family loves this soup! You can find a small package in the grocery store by the long grain rice, but I wanted several cups to keep in my pantry so I could make it any time I wanted.
I finally found it on one of my shopping trips to Sprouts in their huge bulk item area. I buy a wild rice mix with brown rice, white rice and wild rice. I usually purchase about 5 cups.
As mentioned above, I cook the rice the night before since it needs to cook for 45 minutes. I turn off the heat after the timer goes off and let it sit overnight on the stove. I get up in the morning and make my soup and the rice is perfect!
2. Chop up the onion and celery and sauté in the butter. It takes a few minutes to cook the vegetables and let the flavors marry with one another. This adds a deep and satisfying flavor to your soup. Salt and pepper the vegetables in this stage to enhance their flavors.
You can add the carrots and put in the chicken broth to cook the vegetables but you will miss a layer of flavor.
3. When the vegetables are translucent, sprinkle on the flour. You are making a roux at this point. You have all the ingredients with the butter, flour and liquid. Cook the flour for 2 minutes or more stirring occasionally to keep it from burning. Get your chicken broth ready to pour in to the mixture.
This roux creates the thickness of the soup. If you want your soup thicker, leave out some of the liquid. If you like your soup thinner, add more of the liquid. You will figure it out! I believe in you!
If you have added carrots and the chicken broth, you will want to mix the flour together with 1/2 cup of milk and mix these two ingredients well. You do not want any lumps. As you pour this into your soup, stir until you get the thickness you want.
4. Add the chicken broth* and the additional water. I never purchase chicken broth. I think it takes up a lot of room in my pantry and quite frankly, I do not have room for it. Instead, I purchase a bottle of chicken bouillon from Amazon and keep that in my cupboard. I can make loads and loads of chicken broth from this one container and it takes up so little room.
One cup of hot water to one cube bouillon is how you create chicken broth. I add the water to my large soup pot and then dump in the chicken bouillon.
I also really like Knorr Chicken Granules. Here is a link to Smith's, but I also buy it in Latino markets. They always have a big bottle. The ratio is one teaspoon granules to one cup hot water.
5. At this point, add the sliced carrots. Let them cook in the broth until tender.
6. Add cooked, chopped chicken and the cooked wild rice. Some times, while making soup, I eyeball the amount of these ingredients when adding them to the soup. Usually I want more chicken and rice than what the recipe calls for. If you are a new chef, sometimes you just need someone to say, I give you permission to add more wild rice or more chicken if you want. The soup will turn out great. (There I said it, I give you permission!)
7. Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. The flavors need time to mix and create a robust soup.
8. Add the milk and cream. You can substitute half and half for this step if you prefer. I never have half and half at my house nor do I buy it. I always have a large container of heavy cream so I create my own half and half, you know, half milk, half cream.
9. Simmer the soup for another 20 minutes or eat it right now!
Let me know on Instagram or Pinterest if you make this.
Post a picture and tag me @dinasdiner. I want to know how it turns out.
3 C. Water
1 1/2 C. Wild Rice
8 Tbsp. butter
1 - 1/2 C. Onion
2 C. Celery
2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/2 C. Flour
6 C. Chicken Broth*
4 C. Water
2 C. Carrots, sliced
3 C. Cooked Wild Rice
5 C. Chicken, cooked, shredded or cubed
1 C. Milk
1 C. Heavy Cream
1. Bring 3 C. water and rice to a boil. Put the lid on and then lower to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
2. Chop up the onion and celery and sauté in the butter.
3. When the vegetables are translucent, sprinkle on the flour.
4. Cook the vegetables and flour for about 2 minutes stirring constantly.
5. Pour in the chicken broth and additional water slowly while stirring.
6. Put in the sliced carrots at this point and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
7. Add cooked, chopped chicken and the cooked wild rice.
8. Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Add the milk and cream.
10. Simmer the soup for another 20 minutes or eat it right now!
Lately, I have been buying whole chickens at Costco. They come in a two pack. I put both of them in a big roasting pan with a lid. I wash them and place them breast side down. I drop in four chicken bouillon cubes per chicken, or 8 for two chickens. Put the lid on and set the oven to 350. Cook for three hours. Leave the lid on the whole time and do not peek. (I used to make this in an open pan. I covered the pan with tin foil and sealed well around the edge of the pan.) You can also cook one chicken easily in a 13 X 9 pan with tin foil on top.
I cook the chickens at night 7-10 pm. Then I turn off the oven and leave the pan in the oven until the morning. All the juices are redistributed into the chickens and the meat is cool enough to handle. Do not get me wrong, it is still warm.
*When you take the lid off, you will find the bottom filled with the most delicious chicken broth. Remember, I did not add any water. All the liquid comes straight from the chickens and bones. It makes the most delicious chicken broth that I use in all of my soups. Debone the chicken and shred. So much easier and much tastier than boiled chicken breasts.
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