My darling son is ten years old. For about as long as I can remember, chicken noodle soup has been his favorite. So much so that he has requested it for his birthday meal for the last four years, regardless of where we are celebrating. Then I put together this creamy chicken and wild rice soup. I think his favorite meal changed. He makes this glorious face when he eats food he loves: closing his eyes, taking in the flavor, all while a small grin spreads across his face. His first bite brought on this expression, telling me we had a winner of a recipe.
What I love about this creamy chicken and wild rice soup is that it has all the creamy goodness all while leaving out the heavy or processed ingredients found in many creamy soups. It eats like a soup the first day and more like a stew the second, as the rice absorbs more liquid.
Usually from scratch soups are reserved for cozy weekends, but I recently made this soup on a weeknight. The weather had changed from warm fall days to chilly winter, complete with some snow. I don’t know about you, but those first snow falls just call for a kettle of soup. It took me exactly one hour start to finish, including cooking the chicken. Is it a great weekend recipe? Absolutely. But is it doable on a weeknight? Sure!
Enough talking! Let’s get cooking!
Your Ingredients
- ½ cup long grain brown rice, uncooked
- ½ cup wild rice, uncooked
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups sliced carrots
- 1 ½ cups sliced celery
- 1 ½ cup diced onion
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk (I used skim)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ¾ teaspoons dried thyme
- ½ – 1 teaspoon pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt
Before we begin cooking…
If you don’t have cooked chicken on hand, you can 100% start cooking it when you start the rice and your timing will be just fine. I seasoned two chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cooked them over medium heat in a cast iron skillet (I just love cast iron. I have the Lodge Skillet). If you would like to do like me, cook them for about 8 minutes on each side. Then put in a preheated 400 degree oven. Finish them in the oven, cooking to 165 degrees.
YOUR STEPS FOR CREAMY CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP
Start by bringing water to a boil in a saucepan with a cover. Add rice (and maybe a little salt and pepper if you are so inclined), cover, and lower temperature to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring periodically. Once complete, leave the rice, even if there is remaining liquid. We will add it all to the soup.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Add olive oil to a soup kettle (again, I adore my cast iron Dutch oven for soups), and heat over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until they are beginning to soften. Add mushrooms and cook an additional 4-5 minutes.
Remove vegetables from the kettle. Lower the temperature slightly. Add butter and allow to melt. Once melted, add flour, creating a roux. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. SLOWLY add milk, about ⅓ cup at a time, stirring the whole time, allowing the mixture to just begin to boil before you add more. (Be patient here. I have gone too fast too many times to count, and then you miss the creaminess!). Add the chicken stock in a similar nature. Add thyme, salt, and pepper.
From here, stir in the rice from the saucepan, including any remaining liquid. It will help keep the soup thick. Reincorporate the vegetables and stir in the chicken. Allow to cook an additional 10-20 minutes if you have the time. The flavors will mingle and simply get better if you can wait 🙂
Cutting board pictures make me smile! Get them cooking! All that goodness Pan roasted chicken. Simple. Patience is key on a good roux! Perfection.
Looking for other dinner ideas? Check out my cooking page!
Tools of the Trade
I truly believe every home kitchen needs a selection of good cast iron pans. We cook everything in them, from corn bread to chicken, from sourdough bread to soups and stews. They can go from stove top to oven and create beautiful food. These are some of my favorites!
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- ½ cup long grain brown rice uncooked
- ½ cup wild rice uncooked
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups sliced carrots
- 1 ½ cups sliced celery
- 1 ½ cup diced onion
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ¾ teaspoons dried thyme
- ½ – 1 teaspoon pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in a saucepan with a cover. Add rice (and additional salt and pepper, to taste), cover, and lower temperature to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring periodically.
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Add olive oil to a soup kettle and heat over medium heat.
- Once oil is hot, add onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until they are beginning to soften. Add mushrooms and cook an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Remove vegetables from the kettle. Lower the temperature slightly. Add butter and allow to melt.
- Once melted, add flour, creating a roux. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add milk, about ⅓ cup at a time, stirring the whole time, allowing the mixture to just begin to boil before you add more. Add the chicken stock in a similar nature. Add thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Stir in the rice from the saucepan, including any remaining liquid. Reincorporate the vegetables and stir in the chicken. Allow to cook an additional 10-20 minutes.
