This soup is hearty, nourishing and perfect for the cold winter weather! You will realize when you are eating it that it truly warms you from the inside out.
Table of Contents
What is wild rice?
Interestingly enough, wild rice is not a grain. Wild rice is the perfect substitute for those observing a grain free diet! Technically, it is an aquatic grass and grows differently than other rice. Despite not being a grain, wild rice has its name due to how similar it is in shape to rice. It also cooks similarly to rice.
Compared to white and brown rice, wild rice is much healthier for you! It is packed full of antioxidants and contains more potassium and zinc than regular rice. Wild rice also has a high protein content and makes for a great supplement to those practicing a plant based diet.
Wild rice can be three distinctly different colors: white, brown and black. However, regardless of the color they all cook and taste the same. Most commonly, you will find wild rice packaged as a combination of all three colors or simply black.
Why do you need to remove the bay leaves from the soup before serving?
Bay leaves are a fragrant herb used in many soup and broth recipes. It has an earthy taste, and helps to round out the flavors of other ingredients. Bay leaves are native to the Mediterranean region, and grow from the bay laurel tree. Because of this, they are commonly used in Mediterranean recipes and Middle Eastern cuisines.
In the US bay leaves are stored dry, but some specialty stores may carry fresh bay leaves. Ideally you want to buy bay leaves dry, unless a recipe specifically suggests otherwise. Fresh bay leaves are much more overpowering and can carry a strong minty flavor that may throw off the flavors of your dish.
Dried bay leaves, while more subtle in flavor, still aren’t typically consumed. If you use a bay leaf, you should remove it from soups and broth before serving. Bay leaves emit a mild flavor when cooking in liquid, but are extremely bitter when you bite into it.
You can make this soup dairy free!
That’s correct, this recipe can easily be adjusted to accommodate a dairy-free diet. Whether you have a dairy allergy, or are trying to cut back on your carbon footprint, there are plenty of reasons to practice a dairy free lifestyle.
To make this a dairy free recipe, simply replace the milk and heavy cream with your favorite dairy free alternative. Oat milk has a mild flavor and thick texture that can match that of milk and heavy cream.
Another option would be to use coconut milk and coconut cream, but keep in mind that this will change the flavor of the dish overall. It will still be delicious, but different!
How to make our chicken wild rice soup
- Drizzle olive oil in a deep dish pot or dutch oven. You will want to use a pot that has a top you can cover it with.
- Place the pot on medium high heat. Add the celery, carrots, onions and garlic. Sauté the ingredients until everything starts to soften and brown a little bit. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken breast to the pan on top of the cooked veggies. Season the chicken with salt, pepper oregano and two bay leaves. Pour the broth 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream into the pot, followed by the wild rice. Lastly, add the contents of the seasoning packet.
- Give everything a quick mix. Bring the pot up to a boil over high heat, then lower it to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.
- While the rice and chicken are cooking, make a thickening mixture. Combine flour, remaining milk and heavy cream using a whisk. Set aside.
- Remove the bay leaves from the soup and discard.
- Next, remove the chicken from the soup and shred with a fork. Add the shredded chicken back into the soup, followed by the thickener, let simmer for an additional 5 minutes until thickened. Mix everything together.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
How to store our chicken and wild rice soup
You can store this quick and easy recipe in the fridge or the freezer. Pack it into an airtight container and it will last for 3-5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. To make reheating from the freezer even easier, freeze in portion sizes so that you don’t have to defrost more than you need!
If you are meal prepping for the week, make sure to allow some time for your soup to cool down before storing. Ideally your soup will go into the fridge when it is warm, not hot. You want to avoid placing piping hot soup directly in the fridge as it can bring down the temperature of your fridge.
Other soup recipes to try:
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Roasted Tomato Soup with Parmesan Croutons
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup with Ditalini
Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 stalks chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 medium chopped yellow onion
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper more or less to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups whole milk divided
- 1 cup heavy cream divided
- 6 ounces long grain & wild rice with seasoning packet
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Drizzle olive oil in a deep dish pot or dutch oven. Place the pot on medium high heat. Add the celery, carrots, onions and garlic. Sauté the ingredients until everything starts to soften and brown a little bit. This should take about 10 minutes.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 4 stalks chopped celery, 1 cup chopped carrots, 1 medium chopped yellow onion, 4 cloves minced garlic
- Add the chicken breast to the pan on top of the cooked veggies. Season the chicken with salt, pepper oregano, and two bay leaves. Pour the broth 1 cup, milk, and 1/2 cup heavy cream into the pot, followed by the wild rice. Lastly, add the contents of the seasoning packet.1 pound chicken breast, 1 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, 5 cups low sodium chicken broth, 2 cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, 6 ounces long grain & wild rice with seasoning packet
- Give everything a quick mix. Bring the pot up to a boil over high heat, then lower it to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.
- While the rice and chicken are cooking, make a thickening mixture. Combine flour, remaining milk and heavy cream using a whisk. Set aside.1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Remove the bay leaves from the soup and discard. Next, remove the chicken from the soup and shred with a fork. Add the shredded chicken back into the soup, followed by the thickener, let simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens. Mix everything together. Serve hot and enjoy!
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Nutrition
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Fantastic! I made this dairy free due to an allergy so I swapped the milk for extra creamy almond milk and used dairy free heavy whipping cream. It was absolutely delicious and all 4 of us agreed. That’s not often with younger kids and teens! This will be on regular rotation.
Thank you! We’re so glad you were able to make it work for you. 😊
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
Hi there – I hope to make this recipe as I love Wild Rice – and receive it from an Indigenous family up north — so I do NOT receive any “seasoning packet” with the rice.
What would I add?
Hi! The seasonings in this post would work! We hope you enjoy. 😊
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
I don’t understand the serving size? Is it supposed to be in oz?
It makes 8 servings! So, one serving would be 1/8th of the recipe, depending on how hungry you are. 😊
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
Thank you for this information! 🙂
Can this be made using plant based milks? I know it won’t be as rich but that’s ok.
You can definitely sub with your favorite plant based milk. For richness, you can use unsweetened canned coconut cream, just note that it will have a slight coconut flavor.
I just did and it didn’t feel like I was missing any dairy. Use the *extra creamy version of almond milk (made by almond breeze) and dairy free heavy whipping cream made by silk. It was fantastic. I can have dairy but my daughter cannot so as someone who knows the difference these swaps didn’t taste any less creamy.
Serving size says 8g. Is that correct??
Used your recipe on my new Le Creuset dutch over – yummy! The only thing that I’d change is adding the heavy cream after the boiling phase – it did curdle a bit, but whisking seemed to save it. I also added some frozen petite peas at the end – I like a little green in my soups. Oh and minced parsley to serve. I love every recipe I’ve seen on facebook – this is the first I tried and am sure it will lead to many more.
Amazing, so glad it was a hit! Thanks for the feedback! xo, Alia & Radwa
Amazing! I’ve been looking for a good chicken soup recipe and this one nails it! Thank you for including the spices for the wild rice seasoning mix in the comments. I used a brown rice/wild rice mix that I had on hand along with the additional spices since I did not have a seasoning packet. Delicious!
Very flavorful and delicious! I will definitely make again!
Amazing!
What type of wild rice mix do you use. There are many
We use Uncle Bens!
I didn’t have heavy cream so substituted with cream cheese (about a 1:1 ratio) It’s delishious!!!
Love the substitution! Thanks for giving it a try! xo, Alia & Radwa
I am not an accomplished cook, but this soup was so easy to prepare. It came together quickly, made the house smell amazing, and tasted even better! Served it with Texas Toast and it was a hit with all, which is a rare occurrence in our house. I’ve made it now four times, the last two increasing broth and reducing cream since my son has dairy sensitivity. Still oh-so delicious!
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! We are glad that it’s a hit and was still delicious with the modifications! xo, Alia & Radwa
I love this soup. We had plenty of leftovers and it heats up well later. Very good! My husband loved it. One of our favorite new recipes.
Glad to hear! Always a win when it’s a hit with everyone! xo, Alia & Radwa
I can’t wait to make this. Would it taste good if I added some squash or zucchini to the soup?
Yes, just don’t add the zucchini too early on so it doesn’t get too mushy!
I didn’t have whole milk so I used a mixture of 2% and half and half. Turned out great. Next time I think I’ll use 2 boxes of the rice just because I LOVE rice lol. But the soup was delicious. Even my 4-year-old liked it!
It always makes it THAT much better when kids love it too! xo, Alia & Radwa
This was absolutely fantastic! Easy and delicious.
So good and such an easy recipe! Have made it twice in the last 24 hours!
My husband bought the wrong rice! He didn’t buy the one with the seasoning. Any suggestions on what type of seasoning to add?
You can use these measurements!
2 tsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 ground cumin
1/4 ginger
1/2 black pepper, more or less to taste
1/2 tsp salt, more or less to taste
10 out of 10 for me! Loved how easy it was and it’s SO good. Picky husband even liked it!! Win win!
Wow wow amazing love your recipes
This was so easy and delicious! My kids loved it!
SO DELICIOUS and so easy!