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Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Warm, creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup that’s slow-cooked, comforting
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4 bowls
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Calories: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup wild rice
  • 2 cups cooked chicken leftovers work great
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp dried rosemary
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 cup milk or light cream
  • 2 tbsp flour optional

Equipment

  • A big pot or Dutch oven
  • Cutting board.
  • Knife (doesn’t have to be fancy)
  • Wooden spoon
  • Measuring cups
  • Ladle… or a mug pretending to be one

Method
 

Cooking Method (Nothing Fancy, Just Time)
    Step 1: Start Slow
    1. Butter in the pot. Medium heat.
    2. Add onion, carrot, celery.
    3. Stir. Pause. Let them soften.
    4. Not brown. Just soft. About 6 minutes.
    5. Add garlic. Stir once or twice.
    6. Smell that? That’s your cue you’re doing fine.
    Step 2: Let the Rice Decide
    1. Add wild rice, broth, water, thyme, and rosemary.
    2. Bring it to a gentle boil. Then turn it down.
    3. Cover the pot. Let it simmer.
    4. This is not fast.
    5. 40–50 minutes, sometimes more.
    6. Wild rice opens when it’s ready. You can’t force it.
    7. Go do something else. Or don’t. I usually hover for no reason.
    Step 3: Chicken Goes In
    1. Once the rice is tender, add your chicken.
    2. Stir gently. Let it warm through.
    3. Now it actually looks like soup.
    Step 4: Creamy or Not—Your Choice
    1. If creamy feels right today, whisk flour into milk separately.
    2. Pour it in slowly. Stir.
    3. Simmer 8–10 more minutes.
    4. It thickens naturally. Calmly.
    5. Taste. Adjust salt. Adjust pepper.
    6. Stop when it feels right—not when the recipe says so.