Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
TIME/SERVINGS
Total: 1 hr
Active: 20 mins
Makes: 8 to 10 servings
By Adela Jung
Whether fighting a flu or just the cold weather, nothing warms you up faster than a bowl of chicken soup. This hearty version filled with vegetables and wild rice is guaranteed to hit the spot.
What to buy: We used a store-bought blend of wild and white rice, but feel free to use any unseasoned rice mixture you can find.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 large celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 12 cups (3 quarts) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups wild rice blend
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, medium dice
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, medium dice
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add broth and rice, season with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until rice is tender but still has some firmness, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Add chicken, and season with freshly ground black pepper. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add parsley, taste, and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
Beverage pairing: Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay, New Zealand. The familiar, comforting flavors in this soup don’t want an exotic wine to challenge them, but rather something easy to soothe them. This Chardonnay offers gentle apple, citrus, and stone-fruit flavors with a prick of acidity and a nice viscous texture.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
if you saute the chicken first it will add more flavor than just putting it in the pot. just food for thought.
From_Scratch: You certainly could saute the chicken before adding it. This method still yields a very chicken-y soup and it is slightly healthier and quicker than making it with sauteed chicken.
I agree it is a great soup just wanted to add more flavor. Sorry for pushing a button.
i made this but added stock and after grated in the garlic, a thumb sized piece of ginger and 5 bashed sticks of lemongrass. finished with coriander, a splash of fish sauce and a aqueeze of lime in the bowl (not the soup as it goes sour).
ate it with HUBER grubner veltliner
Any thoughts as to how I can make this a little creamier? Add cream or milk? Making a roux?
There are scientific studies that show that olive oil is one of the best sources of the Omega oils that we need for a healthy nervous system and cardiovascular system, but what they often neglect to tell you is that those wonderful benefits are almost complely destroyed once we heat the oil, incredible, but find out for yourselves if this topic is of interest. It's much healthier to fry and cook with other oils such as corn or sunflower oils and add olive oil only at the end of the cooking for health and flavour or in salads, dressings, etc
Would like to try this with my own home-made chicken broth, boiling the chicken till it "falls off the bone" , no salt in the water at all, you can't get more sodium-free than that. I would cool the liquid in order to skim off as much fat as possible, then go from there. It might be a bit more "labor-intensive" but when you're adding the "love" who's counting???
this was an excellent, amazing recipe. it's also just stunning to look at. i made it and ate it from a toasted and salted bread bowl from panera bread, and i'm not sure i've had a better soup meal in my life.
a+
Man I am telling you if this soup is even a wishbone width close to being as tasty as it appears in the photo presentation I will be a happy little camper tonite.
I am cheating a little because I am using my Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken recipe from Chowhound prepared last nite, so don't shoot me for alterering your recipe a little.
Everything else is unchanged to protect the innocent during assembly of this hearty belly warmer.
Thanks for sharing.
That looks delicious...some hot pepper flakes would be really good in it too!