Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
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So warm, so hearty, so cozy! With tender shredded chicken breasts, mushrooms, wild rice, and feel good veggies.
This is one of those soups that are just good for your soul. Heart-warming, nourishing, cozy, and so darn good.
With tender shredded chicken that cooks right in the broth (thank you to the bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts for all that flavor goodness), mushrooms, mirepoix, garlic, fresh thyme sprigs, chicken stock, and a wild rice blend that also simmers right in the pot.
If you happen to have white wine on hand, you can even add a splash to the Dutch oven before adding the stock. And if you are reheating any leftovers, you will want to stir in more stock since the rice continues to soak up the broth.
Pair with some warm, crusty bread to sop up all that goodness, leaving no drop behind.
TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
CAN I USE BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS?
Yes, boneless, skinless chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts have a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
I HATE MUSHROOMS. WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD?
Mushrooms can be omitted completely if it’s not your thing.
CAN I USE DRIED HERBS INSTEAD?
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
IS THIS FREEZER-FRIENDLY?
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the rice (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked rice when serving.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup wild rice blend, such as Lundberg
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken, chicken stock, wild rice, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender, about 35-45 minutes. Remove chicken and let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces, discarding bones and skin.
- Stir in chicken and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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Wonderful flavor!
I made this last night and it was a hit! We both loved it! Zero modifications were made (except maybe I added a little more than 8oz of mushrooms, but that’s bc I love mushrooms!). This is definitely going into the fall/winter soup rotation. So delicious!
You have added so many great, quick recipes and maybe I have gotten spoiled by your books but could you add the nutritional information on the website recipes please please?
I know some of the recipes have it but my family totally depends on the nutrition facts.
This soup was so perfect. I made 2 modifications – I made a roux with the veggies and mushrooms by adding 2 tbsp flour and then deglazed the pan with 2/3 cup of cream sherry. Absolutely delicious.
I made this soup but I used rotisserie chicken because that’s what I had. I just delayed adding it until just before the soup was done. My heavens, the rice sure sucked up the chicken stock over night! It became “stoup” (soup+stew) until I added more liquid.
-Katie C.
A great tasting and easy to make recipe. great for company.
Next time, I am going to cook the wild rice separately. Veggies got mushy, waiting for the rice to finish cooking. Also, add some parm cheese before serving. Delicious recipe!
Okay, I made this last night with boneless, skinless, and straight-up “wild rice” from Trader Joe’s. DO not recommend doing this. The flavor was good, but I know from my experience and the photo here I missed out on so much flavor and creaminess.
I made this soup yesterday and it was delicious. The only change I made to the directions is that I cooked the rice separately, put a portion in the soup bowl and poured the hot soup on top of the rice. This way I can freeze the soup without the rice. I use this method when noodles are an ingredient as well.
Just made this today, simple recipe but packed with flavor. I seared off the chicken in a pan first for a bit more flavor, and added a few splashes of malt vinegar at the end for a little brightness. The texture of this soup is very nice, would highly recommend following the recipe and using bone on skin on chicken breasts.
Can this soup be frozen?
My husband won’t eat mushrooms. Do I just leave them out? Or do I need to make other adjustments?
Would you ever consider adding the nutritional info (ie # of carbs, sodium) to your recipes? You do have outstanding recipes and my husband and I have enjoyed many!
Hello
I would like to make this soup, but we are not fans of wild rice. Just wondering what can act as a substitute for the wild rice.
Thanks for any info you can provide !!
Looking forward to making this recipe.