Chicken Wild Rice Soup (Print Version)

Tender chicken, wild rice, and carrots combined in a rich, flavorful broth perfect for cozy meals.

# Ingredient List:

→ Proteins

01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced

→ Grains

02 - 3/4 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed

→ Vegetables

03 - 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 1 small yellow onion, diced
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

07 - 7 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Herbs & Seasonings

08 - 1 bay leaf
09 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

→ Fats

13 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

# How to Make:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, sautéing for 5 to 6 minutes until vegetables soften.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add wild rice, chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes until rice is tender.
04 - Add cooked chicken to the pot and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes to heat through.
05 - Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.
06 - Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's the kind of soup that tastes like someone who cares made it for you, even when that someone is just yourself.
  • The wild rice gives it real substance without making it heavy, and those carrots turn sweet as they soften into the broth.
02 -
  • Wild rice takes longer than you think—don't use regular rice and expect the same result, because the cooking time and texture are completely different.
  • Don't stir the soup constantly; let it simmer undisturbed so the rice cooks evenly instead of breaking apart.
03 -
  • Rinse your wild rice before cooking so it doesn't cloud the broth with excess starch—this is the small thing that separates a clear, beautiful soup from a murky one.
  • Taste the soup before adding salt because chicken broth varies wildly between brands in sodium content, and oversalting is harder to fix than undersalting.
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