Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Wild rice brings a pleasantly chewy texture to chicken soup, but it should never be crunchy in the middle. Cooking it separately gives you control: the rice can take its time while the vegetables stay tender and the chicken stays juicy. A little cream rounds out the broth without hiding the mushrooms, carrots and long dark grains.
Ingrédients
- 3/4 cup dry pure wild rice
- 4 cups water plus more if needed for rice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 medium carrots finely diced
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cups cooked chicken shredded
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Fine salt as needed
Instructions
- Rinse wild rice. Simmer in 4 cups water, loosely covered, 45–60 minutes or according to package, until tender with no hard centre. Add water if needed. Drain.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a soup pot. Brown mushrooms 5–7 minutes over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery; cook over medium heat 6–8 minutes.
- Add garlic and thyme for 30 seconds. Stir in flour for 1 minute. Gradually add broth, scraping bottom. Add bay leaf and simmer 12–15 minutes until carrots are tender.
- Remove bay leaf. Add cooked rice, chicken and cream. Heat gently 5–8 minutes to 165°F, without a hard boil.
- Season with lemon juice, pepper and salt to taste. Loosen with broth if needed and serve.
Notes
Nutrition is approximate. Rice and soup base cook concurrently. Pure wild rice timing varies; blends require their own directions. Refrigerate up to 3 days, accounting for the chicken's previous storage. Reheat to 165°F.