Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Name: Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 21 min
Total time: 1 h 41 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 tbsp (42 g) unsalted butter; 1 tbsp (14 ml) olive oil; 8 oz (225 g) cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, sliced ¼ inch (6 mm) thick; 1 medium (about 5 oz) (150 g) yellow onion, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice; 3 medium (about 7 oz) (200 g) carrots, peeled, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice; 3 ribs (about 5 oz) (150 g) celery ribs, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice; 4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, minced; 2 tsp (2 g) fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems (or 1 tsp dried); ⅓ cup (42 g) all-purpose flour; 6 cups (1420 ml) low-sodium chicken broth; 2 cups (480 ml) water; 1 cup (160 g) 100% wild rice, rinsed and drained; 1 whole (1 g) bay leaf; 1½ lb (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed of excess fat; 1¼ tsp (7 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste; ½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground; 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, at cool room temperature or straight from the fridge; 2 tsp (10 ml) fresh lemon juice; 2 tbsp (8 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, for serving (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A thick, cozy Midwestern-style soup with tender shredded chicken, nutty wild rice, browned mushrooms, carrots and celery, finished with cream and a squeeze of lemon. Everything cooks in one pot.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr 21 min
Wait: 5 min
Total: 1 hr 46 min
Makes: About 9 cups (6 generous bowls)

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Ingredients

6 servings

3 tbsp (42 g) unsalted butter
1 tbsp (14 ml) olive oil
8 oz (225 g) cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, sliced ¼ inch (6 mm) thick
1 medium (about 5 oz) (150 g) yellow onion, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice
3 medium (about 7 oz) (200 g) carrots, peeled, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice
3 ribs (about 5 oz) (150 g) celery ribs, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice
4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp (2 g) fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems (or 1 tsp dried)
⅓ cup (42 g) all-purpose flour
6 cups (1420 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups (480 ml) water
1 cup (160 g) 100% wild rice, rinsed and drained
1 whole (1 g) bay leaf
1½ lb (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed of excess fat
1¼ tsp (7 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, at cool room temperature or straight from the fridge
2 tsp (10 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp (8 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, for serving (optional)

Equipment (7)

5½- to 6-quart (5–5.5 L) Dutch oven or heavy soup pot with lid
Wooden spoon
Chef's knife and cutting board
Fine-mesh strainer
2 forks or tongs for shredding chicken
Instant-read thermometer
Liquid and dry measuring cups

Steps

Before you start

Use 100% wild rice (not a quick-cook blend). It needs about 45–50 minutes to turn tender and burst open; blends cook faster and will turn mushy at this time.
Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cold water for 30 seconds and drain well.
Cut all vegetables to a similar ½-inch (1 cm) size so they soften at the same rate.
Take the cream out of the fridge when you start; adding it less cold makes it less likely to cool the soup too much.

1
Prep the ingredients
- Rinse the wild rice in a fine-mesh strainer and drain.
- Slice the mushrooms, dice the onion, carrots and celery into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces, mince the garlic and strip the thyme leaves.
- Trim any large fat from the chicken.
- Keep the prepped vegetables in separate piles: mushrooms alone, onion/carrot/celery together.
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Ready when: All vegetables are evenly cut and the rice is drained.
Tip: Uniform dice means the carrots and celery finish at the same time.
2
Brown the mushrooms
- Heat the olive oil and 1 tbsp (14 g) of the butter in a 6-quart pot over medium-high heat until the butter foams.
- Add the mushrooms in one layer as much as possible and cook, stirring only every minute or so, for 7–8 minutes.
- Season with ¼ tsp of the salt.
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Ready when: Mushrooms have released their liquid, the pan looks dry, and the slices are deep golden brown.
Tip: Resist stirring constantly; undisturbed contact with the pot is what browns them. Scoop them into a bowl if you like, but leaving them in is fine.
3
Soften the vegetables
- Add the remaining 2 tbsp (28 g) butter to the pot.
- When melted, add the onion, carrots and celery with another ¼ tsp salt.
- Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browned bits, for 6–7 minutes.
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Ready when: Onion is translucent and soft, and the carrots are slightly tender at the edges.
Tip: If the bottom of the pot starts to scorch, lower the heat and add a splash of water.
4
Cook garlic and flour
- Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1½ minutes so it coats everything and loses its raw smell.
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Ready when: The vegetables look pasty with no dry white flour visible, and the garlic smells fragrant (not browned).
Tip: Don't let the garlic brown; it turns bitter.
5
Add liquid and rice
- Gradually pour in the broth about 1 cup (240 ml) at a time, stirring well and scraping the bottom after each addition so no lumps form.
- Add the water, rinsed wild rice, bay leaf, the remaining ¾ tsp salt and the pepper.
- Raise the heat and bring to a boil.
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Ready when: Large bubbles break across the surface and the liquid looks lightly thickened and smooth.
Tip: Stir in the first cup of broth thoroughly before adding more to keep the soup lump-free.
6
Simmer the rice
- Reduce the heat to medium-low so the soup simmers gently with small bubbles.
- Partially cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes, stirring every 8–10 minutes and scraping the bottom.
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Ready when: Rice grains are darker and starting to plump, though still quite chewy.
Tip: Flour-thickened soup can stick; scrape the bottom whenever you stir.
7
Poach the chicken
- Nestle the whole chicken pieces into the soup so they are submerged.
- Cover partially and simmer 18–20 minutes, turning once.
- Check the thickest piece with an instant-read thermometer.
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Ready when: Chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part and the juices run clear.
Tip: Keep the soup at a gentle simmer; a hard boil toughens the chicken.
8
Shred the chicken
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board.
- Shred it into bite-size pieces with two forks while the rice continues to simmer, then return it to the pot.
- Taste a grain of rice.
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Ready when: Chicken pulls apart easily. Wild rice is tender with a slight chew, and many grains have split open to show a pale interior.
Tip: If the rice is still hard, keep simmering up to 10 minutes more before adding cream; add ½ cup (120 ml) water if the soup looks too thick.
9
Finish with cream
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream and lemon juice.
- Warm gently for 4–5 minutes.
- Do not let it boil.
- Taste and add more salt, up to ½ tsp, if needed.
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Ready when: Soup is creamy, pale ivory, steaming hot and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Tip: Boiling after the cream goes in can cause it to separate.
10
Rest and serve
- Take the pot off the heat and let the soup rest, covered, for 5 minutes so it thickens slightly and the flavors settle.
- Ladle into warm bowls and sprinkle with parsley and extra black pepper.
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Ready when: Soup is thick but still pourable.
Tip: The rice keeps absorbing liquid as it sits; thin leftovers with broth or water when reheating.

Good to know

Tips

Browning the mushrooms well is the biggest flavor step; use a wide pot and don't crowd them.
Chicken thighs stay juicier in the soup, while breasts are leaner; both work with the same timing.
Taste for salt after adding the cream; low-sodium broth and rice absorb a lot of seasoning.
A little lemon juice at the end brightens the rich, creamy base without making it taste sour.

Make ahead

"Make the soup through step 8 (before adding the cream and lemon juice) up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. Reheat until simmering, thin with a little broth or water if needed, then add the cream and lemon juice and finish as directed."

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Refrigerator: airtight container up to 4 days; the soup will thicken, so reheat over medium-low heat with ¼–½ cup (60–120 ml) broth or water, stirring often, until steaming (165°F/74°C). Freezer: up to 2 months, though the cream may look slightly grainy; thaw overnight in the fridge and stir well while reheating.

Substitutions

heavy cream → half-and-half or whole milk. Soup will be lighter and less rich; add after taking the pot off the heat to reduce curdling risk, and warm gently.
100% wild rice → wild rice blend. Check package timing and add the blend later, as many cook in 20–25 minutes; start the 25-minute rice step accordingly.
all-purpose flour → 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water. Stir in after the broth is added and simmer 1 minute to thicken; this makes it gluten-free (use certified gluten-free broth).
fresh thyme leaves → 1 tsp dried thyme. Add with the garlic and flour as directed.