Chicken Wild Rice Soup (Print Version)

Comforting dish with tender chicken, wild rice, carrots, and aromatic herbs in savory broth.

# What You'll Need:

→ 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 for garnish

→ Fats

13 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

# Cooking Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onion, sliced carrots, and diced celery. Sauté for 5–6 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add rinsed wild rice, chicken broth, bay leaf, dried thyme, and dried rosemary to the pot. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 40–45 minutes until rice is tender.
04 - Add the cooked shredded chicken to the pot. Simmer for an additional 5–8 minutes to ensure chicken is heated through.
05 - Remove the bay leaf from the soup. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
06 - Ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish each serving with chopped fresh parsley.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in just over an hour, which means you can have real comfort food on the table on a weeknight without stress.
  • The wild rice gives you that wonderful nutty flavor and chewy texture that makes the soup feel substantial and satisfying without being heavy.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and endlessly forgiving—perfect for feeding people with different dietary needs without making a separate pot.
02 -
  • Always rinse your wild rice before cooking—I learned this the hard way when I made a batch that turned out gummy and starchy instead of having that beautiful nutty texture.
  • Don't forget to remove the bay leaf before serving; discovering it in a spoonful is nobody's favorite moment.
  • Taste the soup before adding chicken and before seasoning at the end; the broth's saltiness varies by brand and you want to avoid over-salting.
03 -
  • Slice your carrots on a slight bias; they cook more evenly and look more intentional in the bowl than random chunks.
  • Keep the heat at a true simmer, not a rolling boil, once you add the rice—a hard boil will split the grains and make the soup cloudy.
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