Creamy Chicken And Wild Rice Soup Recipe

While chicken noodle soup is a dish that's often credited for having miracle cold-curing powers, it can get pretty same old same old if you're eating it all winter long. For a deliciously different spin on an old favorite, why not add some cream to the chicken broth, and replace the noodles with wild rice? "This creamy chicken and wild rice soup," says recipe developer Christina Musgrave, "is an easy, delicious, and classic comfort food," plus there's always a chance that it will make you feel better when you're under the weather.

What makes this recipe different from some other cream-based soups is that it involves making a roux made of flour and butter, and stirring in some cream to create a béchamel sauce, which will help thicken up the soup. Musgrave explains that the sauce "needs to be made outside of the soup, or else it will get clumpy."

For starters, you'll need some wild rice. To make the soup itself, you'll need chicken stock, cooked shredded chicken, carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms. The additional ingredients include olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, as well as all-purpose flour, butter, and heavy cream. If you want a soup that is slightly lighter, Musgrave says "Half-and-half or milk can replace heavy cream in this recipe."

First, cook the wild rice in a sauce pan according to the package instructions. Make sure that you do not overcook it, though, as you don't want mushy rice in this soup. As Musgrave describes it, "Wild rice has a firmer bite than regular white rice," so it's important to retain that texture when you're cooking it.

While the rice cooks, heat the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven, then sautée the sliced carrots, chopped celery, chopped onion, and sliced mushrooms for 8 to 10 minutes. Once they have started to soften, season with the minced garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and the cooked chicken to the vegetables, then bring the soup to a simmer. 

While the soup simmers, melt the butter in a separate pan, then stir in the flour. Once the flour is well incorporated, add the cream, continuously stirring until your béchamel sauce thickens. When the sauce is nice and thick, stir the sauce and the cooked rice into the soup. Now your soup is ready to eat!

This recipe makes a decent-sized batch, but if you don't want to eat all the soup at once, Musgrave reassures us that it's okay to freeze the leftovers, despite the creamy component. While there may be a little separation once you thaw and re-heat the soup, it will still taste great.