Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Chicken Wild Rice Soup is one of those quintessential Minnesota meals, like Tater Tot Hotdish and steaming bowls of Booyah. I first made this recipe after Blake and I were married, and I tweaked it for years until we both deemed it perfect. This was “our” chicken wild rice soup recipe! It has a lightly creamy base, and it’s loaded with chicken (or turkey if you prefer), vegetables, and hearty, nutty wild rice. A sprinkling of fresh herbs brings the flavors together in the most beautiful way. We hope you like it as much as we do!

What You’ll Need

Wild rice, chicken (or turkey), and vegetables are the stars of this hearty soup recipe. Here’s everything you’ll need. Scroll to the printable recipe card below the post for the exact ingredient amounts.

• Wild rice – I recommend authentic, Minnesota whole-grain wild rice for this recipe. Look for packages that say “whole” or “not cracked” for the best appearance and texture.
• Butter – Unsalted butter gives you more control over the soup’s salt content.
• Vegetables – Yellow onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic.
• Chicken broth – I always use a low-sodium broth or stock. Vegetable broth is another option.
• Half & half – Adds the perfect touch of creaminess to the soup base. If you prefer a richer soup, use heavy cream instead.
• Soy sauce – I LOVE using umami-rich soy sauce as a flavor booster in soups; if you need this soup to be gluten-free, use tamari sauce or liquid aminos. You can also use Worcestershire sauce.
• Herbs – A bay leaf, plus fresh thyme and parsley perfectly flavor the soup. You could also use dried thyme and parsley, at half the amount.
• Chicken – Either roast or grill some chicken breasts, or use leftover cooked chicken and shred it. Wild rice soup is also a great way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Smoked or grilled turkey is especially wonderful in this soup, a favorite at our house!
• Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice is added right at the end to give a little brightness!

What is Wild Rice?

Fun fact: Wild rice isn’t related to regular rice at all. It’s an aquatic grass native to North America, and the official state grain of Minnesota. In Minnesota, wild rice is hand-harvested in shallow lakes and rivers and then dried over fire. When cooked, the hard outer shell splits and curls. This gives the grain a tender, chewy texture. Combined with wild rice’s smoky, earthy, wonderfully nutty flavor, we can’t get enough!

How to Make Chicken Wild Rice Soup

There’s just nothing quite as comforting as a pot of soup simmering on the stovetop on a cold winter day. Here’s a quick step-by-step to show you how to make this easy chicken wild rice soup. Scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.

• Prepare the wild rice. Start by cooking the wild rice according to the package instructions. It usually takes 50 to 60 minutes for it to split open. Don’t rush this step.
• Sauté the vegetables. In a large pot, melt the butter and add the vegetables and garlic. Cook until the onion is transparent.

• Add the flour & broth. Stir in the flour until it bubbles, then add the broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a low boil for one minute.

• Simmer. Add the cooked wild rice, half & half, soy sauce, salt & pepper, herbs, and chicken (or turkey). Simmer for 20 minutes, or until everything is heated through and the flavors come together.
• Taste and serve. Stir in the fresh lemon juice and taste to see if you’d like more salt and pepper. Then serve and enjoy!

Tips and Variations

This comforting soup is easy to make, but here are a few things to keep in mind.

• Take time to cook the rice. Make sure that the rice cooks long enough that the hard outer shell cracks open. The majority of the rice must be split open with some having a curled appearance.
• Use whole-grain wild rice. While you can buy cracked wild rice, it’s just not as beautiful as whole grains and doesn’t give the same texture to the soup. Also avoid mixes that contain other varieties of rice — these usually have very little actual wild rice, which is why they are so inexpensive.
• Cook the wild rice in advance. The wild rice can be prepared a day or two ahead of making the rest of the soup. Store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. This will speed up the cooking time for the rest of the soup if you’ll be pressed for time on the day you want to serve it.
• Switch up the veggies. This is a great recipe for adding in the veggies that you already have on hand. Green beans and corn would both be great additions. You could even stir in some spinach or kale.
• Adjust the creaminess. If you like a super creamy soup, use more half & half. Or even use some heavy cream. If you like the broth thinner, reduce the amount of cream or add more broth.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

• Refrigerator: Leftover wild rice soup keeps well for about 5 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container.
• Freezer: I LOVE making a double batch of this soup and freezing half of it. Allow it to cool completely then transfer to freezer-safe containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
• Reheat: Thaw frozen chicken wild rice soup overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stovetop. Add additional chicken broth if necessary; it’s common for soups to thicken during storage, so don’t be surprised if you need to thin it out a bit.