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Overhead bowl of chicken and wild rice soup with parsley
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Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Recipe

A lightly creamy chicken and wild rice soup with carrots, celery, thyme, and milk instead of heavy cream.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 309.2
Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts 454 g, about 2 medium breasts
  • 1 cup dry pure wild rice 160 g, rinsed; not a rice blend
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion diced, about 150 g
  • 2 medium carrots diced, about 150 g
  • 2 celery stalks diced, about 100 g
  • 3 garlic cloves minced, about 9 g
  • 6 cups unsalted chicken broth 1.44 liters
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf remove before serving
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt 4.5 g
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter 28 g
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour 24 g
  • 1 cup 2% milk 244 g
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Heavy pot with lid 5 to 6 quarts
  • 1 Small saucepan for the milk sauce
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 Instant-read thermometer

Method
 

  1. Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat. Cook onion, carrots, and celery for 7–8 minutes, stirring, until starting to soften. Add garlic and thyme and cook 30 seconds.
  2. Add rinsed wild rice, broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady gentle simmer. Cover partly and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add whole chicken breasts, submerging them in the broth. Return to a gentle simmer and cook 18–25 minutes, until each breast reaches 165°F in the thickest part. Remove cooked chicken to a clean plate. Continue simmering rice if needed until tender with a pleasant chew and many grains split, usually 45–55 minutes total rice cooking. Add a little hot water if evaporation leaves too little broth.
  4. Meanwhile melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth, then cook 3–5 minutes, stirring, until lightly thickened. Do not scorch.
  5. Shred cooked chicken with two forks. Remove bay leaf from soup. Stir the milk mixture and shredded chicken into the tender rice soup and simmer gently 3–5 minutes, stirring, until evenly hot. Thin with a little hot water if needed. Divide into six servings and top with parsley.
  6. Refrigerate in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Keep at 40°F or below and use within 3–4 days. Reheat with a little water, stirring until the entire portion reaches 165°F.

Video

Notes

Contains wheat and milk. Use pure wild rice, not instant rice or a seasoned blend. Timing varies by rice brand and chicken thickness; follow tenderness and thermometer checks. Nutrition is estimated for one-sixth of the pot with unsalted broth and measured salt, excluding sides. Broth values labeled less than 1 g carbohydrate or sugar per cup are modeled at 0.5 g each.
Related video credit: Laura Vitale, Laura in the Kitchen. Her creamy chicken and wild rice soup uses mushrooms, seared cubed chicken, and more milk. This version omits mushrooms, poaches whole breasts partway through the rice simmer, and adds a separate milk-and-flour sauce at the end. Use this card for quantities and timing.