The thing I love about Wild Rice Chicken Soup is how hearty it is.  Wild rice is an amazing grain to keep you satisfied and full.  Every time I make soup, I am always excited about the colors all the different vegetables create in the dish.  We know the more colors you eat, the healthier your meal is and the longer you will live!  The basic ingredients of onions, celery and carrots always make me happy!  I make sure I have these ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator at all times.

When making Wild Rice Chicken Soup, I like to cook the wild rice the night before.  It takes about 45 minutes for the rice to cook, but oh, what a delicious smell it provides.  Once the timer goes off, (I always use a timer), I turn off the heat and leave it on my stove.  In the morning, I have perfect rice and it only takes about 30-40 minutes to put the soup together.

How To Make 

Wild Rice Chicken Soup

1.  Cook the wild rice.  I started making this soup several years ago when I could purchase a wild rice mix from Costco.  They discontinued it and then I had to find a new place to buy it because everyone in my family loves this soup!  You can find a small package in the grocery store by the long grain rice, but I wanted several cups to keep in my pantry so I could make it any time I wanted.  

Where to Find Wild Rice?

Finally, I found it on one of my shopping trips to Sprouts in their huge bulk item area.  There is a wild rice mix with brown rice, white rice and wild rice that I buy. I usually purchase about 5 cups. 

As mentioned above, I cook the rice the night before since it needs to cook for 45 minutes.  I turn off the heat after the timer goes off and let it sit overnight on the stove.  I get up in the morning and make my soup and the rice is perfect!

2. Chop up the onion and celery and sauté in the butter.  It takes a few minutes to cook the vegetables and let the flavors marry with one another.  This adds a deep and satisfying flavor to your soup. Salt and pepper the vegetables in this stage to enhance their flavors. 
You can add the carrots and put in the chicken broth to cook the vegetables but you will miss a layer of flavor.

3.  When the vegetables are translucent, sprinkle on the flour.  You are making a roux at this point.  You have all the ingredients with the butter, flour and liquid.  Cook the flour for 2 minutes or more stirring occasionally to keep it from burning.  Get your chicken broth ready to pour in to the mixture.
This roux creates the thickness of the soup.  If you want your soup thicker, leave out some of the liquid.  If you like your soup thinner, add more of the liquid.  You will figure it out!  I believe in you!

If you have added carrots and the chicken broth, you will want to mix the flour together with 1/2 cup of milk and mix these two ingredients well.  You do not want any lumps.  As you pour this into your soup, stir until you get the thickness you want.

4. Pour the chicken broth* and the additional water into the pot.  Chicken broth is something I never purchase.  My pantry is not big enough to stock all the chicken stock I need. (See what I did there?)   *Instead, I purchase a bottle of chicken bouillon from Amazon and keep that in my cupboard.  I can make loads and loads of chicken broth from this one container and it takes up so little room. 

How to Make Your Own Chicken Stock

One cup of hot water to one cube bouillon is how you create chicken broth.  I add the water to my large soup pot and then dump in the chicken bouillon.  

I also really like Knorr Chicken Granules.  Here is a link on Amazon, but I also buy it in Latino markets.  They also carry the big bottle.  The ratio is one teaspoon granules to one cup hot water.

5.  At this point, add the sliced carrots.  Let them cook in the broth until tender.

6.  Add cooked, chopped chicken and the cooked wild rice.  Some times, while making soup, I  eyeball the amount of these ingredients. I am not always measuring exactly.  Usually I want more chicken and rice than what the recipe calls for.  If you are a new chef, sometimes you just need someone to say, I give you permission to add more wild rice or more chicken if you want. The soup will turn out great. (There I said it, I give you permission!) 

 7.  Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer  for 20 minutes. The flavors need time to mix and create a robust soup.

To Simmer, or Not To Simmer and Eat?

8.  Mix the milk and cream together and then pour into the soup.  You can substitute half and half for this step if you prefer. I never have half and half at my house nor do I buy it.  I always have a large container of heavy cream so I create my own half and half, you know, half milk, half cream.  

9. Simmer at a very low temperature for another 20 minutes!

Here are a few products I like to use when making Wild Rice Soup.

  Let me know on Instagram or Pinterest if you make this.
  Post a picture and tag me @dinasdiner.  I want to know how it turns out.

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