So I know we’re officially entering the summer season this week, but warmer weather doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a hearty bowl of soup every once in a while, like this insanely delish Chicken & Wild Rice Soup.
Loaded with the freshest, herby flavors, packed with protein and healthy whole grains, it’s a gluten-free, dairy-free soup you’ll find yourself craving year-round. So simple to make, and you can easily double batch it to freeze or keep in the fridge for any day you need a quick and comforting lunch or dinner.
DELICIOUSLY NOURISHING SOUP
They say “chicken soup is good for the soul”, but Chicken & Wild Rice Soup? Such a deliciously nourishing classic. Especially if, like me, you’re in your postpartum era (and newborn baby bliss!).
I won’t get too deep into it here, but how you nourish your body in the postpartum period is so important for not just your own health and wellbeing, but for your baby’s growth and development too if you’re breastfeeding.
Fueling your body with a well-balanced diet that includes all the fruits + veggies, whole grains, lean and high-protein foods is so beneficial in the recovery process.
And it’s honestly not too far off from a typically healthy eating plan that would benefit anyone, postpartum or not. If you’re interested in reading more about pregnancy and nutrition, I have tabs on my site for each with a bunch of helpful blog posts here (Pregnancy) and here (Nutrition).
HEARTY AND WHOLESOME
Back to the soup though! I mentioned all of that because this soup is a great example of a warm, hearty and wholesome soup anyone and everyone will enjoy and can feel good about eating.
Made with nutrient-rich veggies like carrots and onions, minced garlic, fiber-filled wild rice, GF cassava flour and all the tasty, antioxidant-packed herbs and seasonings like salt + pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley, it’s just too good.
Not to mention it’s also high in protein thanks to the shredded chicken and collagen + immune-boosting bone broth.
And one more thing: the fresh, slightly citrusy taste you’ll get from the squeezed lemon + zest? Like I said, it’s the most deliciously nourishing soup. Tell me your mouth isn’t watering!
A COZY, CLASSIC CHICKEN & WILD RICE SOUP
If you ask me, soup season definitely isn’t over just because the winter months are behind us. Much like a staple summer sweater all us girlies keep in our closets, this Chicken & Wild Rice Soup is like the foodie equivalent, aka a cozy classic.
I hope you enjoy this flavorful, filling and nourishing soup as much as I do. If you do, I definitely recommend double batching it the next time you make it so you have lunch or dinner for days. Let me know what you think below!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
- Ghee
- Yellow onion
- Carrots
- Garlic cloves
- Cassava flour (or substitute Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour)
- Kosher salt
- Dried oregano
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Low-sodium chicken bone broth (I like Kettle & Fire)
- Wild rice, rinsed and drained* (see note in How To Make section below)
- Fresh thyme
- Bay leaves
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh sage
- Pre-cooked, shredded chicken
- Lemon zest
- Fresh lemon juice
- Fresh parsley
HOW TO MAKE MY CHICKEN & WILD RICE SOUP
*It’s important that you rinse and drain your rice before adding the grains to the soup. This helps wash off any excess starch that can make the rice gummy as it cooks.
Heat the ghee over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Once melted, add in the onions and carrots. Stir to combine and cook until the veggies sweat down and become tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Once tender, add in the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about one more minute. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir to combine. Add in the salt, dried oregano, and pepper. Cook intermittently until the flour is slightly toasted, about 1 minute.
Carefully pour in the bone broth and stir to combine, scraping off any browned bits on the bottom of the pan using a wooden spatula.
Add in the rice, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, and sage. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 25 minutes, until the rice is tender.
After cooking for 25 minutes, add in the chicken. Stir to combine and continue to cook, covered, for an additional 10 minutes.
Once the soup is finished, remove it from the heat and remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley. Stir to combine.
Serve immediately alongside toasted sourdough. Enjoy!
To Store:
If you are not serving immediately, you can easily freeze the soup. It’s important to allow the soup to cool entirely before packaging in an airtight container and storing it in the fridge, where it will last up to 3 – 4 days, or freezer, where it will last up to 3 months.
If you intend to freeze the soup, make sure there is a 1/2-inch clearance between the top of the soup and the container lid. Otherwise, the soup will swell, and your container could break.
RECIPE SUBSTITUTIONS & QUESTIONS
Here are a few substitution suggestions, tips and tricks for this Chicken & Wild Rice Soup.
For starters, many grocery stores sell fresh herbs in a trio called “Poultry Blend” which includes thyme, sage, and rosemary. This will save you from having to buy a package of each, and who doesn’t love a save vs. splurge moment?!
If no dietary concerns, feel free to use regular butter (organic, grass-fed ideally) instead of ghee, and regular flour instead of the cassava flour or GF All-Purpose Flour (both are great GF options, though!).
For obvious reasons, wild rice is the rice of choice here, but option to try with your favorite rice, or even quinoa if you prefer. Note the cook time/process may vary depending which grain you choose.
I prefer to make with bone broth for the added nutrients/benefits, but regular chicken (or veggie) broth should also work. And for the chicken, you can either pre-cook and shred your chicken, or buy a rotisserie chicken from the store and shred at home.
Serve with your favorite toasted bread, crackers or side salad.
WHY USE BAY LEAVES IN SOUP?
A bay leaf is a spice that has a light, herbal flavor and is commonly used in soups, stews, or braises. They’re used because they add a little more depth and subtle flavor layer to whatever is being cooked. Essentially, including bay leaves really just helps to elevate and enhance the flavor.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BONE BROTH, STOCK AND REGULAR BROTH?
Bone broth, stock, broth – I get it, there’s so many options out there it’s hard to know what the difference is. Typically, bone broth contains more vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other health-promoting nutrients per serving than soup stock, but either works. I got you, though! I have a whole blog post on the differences between the three HERE.
And if you’re interested in making homemade bone broth, it’s typically made by simmering marrow-rich animal bones – like chicken, beef, or turkey – for hours, usually with a variety of vegetables and herbs.
LOVE THIS CHICKEN & WILD RICE SOUP? HERE’S MORE DELICIOUS SOUPS TO TRY:
Shredded Chicken Verde Bone Broth Soup
Sausage, White Bean & Kale Soup
Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Equipment
- large pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced, (about 2 cups)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced, (about 1 ½ cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons cassava flour, (or substitute Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken bone broth, (I like Kettle & Fire)
- 1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained* (see note in Instructions)
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
- 3 cups shredded pre-cooked chicken
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- *It’s important that you rinse and drain your rice before adding the grains to the soup. This helps wash off any excess starch that can make the rice gummy as it cooks.Heat the ghee over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Once melted, add in the onions and carrots. Stir to combine and cook until the veggies sweat down and become tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Once tender, add in the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about one more minute. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir to combine. Add in the salt, dried oregano, and pepper. Cook intermittently until the flour is slightly toasted, about 1 minute.
- Carefully pour in the bone broth and stir to combine, scraping off any browned bits on the bottom of the pan using a wooden spatula.
- Add in the rice, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, and sage. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 25 minutes, until the rice is tender.
- After cooking for 25 minutes, add in the chicken. Stir to combine and continue to cook, covered, for an additional 10 minutes.
- Once the soup is finished, remove it from the heat and remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley. Stir to combine.
- Serve immediately alongside toasted sourdough. Enjoy!
To Store:
- If you are not serving immediately, you can easily freeze the soup. It’s important to allow the soup to cool entirely before packaging in an airtight container and storing it in the fridge, where it will last up to 3 – 4 days, or freezer, where it will last up to 3 months.
- If you intend to freeze the soup, make sure there is a 1/2-inch clearance between the top of the soup and the container lid. Otherwise, the soup will swell, and your container could break.
Yum! This was delicious! I didn’t have safe or a bay leaf – so I omitted them and it still tasted so yummy! I also used 90 second brown rice with garlic quinoa and a rotisserie chicken to cut down on time. It took about 10 minutes for the onions, carrots, flour portion – then another 10 minutes for the rest! You could probably cut down the broth (vegetable for me) to 5 or 6 cups if you like your soup to be thicker like me. This was so good and definitely will be on menu repeat for the fall and winter.