Chicken Wild Rice Soup
fromsimplyhealthyeats.comsimplyhealthyeats.com/chicken-wild-rice-soup
Warm up with Mike's soul-satisfying Chicken Wild Rice Soup recipe! A creamy, one-pot wonder with tender chicken & nutty wild rice. Easy to make & perfect for chilly nights.
Ingredients
Instructions
Start by heating the olive oil or butter in your large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once it's shimmering (or the butter is foaming), add the diced onion, carrots, celery, and leek. You'll want to cook these, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the vegetables have softened nicely. They shouldn't take on much color—we're just softening them to release their sweetness.
Add the minced garlic and thyme, and cook for just one more minute, until the garlic becomes fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic! Then, stir in the rinsed wild rice blend, coating it in the oil and vegetable mixture. This toasts the rice slightly, which helps it maintain a better texture as it cooks.
Pour in the white wine (if using) and use your wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it bubble away for about 2 minutes, allowing the alcohol to cook off. Then, add the chicken broth, the whole chicken thighs, and the bay leaf. Bring everything to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer gently for about 35-40 minutes. You're looking for the wild rice to be tender and popped open, and the chicken thighs to be cooked through and easily shreddable.
Carefully remove the chicken thighs from the pot and place them on a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Meanwhile, remove and discard the bay leaf from the soup.
Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot. Now, reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. Slowly stir in the heavy cream. The trick is to not let the soup boil after adding the cream, as it could potentially curdle. You just want to heat it through.
Taste the soup—this is the most important step! Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. The amount of salt needed will depend on how salty your broth was to begin with, so go slowly, taste, and adjust. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley, and serve immediately.
