During the cold months we like to make homemade soup on Sundays and we call it Soup Sunday. We love soup! One of my favorites to make is Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. I’ve been making this for years. There are so many ways you can customize this soup. The base is savory, salty and delicious. You can make it fast with a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and boxed broth, or you can slow-cook a whole bird and make your own broth and use that as the base. I either go the rotisserie route or I boil a package of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for a couple hours , then add in the rice, veggies and a box of broth. However you make it, it will have the same, delicious savory flavor–a bowl of warm comfort on a cold day.
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
1 store-bought pre-cooked whole rotisserie chicken OR 1 lb. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4 thighs)
1 box chicken broth (4 cups)
3 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
1/3 cup wild rice
1/3 cup brown rice
frozen peas or green beans (optional)
Dried marjoram, thyme, garlic powder and onion powder to taste
Kosher salt
4 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
Cook the rices together in 1-1/4 cup water (covered with about a half inch of water, following package directions (about 45 minutes of simmering). I cook this early on since whole grain rices take extra long to cook.
If you’re using raw chicken: fill a medium size dutch oven about half way with water and about 1 tbsp. kosher salt. Put chicken in and cook at a low boil for about an hour.
Once chicken is falling off the bone, remove it from the pan, chop or shred it into chunks and put it back into the pot. The liquid should have reduced significantly at this point so add in the box of broth, then the veggies and herbs plus some fresh-ground black pepper. Boil the veggies for about 10 minutes then add the cooked rice and the cream cheese. (It’s important to use room temperature cream cheese or it won’t melt into the soup properly.) Simmer for at least 15 minutes and stir well to incorporate the cream cheese. Taste for seasoning and add kosher salt and more herbs if necessary, then you are ready to serve!
If you are using pre-cooked rotisserie chicken: remove all of the meat from the bird and chop or shred it and set aside. In a dutch oven put a couple tablespoons of olive oil in the pan and heat on medium. Sautee the veggies for about 5 minutes until they start to brown. Add the garlic last and sautee for another minute or two. Add the box of broth and deglaze the pan, then stir in the rice and herbs. Simmer covered for at least 15 minutes but I usually let it go a little longer to really soak up all of the flavors in the pot. Add in the cream cheese, simmer for at least another 15 minutes, stirring well to incorporate. Taste for seasoning and add kosher salt and more herbs if necessary, then you are ready to serve!
