Chicken and Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
A creamy, comforting soup made with tender shredded chicken thighs and a deep, blended mushroom broth, studded with wild rice and a few reserved mushroom slices for texture. Perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner or meal prep for the week ahead.
Ingredients
Wild Rice
Vegetables and Mushrooms
Creamy Base
Chicken
Instructions
Cook the Wild Rice
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Add the wild rice blend, water, and salt to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the grains are tender with a slight chew. Drain off any extra water, cover, and set the rice aside while you build the soup.
Cook the Vegetables and Mushrooms
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Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they release their liquid and turn golden brown around the edges. Pour in the sherry and let it bubble away for about 30 seconds, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
Set Aside Some Mushrooms
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Scoop out about a third of the mushroom and vegetable mixture and set it aside in a bowl. This gives the finished soup some texture instead of being completely smooth. Leave the rest in the pot.
Blend the Base
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Pour 4 cups of the broth into the pot and bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes so the flavors meld. Remove the pot from the heat and blend the mixture until smooth using an immersion blender, or carefully transfer it to a stand blender in batches. The base should look creamy and uniform, with no large vegetable chunks left. Return it to the pot.
Poach the Chicken
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Add the remaining 1 cup of broth and the bay leaf to the pot, nestle in the chicken thighs, and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook for 18 to 22 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165 F in the thickest part. Move the chicken to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes, then discard the bay leaf.
Build the Roux
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While the chicken rests, sprinkle the flour, thyme, rosemary, and sage into a small saucepan with a pat of butter over medium heat. Whisk constantly for about 2 minutes, until lightly toasted and fragrant. The mixture will look thick and a little clumpy at this stage, this is normal. Ladle in a cup of the hot blended broth while whisking to loosen it, then pour the mixture back into the main pot, stirring until fully combined and slightly thickened.
Shred the Chicken
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Shred the rested chicken into bite-size pieces using two forks.
Finish the Soup
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Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the milk and cream, then add the shredded chicken, cooked wild rice, and the reserved mushroom mixture from earlier. Warm gently for about 5 minutes, until steaming hot, without letting the soup boil, this helps keep the dairy smooth. Season with the salt and pepper, then stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust as needed. The finished soup should be creamy, glossy, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, with visible pieces of chicken, mushroom, and rice throughout.
Note
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The rice will continue to absorb liquid as it sits, so the soup will thicken over time, stir in a splash of broth or milk when reheating to loosen it back up. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat or in the microwave in short bursts. For meal prep, keep the cooked rice in a separate container and add it to each portion when reheating to keep the texture fresh. If the soup ever looks slightly separated after reheating, whisk it gently while warming and it will come back together.
