Hearty Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Super delicious from-scratch chicken soup loaded with carrots, mushrooms, and wild rice.
Ingredients
  • 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on (you can also use breast meat but for the most flavor the more dark meat you cook the better)
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1½ teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or about 1 teaspoon dried)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • ½ cup celery diced
  • 1 cup mushrooms, coarsely chopped
  • 2½ cups cooked wild or brown rice (see note)
Instructions
  1. Place the chicken in a 4 quart stock pot (larger is fine) and cover it with water plus another inch or so. Add the salt, pepper, and rosemary and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
  2. Remove the chicken from the liquid with a slotted spoon and place it on a cutting board to rest.
  3. Pour the remaining broth into a large liquid measuring cup or bowl. I like to pour mint through a strainer to remove any loose chicken bits and the rosemary sprigs. Set the broth aside.
  4. Place the pot back on the stove and heat the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms. Cook until they begin to brown.
  5. Pour the reserved broth back into the pan. Bring it to a simmer and add your rice.
  6. You may need to add more liquid. The chicken broth you made should be pretty concentrated so adding a little water to get the right consistency is fine.
  7. While all this is going on, pull apart your chicken. Remove the skin and the bones and shred the meat. Add the chicken to the pot. Continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes. Serve hot!
Notes
I used a blend of leftover cooked brown rice and long grain wild rice in the soup photos here. If you don't have cooked rice hanging around I'd recommend adding 1 cup of uncooked wild rice when you add the chicken back to the pot. Let the soup simmer until the rice is cooked through.
If you are in a hurry you can use purchased chicken broth for your soup, in addition to leftover or already prepared chicken (such as a rotisserie from the grocery store. Just skip steps 1 - 3, add the broth to the vegetables, then add the chicken. You can use minute rice and be ready to go in 30 minutes or less!
Recipe by Sugar Dish Me at https://www.sugardishme.com/hearty-chicken-wild-rice-soup/