Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is an easy dinner recipe or quick lunch option that's ready in about 30 minutes!

Total Time: 30 minutes

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Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is an easy dinner recipe or quick lunch option that’s ready in about 30 minutes! The rich, creamy broth is full of hearty vegetables and lean protein for a satisfying and cozy meal that can be prepared in advance. Curl up with a warm bowl of soup on your next evening at home!

The Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup at Panera Bread is such a great dish — but it’s only served on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. This easy copycat recipe comes together as quickly as you can get to the restaurant — and it’s available any night of the week!

How to make creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup:

Thanks to shortcuts like microwaveable wild rice and a store-bought rotisserie chicken, this homemade soup is on the table in about 30 minutes.

What is in Chicken and Wild Rice Soup:

• Butter and olive oil
• Onion, mushrooms, celery and garlic
• All-purpose flour
• Thyme, salt and pepper
• Chicken broth
• Cooked chicken
• Cooked wild rice
• Half-and-half cream

First, sauté the mushrooms, onion, celery and garlic in the butter and olive oil until tender.

Stir in the flour, thyme, salt and pepper until blended, and then slowly add the broth. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes (or until thickened).

Reduce the heat to low, and then add the chicken, cooked rice, and half-and-half.

By the way — I love to use these microwaveable Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice packets. They are an easy shortcut, they each include 2 cups (so there’s no measuring necessary, just dump them into the pot after microwaving), and they include herbs and seasonings that give your soup extra flavor.

Stir the soup over low heat, just until it’s warmed through — be careful not to let it boil. Finally, season with salt and pepper (to taste), and serve!

What to serve with Chicken and Wild Rice Soup:

There are plenty of easy sides that go well with this soup. Here are a few options to get you started:

• Cornbread or corn muffins
• Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
• Crusty sourdough toast with butter or a French baguette
• No-Knead 3-Ingredient Beer Bread
• A simple green salad dressed with Buttermilk Dressing
• 3-Ingredient Breadsticks

Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:

• Panera’s version of Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice soup includes carrots rather than mushrooms. Feel free to omit the mushrooms in this recipe and substitute with 2 large carrots that have been peeled and diced.
• Use leftover turkey in this recipe instead of the chicken. It’s a great way to take advantage of Thanksgiving leftovers!
• If you prefer a chicken and wild rice soup that’s dairy free and has no cream, try this recipe (just swap the turkey out and use chicken instead). That’s a healthy chicken wild rice soup!
• I used low-fat half-and-half here, but you can also use heavy cream, regular half-and-half, or even fat-free half-and-half.
• For the chicken, you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken from another meal, or store-bought cooked, diced chicken (such as Perdue ShortCuts or Tyson Grilled n’ Ready). If you prefer to cook your chicken at home, use about 2 lbs. of raw chicken tenders (breast meat is fine too, but the tenders cook faster). My preferred cooking method is to place the chicken tenders in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Cover with foil and bake in a 400 degrees F (200C) oven for about 30 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through). Allow to cool before chopping and using in the recipe.
• How long does this soup keep? The soup will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• How to reheat the soup: Place the soup in a saucepan over low heat. Warm just until heated through — be careful not to let the soup boil or the cream may curdle.
• Can chicken and wild rice soup be frozen? I do not recommend freezing this soup. When thawed, the cream in the broth may “break,” giving the soup an odd texture.
• Cooking for a smaller family? This recipe yields about 12 cups of soup. To serve a smaller group, cut all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the instructions remain the same.

More easy soup recipes that you might enjoy:

• Wild Rice and Leftover Turkey Soup (no cream)
• Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup (for the slow cooker, stovetop or Instant Pot)
• Grandmother’s Hamburger Soup
• Bean Soup (for the slow cooker, stovetop or Instant Pot)

Did you try this recipe? Don’t forget to rate it and leave me a comment below! You can follow me on Facebook, on Instagram, on Pinterest, and on Twitter!

5 from 5 votes

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Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is an easy dinner recipe or quick lunch option that's ready in about 30 minutes!

Course Lunch or Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken and wild rice soup, cream of chicken and wild rice soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 12 cups

Calories 210.3 kcal

Author Blair

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
• ½ cup diced celery (about 1 large stalk)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups cooked, diced chicken
• 4 cups cooked wild rice (I used two pouches of Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice, which includes seasoning, cooked according to package instructions)
• 2 cups half-and-half cream (I used low-fat half-and-half, but you can also use heavy cream, regular half-and-half, or even fat-free half-and-half)

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven, saute the mushrooms, onion, celery and garlic in butter and olive oil until tender (about 7 minutes). Stir in the flour, thyme, salt and pepper until blended. Slowly add the broth.
2. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low; add chicken, cooked rice and half-and-half. Stir over low heat, just until warmed through (do not boil). Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.

Recipe Notes

• Panera’s version of Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice soup includes carrots rather than mushrooms. Feel free to omit the mushrooms in this recipe and substitute with 2 large carrots that have been peeled and diced.
• Use leftover turkey in this recipe instead of the chicken. It’s a great way to take advantage of Thanksgiving leftovers!
• If you prefer a chicken and wild rice soup that’s dairy free and has no cream, try this recipe (just swap the turkey out and use chicken instead). That’s a healthy chicken wild rice soup!
• I used low-fat half-and-half here, but you can also use heavy cream, regular half-and-half, or even fat-free half-and-half.
• I recommend using the Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice microwaveable long grain and wild rice blend because it’s an easy shortcut that includes herbs and seasonings to add more flavor to your soup. If you can’t find these microwaveable rice packets, you can substitute with other similar brands or boil your own wild rice on the stovetop. Again, the included seasoning packet adds extra flavor to the soup — so don’t skip it!
• For the chicken, you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken from another meal, or store-bought cooked, diced chicken (such as Perdue ShortCuts or Tyson Grilled n’ Ready). If you prefer to cook your chicken at home, use about 2 lbs. of raw chicken tenders (breast meat is fine too, but the tenders cook faster). My preferred cooking method is to place the chicken tenders in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Cover with foil and bake in a 400 degrees F (200C) oven for about 30 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through). Allow to cool before chopping and using in the recipe.
• How long does this soup keep? The soup will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• How to reheat the soup: Place the soup in a saucepan over low heat. Warm just until heated through — be careful not to let the soup boil or the cream may curdle.
• Can chicken and wild rice soup be frozen? I do not recommend freezing this soup. When thawed, the cream in the broth may “break,” giving the soup an odd texture.
• Cooking for a smaller family? This recipe yields about 12 cups of soup. To serve a smaller group, cut all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the instructions remain the same.

Nutrition Facts

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 210.3 Calories from Fat 74

% Daily Value*

Fat 8.2g13%

Saturated Fat 3.3g21%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7g

Monounsaturated Fat 2.7g

Cholesterol 39.5mg13%

Sodium 711.4mg31%

Potassium 395.5mg11%

Carbohydrates 17.3g6%

Fiber 1.4g6%

Sugar 2.2g2%

Protein 14.6g29%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.