Recipe: Cozy Up With Some Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Wild rice has been a staple of the northern portion of our country for thousands of years. Members of the Ojibwe tribe harvested it from the Great Lakes region long before Minnesota was even a state. In the 1970s, Minnesota even made wild rice the official state grain (who knew there was such a thing?).  

Once summer fades into fall and the cooler weather and snow blows in, our minds naturally drift to warmer, cozier meals. This is the time of year when I make a lot of hot dishes, soup and other oven-baked meals.  

One of our absolute favorite soups to make is chicken wild rice soup. The chicken in my recipe can be substituted for turkey or even goose.  

Serves: 6 

Ingredients 

• 1 lb of chicken, cooked and cubed 
• 3 cups cooked wild rice 
• 1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup 
• 64 oz chicken broth 
• 3 ribs of celery, chopped in 1/4-inch pieces 
• 2 large carrots, grated 
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced 
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped 
• 1 tsp of chicken bouillon  
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic  
• 1 tsp. dried parsley 
• 1/4 cup organic all-purpose flour 
• 1/4 cup butter 
• Salt, optional 
• Fresh ground black pepper, optional 
• Slivered almonds, optional 

Read more: Warm up your winter day with a pot of this chicken and vegetable soup!

Preparation 

Pre-cook the chicken and wild rice.  

In a large pot, combine chicken broth, garlic, celery, carrots, mushrooms, onions and chicken bullion. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. 

In another large pot, make a roux with the butter and flour. Whisk continually until it creates a paste. Slowly pour in the veggies and broth, and stir well. Increase the heat to high and stir for two to three minutes, until the soup thickens.  

Add in the chicken, cream of mushroom soup, parsley and rice. Heat thoroughly and enjoy. 

Serve with slivered almonds. 

Notes 

If using goose for this recipe, cook it in a crockpot to tenderize it. Pull it apart before mixing into the soup. 

Skip the dried parsley if you have fresh. Instead, simply garnish the soup  before serving.