Creamy Wild Rice Soup
Growing up in the Midwest, this soup was a very big part of my diet in the fall and winter months. The richness of the soup along with the heartiness of this recipe really warms and fills even the hungriest bellies. Wild Rice is a very popular and regional food that tastes really good surrounded by a rich chicken stock and vegetables. During the holidays, my mother would make a version that included leftover holiday turkey.
By using brown rice flour or corn starch instead of all-purpose flour as a thickener, this is a gluten free soup. Low fat milk may be substituted for whole milk but a thinner consistency may result. For a dairy free alternative, unsweetened soy milk, almond milk or cashew milk can be substituted.
There are many soups that include rice that softens as the soup simmers. There are a few reasons why I don’t like to do that with this specific recipe. One of the main reasons is that wild rice turns its cooking liquid a dark black or dark almost purple looking color when it cooks. In a soup that is made with milk, you don’t want any sort of dark grey or off color bleeding in the soup created by the rice. This soup cooks and tastes the best when you precook the wild rice according to the directions on the package. After the rice is done cooking, I make sure to drain the cooking liquid and then give the rice a fresh quick rinse with clean water.
Especially in the Fall, Winter and Spring, I love making soup. To throw together a delicious soup easily, its great to have vegetables like celery, carrots and onions always on hand. This recipe has one secret ingredient that really makes the difference in flavor too so the first time you make this, don’t omit the celery salt. Enjoy!
Wild Rice Soup
Delicious creamy and hearty soup with a light flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup carrots small diced
- 1 cup celery small diced
- 2 cups onion small diced
- 2 sprigs thyme chopped
- 3 cups chicken breast cooked and shredded
- 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice follow cooking directions on package
- 4 quarts unsalted chicken stock
- 2 tsps garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 Tablespoon white pepper
- 1 Tsp celery salt
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 or 3 dashes hot sauce optional
- 1 green onion chopped optional garnish
Instructions
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In a large soup pot, warm the olive oil for one minute on medium heat and add thyme, carrots, onions and celery.
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Slowly simmer for three to five minutes or until onions are soft and slightly translucent.
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Add chicken stock, chicken and rice to the vegetables and gently stir together on medium heat for five minutes.
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With the heat on medium low, slowly stir in the milk to the chicken and vegetables and then whisk in the brown rice flour. Stir until the soup thickens and there are no lumps of flour.
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Lastly, add the salt, garlic, celery salt, hot sauce and pepper. I would taste test the flavor to make sure its seasoned to your liking before serving. Depending on which chicken stock you use and which type of milk you use, you may have to adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately with some green onion garnish and some great crusty bread on the side. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
This soup does reheat nicely as long as you simmer on medium low heat. Any creamy soup like this cannot be rushed into heating up. Also, be sure to make the soup with precooked chicken and precooked or steamed wild rice. Thigh meat chicken, chicken breast or turkey breast meat would go nicely in this soup. Using chicken stock rather than chicken broth gives this soup a nicer flavor and consistency.
This recipe is my own. Please do not reproduce without permission of Chef Julie or Emeraldmenus.com. Images from Pixabay.com. This recipe does contain affiliate links which helps sustain the blog and grocery bills.
