Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms is a delicious and cozy Autumn soup. Made with easy ingredients, such as wild rice and chicken, this heart-warming dish is gluten-free and packed with vegetables and protein.
Rinse the wild rice really well under cold water for about 1 minute.
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Add wild rice and cook according to package instructions.
That usually means cooking 1 cup of wild rice blend in 2 or 3 cups of water for 45 minutes or 1 hour.
Cook mushrooms
In the meantime, proceed with the recipe. Note: In the ingredients list, I have mushrooms listed twice. Once - under the Mushrooms section, the second time under - Vegetables and Broth. A total of 12 oz of mushrooms are used in this recipe. In this section, you are cooking half of the mushrooms - 6 oz.
In a large, high-sided stockpot (I used Staub braiser), heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add 6 oz of sliced mushrooms. Season generously with salt.
Allow the mushrooms to cook for about 3 or 5 minutes, without moving them. At this point, the mushrooms will release juices, give them one more stir for 1 minute on low-medium heat. Remove to a plate.
Cook chicken
To the same, now empty, stockpot, add another 1 tablespoon olive oil over high-medium heat. Season the chicken breasts with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Briefly sear the chicken - 1 or 2 minutes per side. No need to cook it through, just sear it. The chicken will continue cooking in the broth.
Make broth
To the same stockpot with seared chicken (it's still uncooked in the middle), add chopped sweet potato, the remaining half (6 oz) of uncooked, sliced mushrooms, and minced garlic.
Add Italian seasoning, paprika, red pepper flakes, and salt.
Add 5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth, or water). Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer (visible boiling on low or low medium heat).
Simmer for 15 or 20 minutes until the chicken and sweet potatoes are cooked through.
Assemble
Remove the cooked chicken from the stockpot, and shred it or slice it finely. Add sliced or shredded chicken back to the stockpot.
Add cooked wild rice. Season with more salt and red pepper flakes, if desired. Reheat on low heat.
Remove from heat. Add heavy cream off heat.
Presentation
Pour the soup into individual bowls.
Top the bowls with reserved cooked mushrooms and fresh thyme.
Notes
Salt. I use Morton table salt.
What if the cream separated? You will notice that as the soup cools off, the cream separates and looks grainy. This is normal. Once you reheat the soup, the soup will regain its proper texture.
Want to make this ahead? Do not add cream. Add cream only when you are ready to serve. See more tips on how to store and reheat this soup above the recipe card.
Do not freeze this soup with cream in it. Cream tends to separate if frozen. If you would like to freeze this soup, freeze it without the cream and add the cream when ready to serve. I have many helpful tips above the recipe card about how to freeze this soup.
How to make soup dairy-free. Make this soup dairy-free by using unsweetened coconut milk instead of heavy cream.