Fall Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
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This cozy chicken and wild rice soup is a must for fall! With tender shredded chicken, wild rice, and butternut squash (or sweet potato)!
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Why you’ll love this Fall Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- True comfort in a bowl. Say hello to a cozy fall soup you’ll want to slurp right up in your favorite sweater and with all the crusty bread. With shredded chicken, seasonal fall vegetables, wild rice, sneaked in leafy greens and the most flavorful broth, this is really just one of those soups meant to be made all year long. It’s cozy, it’s hearty, and it’s true comfort in a bowl.
- Completely customizable. You can add in as little or as much veggies to your liking, making it so customizable and adaptable to what you have on hand for a true clean-out-the-fridge meal.
- Leftovers taste even better. Similar to lasagna, the leftover soup tastes eve better the next day, letting all the flavors marry overnight!
Ingredients
Butter
For a little bit of richness.
Veggies
Mushrooms, onion, and celery are added for texture, flavor, and extra heartiness. Mushrooms can be diced very finely (if you are not the biggest fan), or they can be omitted completely.
Garlic and thyme
For all the flavor! You can easily substitute dried thyme if you do not have fresh thyme sprigs on hand.
Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are always a favorite around here but chicken breasts can be substituted as well as leftover rotisserie chicken for a quick dinner shortcut.
Chicken stock
I love using homemade chicken stock as I always keep a full stash in the freezer. When using store-bought, I recommend using a high quality brand. This is one of my personal favorites!
Wild rice
Lundberg is always my go-to.
Butternut squash
This is a seasonal favorite! Sweet potato (or a combination of both) is also a great option.
Kale
Sneak in all the leafy greens! If kale is not to your liking, swap with baby spinach.
How to make Fall Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Sauté the mushrooms. Brown the mushrooms alongside the onion and celery in a Dutch oven over medium heat in melted butter until tender.
- Add the aromatics. Stir in the garlic and thyme until fragrant.
- Combine. Stir in the chicken thighs, chicken stock, rinsed wild rice, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer. Reduce the heat and bring to a simmer, covered, to let the flavors marry, about 20 minutes.
- Add the butternut squash. Stir in the butternut squash or sweet potato and simmer again, covered, until the chicken is cooked through (165°F) and the wild rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Shred the chicken. Carefully remove the chicken and shred using two forks. Pro-tip: use a hand mixer to quickly shred the chicken in minutes.
- Return the chicken. Return the shredded chicken to the soup, and stir in the kale, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Serve. Serve warm, ladled into bowls, alongside crusty bread for sopping.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP
Tools For This Recipe
Fall Chicken and Wild Rice Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful shredded chicken. Leftover rotisserie chicken also works well (a great weeknight shortcut!).
Always rinse the wild rice first to wash away dust, debris, and loose starch.
Absolutely! You can substitute sweet potatoes for the same amount, about 2 cups diced.
Spinach, cabbage, swiss chard, and collard greens are all excellent alternatives.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, gently reheating on the stovetop with a splash of water or stock as needed.
Fall Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 6 cups chicken stock
- ¾ cup wild rice blend, rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups diced butternut squash or sweet potato
- ½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken, chicken stock, wild rice, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until flavors have blended, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in butternut squash or sweet potato; simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the Dutch oven; shred, using two forks.
- Stir in chicken and kale until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Swap for dried herbs. When using dried herbs instead of fresh, use 1 teaspoon dried for every one tablespoon of fresh herbs.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your wild rice soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Repurpose leftover rotisserie chicken. For a time-saving shortcut, substitute leftover rotisserie chicken (for the chicken thighs), shredding and stirring in at the end of cooking time until warmed through.
- Use a wild rice blend. Choose a wild rice and brown rice blend (like this one) instead of 100% pure wild rice which can turn the soup purple. A wild rice blend is also cheaper and cooks through much faster.
- Rinse first. Rinse the wild rice blend first in a fine-mesh strainer under cold water to remove any dust, dirt, or debris.
- Add extra stock when reheating. The wild rice will continue to absorb the liquid as it sits in the fridge. When reheating leftovers, add a small splash of water or stock.
Did you make this recipe?
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I love this soup, I made it several times. I actually make a lot from your website, its so good. But I wonder if maybe I could adapt this particular recipe to a slow cooker? Any suggestions? Have you tried this? Any suggestions if so?
This is really good!
button mushrooms or shiitake?
i love shiitake mushroom in soup
This is so DELICIOUS! We will be making this soup again & again. We used left over beer can chicken my husband had cooked, other wise we followed the recipe. YUM!!!!
Equally good compared to her normal chicken and wild rice soup recipe. I create a rioux with flour and cream sherry to thicken—soo good
Not a big fan of rice. Can quinoa be substituted?
Absolutely!
Excellent soup with a great flavor. Easy to make
If using rotisserie chicken, should I add later?
Yes! You can add it with the kale until heated through. 🙂