Herb Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

ceramic bowl with chicken and rice soup in it on dark background with gray napkin next to it.

Herb Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Learn how to make healthy chicken and wild rice soup! This flavorful soup is filled with a rich broth that's slowly simmered, accents of chopped vegetables, and lots of fresh herbs. It's gluten-free friendly and perfect for fall/winter!

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken and rice soup, chicken and wild rice soup, healthy chicken and rice soup

Freezer Friendly Yes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings cup

Calories 323kcal

Author Bethany Kramer

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon oil
4 boneless/skinless chicken thighs
1 yellow onion medium in size or half a large onion
2 cups carrots, diced
2 cup celery, diced
3 garlic cloves
6 cups chicken broth, low sodium
1/2 cup dried wild rice see notes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
salt & pepper to taste see notes

Instructions

Brown the chicken: in a large heavy pot, brown the chicken in oil for about 3 minutes on each side.
Saute the veggies: remove the brown chicken from the pot and set it aside. Add the diced onions, celery, carrots, and garlic with a pinch of salt to the same pot, saute until soft (about 5 minutes). Tip: do not wipe out the pot after removing the chicken. Cooking the veggies in the oil and with the "bits" of chicken is a simple way to add flavor!
Add remaining ingredients: after cooking the vegetables, add the chicken back to the pot, along with chicken broth, thyme sprigs, garlic powder, wild rice, and a generous pinch of salt.
Simmer: cover, and let the soup cook at a gentle simmer for about 45 minutes stirring occasionally.
Shred chicken: when the rice is cooked, remove the chicken thighs and use two forks to shred the chicken into pieces. Then add the shredded chicken back to the pot of soup.
Season: add chopped fresh parsley, taste soup and adjust with additional salt and black pepper until the flavor is just right. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Why this recipe is "salt to taste" - the reason this recipe (and most on my blog) do not have an exact measurement of salt is that I'm a firm believer in "salting to taste". Why? Because not all salt is shaped the same - some salt grains are bigger, some are smaller, and so the flavor can be very different even if the measurement is the exact same. To avoid under-seasoning or over-seasoning, I recommend salting in small amounts at a time, tasting, and repeating until the flavor is just right.

Using different types of rice - not all rice is going to cook the same. If you use white rice the cooking time will be about 20 minutes, brown rice and wild rice are both about 45 minutes.

Nutrition