Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

You will love this piping hot bowl of Chicken & Wild Rice Soup. It has a rich broth, but trust me, this is not your basic broth. Each slurp is infused with aromatic sage and thyme, and the deeply caramelized, nutty, and savory flavors of seared chicken thighs. Ooh baby. Let’s get cooking! Try an oaked Pinot Noir.

Ingredients

1 whole yellow onion
3 carrots
3 stalks celery
½ cup wild rice
2 quart chicken broth
8 oz baby bella mushrooms (brown separately)
1.5 lb chicken thighs, boneless skinless
0.5 oz fresh sage
0.25 oz fresh thyme
2 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare vegetables. Dice yellow onion, removing root and outer papery layers, chop carrots and celery, slice baby bella mushrooms, finely chop sage, and remove the thyme leaves from the sprigs.
2. Preheat a Dutch oven with 1 tablespoon olive oil to medium-high heat. Sear chicken thighs. Pat the chicken dry and remove any excess fat. Generously season with salt and pepper and place on the hot pan. Sear both sides until deeply golden and caramelized, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add butter. Scrape down the pan to release any bits that may be stuck. Add onions, carrots, and celery, and cook until they begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add sage and thyme, cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Once the vegetables are tender, add the wild rice and stir to coat in the fat and aromatics. Add chicken thighs and broth and bring the mixture to a steady simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 55-65 minutes, or until the wild rice is tender. 
5. About 15 minutes before the soup is cooked, prepare the mushrooms separately. Preheat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil to medium heat. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 13-15 minutes, allowing the mushrooms to release their moisture, the moisture to evaporate, and then to finally brown.
6. Add the mushrooms to the soup. Remove the chicken thighs and shred with a fork, then return to the soup. Serve hot.

Maddie is a Minneapolis-based recipe developer and food photographer with a background in Food Engineering and Nutrition. Maddie utilizes her scientific understanding of food to create delicious recipes that are worth repeating. When she’s not experimenting in her kitchen, she’s exploring new cities around the world or fostering pups to help them adjust to the good life and find their forever homes! You can find more of Maddie’s work (and follow her cute fosters) on Instagram or maddieaugustin.com.