Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Ahhh, soup, it's soul and body warming on these frigid winter nights. Today the high was 12 degrees Fahrenheit. Tonight it's going to be below zero and we are expecting more snow tomorrow (sob). I can't seem to stay warm, so this soup certainly hit the spot this week. My daughter-in-law Steff gave me a bunch of mushrooms this week and I had a butternut squash that needed to be used. I found this soup recipe that called for wild rice, and I happened to have a nice wild and brown rice blend. This Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is awesome, a nice earthy flavor and rich broth from the mushrooms, plus it's full of healthy vegetables. The addition of chicken (or leftover turkey), makes it hearty enough for even the guys. In short, we love it; I hope you'll give it a try. Now I'll stop whining about the weather. CHICKEN and WILD RICE SOUP
adapted from Kitchen Parade

5 cups chicken stock, or broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced or diced
about 6 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme- recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 cups of butternut squash, peeled and diced
2/3 cup of wild rice - I used Lundberg's Wild Blend rice
2 cups of cooked chicken or turkey

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat; add the diced onion, carrot, sliced mushrooms, thyme and the kosher salt. Cook until the mushrooms cook off all their liquid. Add the chicken stock and rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes and then add the celery and diced butternut squash to the pot. Cook until the rice is done, about another 30 minutes, ( 45 min. total cooking time). Stir in the chicken and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

NOTE: When reheating the soup, you may have to add more chicken stock to the soup as the rice absorbs the liquid. According to Alana at Kitchen Parade, this soup does not freeze well. But we didn't have any left to freeze!
Also, she states that different wild rices may require different cooking times. Native wild rice may cook in 30 minutes, while commercial wild rice will take 45-60 minutes. I learned something new!
Also (again), you can add the butternut to the pot when you add the broth, but I was afraid it would be too mushy with the 45 minute cooking time, so added it a bit later.






14 comments:

  1. A nice warm soup is exactly what I would love for lunch today! This sounds fantastic with wild rice.

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  2. Looks healthy and delicious as well as warming

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  3. I would absolutely love a bowl of that soup! I've never tried butternut squash--I'll have to see if I can convince my husband to try it! I'm guessing between the squash and mushrooms, he'll refuse, but that just means I'll have to make a pot for myself and work on it for lunch for the next week or two!

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  4. Perfect! Hearty without the cream. Love the mushrooms - longing for it.

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  5. I haven't made a wild rich soup in ages. I think I need to correct that oversight. I love the addition of butternut squash too. This soup is a tummy warmer for sure.

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  6. What a nice combination of ingredients! YUM. I love the snow, I would kill for that much snow. We got zero this year sadly!

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  7. i have a sad confession--i HATE rice in soups. the bloated little kernels feel like they don't belong in my mouth. i'd gladly gulp down the broth from this, though--great flavors!

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  8. Sounds so comforting and delicious. I'm sobbing over all the snow too - most of it has hit my home up north though and keeping the driveway cleared has become a chore just to have someone reliable to clear it for us. I'm so ready for the snow to be GONE!

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  9. This soup sounds absolutely PERFECT!!! Bookmarking right now ;)

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  10. Go ahead and whine about the weather... I do it all the time :) I've been making lots of soup this winter and this looks like a great one.

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  11. This sounds and looks very good Linda! Thanks for sharing something new that I can try. I wish my husband ate more soups! I usually end up eating it all myself (which I guess isn't a real bad thing? Insert wicked, selfish laugh)!~

    Best regards,
    Mandy

    www.learn-laugh-cook.blogspot.com
    www.mandylifeafter30.com

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  12. geeeze..you need to come down here to Florida and warm up! Yummy soup

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  13. Ooooooh, my! Does this ever look hearty and satisfying!

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