Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a deliciously wonderful combination of all-white meat chicken, non-GMO wild rice blend, celery, onions, carrots, chicken broth, half and half cream, crème fraîche and wonderful herbs and spices to warm your tummy this winter.

All soups are awesome when it’s cold and damp outside. I  have always enjoyed making soup during this time of year… even though it never gets as cold here in Central, Florida as compared to when I resided in the Snow-Belt. I love making simple, fun, deliciousness in a warm bowl to enjoy with family and friends with crusty homemade bread or my favorite homemade croutons. I think I can almost whip up a New soup recipe in a matter of moments in my head just using favorite ingredients on hand, which in my book makes it budget-friendly and versatile.

I love food history, myths, and legendary tales; you never know what you’ll find out next to your favorite ingredients. I  have become known among friends and family as a storage bank of food information and facts on my favorite ingredients. In February, I made a hearty mug of fabulous comforting ingredients, such as our topic of the day, Wild Rice.

A few tidbits on our ingredient,  “Wild Rice”

• Did you know that; the Ojibwa and Sioux Indians of Minnesota call it “Mahnomen”?  However, early French explorers in Minnesota and Canada called it “Folles Avoines”.
• Guess what? Wild rice isn’t technically even rice at all. Wild rice is an aquatic cereal grain with a biological technical name of Zizania Aquatica.
• Manominikegississ is their August Moon, aka rice-harvesting time.

I also love wild rice blends and decided since I have it on hand I was whipping a batch of my favorite Chicken and Wild Rice Soup today.  Wild rice has long been favored rice so for many reasons, wild rice has a slightly higher in protein content than most other whole grains and is an excellent source of fiber, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, Vitamin B6, and niacin.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota determined in 1994 that wild rice is extremely high in antioxidants. In 2009 scientists at the University of Manitoba studied and analyzed eleven different samples of wild rice and found that the antioxidant activity of wild rice was 30 times greater than that of the white-rice control. Also in 2009 researchers in China found that wild rice was effective in lowering cholesterol and other lipid measures…Talk about another wonderful superfood to incorporate into your diet.

How is wild rice harvested?

Wild Rice harvesting is a process that modern technology still hasn’t been able to touch. The rice is still harvested the same way as it was years before. It is usually done in a low-sided wooden boat. One person “poles the boat” through the rice beds, while another person in the boat knocks the rice kernels off the stocks and into the boat using two long sticks, with one hand they bend the plants over into the boat while holding the plant down, they then knock the kernels off into the boat. Afterward, the wild rice is processed, hulls are removed, cleaned of any debris, dried, and then bagged to be sold at the markets.

Tips to remember about Wild Rice

1. Wild Rice should be stored in an air-tight container placed in a cool dry place. Uncooked wild rice will keep up to 7 years in a dry, airtight container.
2. Always remove any debris from the wild rice before cooking.
3. When cooking adds 3 cups of water or favorite broth for every 1 cup of wild rice.
4. One cup of raw wild rice will nearly become 3-4 cups of cooked wild rice.
5. Wild rice is a fabulous menu item served hot, warm, or chilled.
6. Wild rice that has been cooked actually will freeze with minimal damage to it upon thawing to use. To save time, keep a supply of cooked wild rice on hand. Just cook a large portion ahead of time and freeze in small portions. It will store up to six months in the freezer.
7. To thaw frozen wild rice quickly, place in a strainer and either run hot tap water through it or place over a steaming kettle. The wild rice will be ready to be used in just a few minutes.
8. When cooking wild rice replace water with chicken broth or vegetable broth for a delicious added flavor.
9. Microwaving isn’t recommended when cooking wild rice as it seems to break down the wild rice and not cook it.
10. To reheat wild rice that you have stored in refrigerator cooked; add a bit of unsalted butter to skillet or saucepan and cook on lowest heat setting to reheat the wild rice.

5 from 10 votes

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Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Cool

10 mins

Total Time

1 hr 5 mins

 

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a deliciously wonderful combination of all-white meat chicken, non-GMO wild rice blend, celery, onions, carrots, chicken broth, half and half cream, crème fraîche and wonderful herbs and spices

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Rice Soup, wild rice

Servings: 6 People

Calories: 300 kcal

Author: hmccallum

Ingredients

• 2 cups Wild rice and brown rice blend non-GMO verified
• 5 cups Low sodium chicken broth
• Kosher salt to taste for rice
• 3 quarts Chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Unsalted butter
• 3 Celery stalks finely sliced
• 1 large Onion diced
• 3-4 Carrots sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup Portobello mushrooms diced
• 1 tablespoon Minced garlic
• 2-8 ounce Chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• ½ teaspoon Dried basil
• ½ teaspoon Dried thyme
• ½ cup White wine
• ½ cup Half and half cream
• ½ cup Crème fraîche or sour cream
• 3 tablespoons All-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons Fresh chopped parsley
• Kosher salt to taste
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse the wild rice: Place the wild rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse in the sink under cold running water. Shake to drain.
2. Bring the rice and water to a boil: Place the rice in the saucepan and add 5 cups of water or stock along with a pinch of salt (unless the stock is salty enough). Cover and bring to a boil over high heat
3. Reduce to a simmer: When the water has reached a boil, lower the heat to maintain a slow but steady simmer. Keep the pot covered.
4. Cook the wild rice Cook at a simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Check the rice- The rice should still remain a bit chewy. It will cook an additional 20 minutes in the soup (do not fully cook)
5. In a sauté pan add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, finely sliced celery, diced onion, thinly sliced carrots, portobello mushrooms, and minced garlic- sauté for about 3-4 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, add 3 quarts of chicken broth to a large stock pot on medium heat- then add sautéed vegetables once done (3-4 minutes), 2 (8 ounces) chicken breasts that have been cooked and diced, dried basil, and dried thyme- simmer 2o minutes or so.
7. Once ingredients have simmered 20 minutes add wine, crème fraîche or sour cream and sprinkle 3 tablespoons of flour in very slowly stirring constantly for the next few minutes until flour dissolves completely, then add fresh parsley, kosher salt, and pepper to your own taste. Reduce heat and cook an additional 5-6 minutes on low heat.
8. Serve in favorite serving bowls.

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© Heidy L. McCallum and The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch, 2020-2013 unauthorized use and/or duplication of content/ material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Heidy L. McCallum and The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch with proper and specific direction to the original content.