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With chicken, wild rice, and butternut squash (or sweet potato!). The coziest autumn soup to warm you up!
Autumn is here, the leaves are changing colors to fiery-red, the nights are cooler, and we are having this soup all season long. It’s an oh-so-lovely fall soup you’ll want to slurp right up with your favorite sweater. And crusty bread, of course.
With shredded chicken thighs (or breasts), 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, it’s true comfort in a bowl. And 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.
Ingredients
Butter
A little bit of richness.
Veggies
Mushrooms, onion and celery 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 substitute dried thyme if you don’t 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
We love using homemade chicken stock (we always keep a full stash in the freezer). When using store-bought, we recommend using a high quality brand. This is one of our favorites!
Wild rice
Lundberg is always our go-to.
Butternut squash
Seasonal favorite veggie. Sweet potato (or a combination of both) is also a great option.
Kale
Sneaking in all the leafy greens at the end of the recipe! If kale is not to your liking, we love swapping with some baby spinach.
The leftovers taste even better the next day, soaking up all those flavors overnight – just be sure to add a little bit of stock when serving.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP
Fall Chicken and Wild Rice Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Yes! You can easily substitute sweet potatoes in this recipe in a 1:1 ratio (about 2 cups diced).
Spinach, cabbage, swiss chard and collard greens are all great subs.
We recommend adding additional chicken stock when reheating as the wild rice will soak up all that lovely, flavorful broth.
- 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
- 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
Prevent your screen from going dark
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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.
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Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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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.
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Stir in butternut squash or sweet potato; simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
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Remove chicken from the Dutch oven; shred, using two forks.
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Stir in chicken and kale until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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Serve immediately.
