Now We’re Cooking: Easy Chicken Wild Rice Soup

There’s nothing I crave more during the cold winter months than a bowl of warm, delicious soup… and I mean all kinds of soup.  With the ridiculously cold winter we’ve had in Minnesota so far, it should be no surprise that some kind of soup shows up on my dinner menu each week.  Lately, my taste buds have been gravitating to a Chicken Wild Rice recipe I came across on Pinterest by way of 320 Sycamore.  I’m not lying, I have probably made this recipe once every week and a half and enjoy it during the week at lunch.

The recipe is quite simple, really.  It requires only 9 ingredients and not a ton of prep time [beyond skimming the fat off your chicken and cutting up celery, carrots and onion] so it makes it a desirable meal option for your work week.  Below is the recipe, adopted from the recipe on 320 Sycamore.

Ingredients:

5-2/3 cup of water
1 package of Rice-a-Roni long grain wild rice (4.3 oz)
1 envelope Lipton’s extra noodle soup packet
2 celery ribs (I always use organic), sliced
4 medium carrots, sliced
a few shakes of minced onions
1 can of condensed cream of celery soup (10-3/4 oz can)
2 medium chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
a couple shakes of bay leaves
a couple shakes of basil
a couple shakes of black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and trim chicken breast of excess fat and place on a foiled cookie sheet.  Once oven is heated, bake for 36 minutes (oven times may vary to watch to see that chicken doesn’t get overcooked or it makes it harder to shred).

2.  While waiting for oven to preheat, combine water, Rice-a-Roni and soup packet in to a large saucepan or stock pot and cook over medium-high heat, bringing to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 10 minutes.

3.  While simmering, wash and peel/slice carrots and celery and add to the pan along with a couple dashes of minced onion and garlic powder.  Cover and simmer additional 10 minutes.

4.  Once chicken has finished baking, remove from oven and use two forks to shred.  Add chicken to pot, with basil and bay leaves and black pepper [optional] and let simmer for an additional 8 minutes or until rice and vegetables are tender.

Enjoy with some garlic bread and your favorite wine!

This recipe yields 5-8 servings so I always double it so I know that I have extras for lunch that week.  One of our wedding gifts was a large stock pot and I absolutely love it!  If you haven’t invested in one, I strongly suggest you do – it’s one of my favorite pots for winter cooking!

What’s a favorite recipe you’ve found on Pinterest that you keep in your recipe arsenal?  How about a favorite soup recipe – I’d love to try out something new!

Xo,

Cammi