Look, there is a reason this is a family favorite. Both Sarah and I are born-and-raised in Minnesota. Wild rice was a staple food for indigenous peoples of our area for centuries before Minnesota was settled. Particularly among the Ojibwe tribes that settled in central and northern Minnesota, where among flowages of rivers that connected lakes wild rice grew. The use of wild rice in widespread American cuisine did not emerge until the 1980s when restaurants started adopting more “Native American” ingredients and recipes into their portfolios. Among them were Minneapolis-based enterprises such as Dayton’s department stores “Oak Room” restaurants in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as Byerly’s grocery store showcase restaurant in St. Louis Park.
Our recipe riffs off the Byerly’s recipe, but only by a few, small changes. Rather than ham, we substitute chicken. Our kids don’t like carrots much, so the shaved/minced carrots are omitted as well. The Dayton’s recipe has some other amendments, and we note that in our recipe here.
Byerly’s (very successfully) ended up mass-producing this soup and selling via frozen blocks that simply needed to be melted/simmered via stovetop or microwave. You can find it readily in any Lunds&Byerlys store in the deli section these days — made fresh daily. As for Dayton’s — they were purchased by Marshall -Fields, and then Macy’s over the years. The Macy’s purchase involved consolidation, which meant unique non-producing food ventures needed to go. Thus, we saw the Oak Room and the lower level food court in the downtown Minneapolis Macy’s store close in 2017. The Lunds&Byerlys chain of grocery stores still carry their version of this classic fresh in deli, as well as pre-made and ready to reheat either from refrigerated container or frozen packages.
But, unless you live in, or are visiting, Minnesota, you can’t get it. Make your own…and if you need wild rice, make sure to buy from a local, indigenous brand. Google “Minnesota Wild Rice” and make sure to dig a couple pages in on search results. Several Minnesota-based tribes/brands have online stores.
Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (or cooking oil of choice)
- 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1-3 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (optional)
- 6 tbsp butter (salted butter)
- 2 tbsp minced sweet onion (yellow, white, Vidalia, or even red onion will work)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups cooked Minnesota wild rice
- 3 tbsp slivered almonds
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 tbsp sherry cooking wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a grill pan or medium frying pan, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt, add to pan. Add soy sauce to pan as you turn the chicken every so often to ensure even cooking and browning. Chicken will be done when all pink is gone, browned on all sides, and internal temp 165°F. Remove from pan to separate plate or bowl to cool slightly.
- Cube up chicken breasts in ½" chunks, set aside.
- In a large saucepan, soup pot, or medium dutch oven, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion and saute until tender.
- Whisk flour completely into butter/onion mixture (forming a roux) and cook slightly until bubbling. Gradually add 3 cups of the stock, stirring constantly to keep consistency smooth as it thickens. Increase heat to medium-high and allow to just come to a boil.
- Stir in wild rice, almonds, and cooked/cubed chicken breast. Season with kosher salt to taste. Return to simmer, and adjust heat to medium to maintain simmer for 5 minutes.
- Blend in half-and-half and sherry, and allow to simmer until soup reaches thickness/consistency you desire. If it is too thick, thin out with reserved cup of stock.
- Serve in bowls with a sturdy bread for dipping or popovers. Garnish with parsley if desired.