Chicken Wild Rice Soup

A classic Minnesota recipe! Based on the famous Byerlys Restaurant original (now known as Lunds&Byerlys), instead of ham, our family prefers chicken.

Print Recipe

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American, Minnesotan

Servings

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.

Notes

Since this recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked wild rice, you will most definitely want to make that ingredient in advance. If you have an automatic pressure cooker (like an InstantPot) or a rice cooker this is a cinch. Simply place 1½ cups of wild rice into your cooker along with 3 cups water and a pinch of salt. Mix so salt, rice, and water are all evenly distributed in your cooker, close and seal (if using a pressure cooker). If you have an InstantPot, use the Normal/High Pressure manual pressure cook setting for 15 minutes, and ensure the "keep warm" function is turned off. Once the cook is complete, allow for "natural release" of pressure -- the longer you keep the rice closed up as it cools the better results you will get.

Keyword chicken, comfort food, Minnesotan, soup, wild rice

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