Chicken wild rice soup, w/ thick-cut bacon, carrots, onions and spices are the backdrop for this easy, delicious, creamy and filling dish!
On a cool Fall day, nothing warms you up better than a hearty bowl of Chicken wild rice and bacon soup! Chicken, wild rice, thick-cut bacon, carrots, onions and spices are the backdrop for this easy, delicious, creamy and filling meal!
I found this recipe in a cookbook I bought for my friend Shari last Christmas! I gave her the cookbook (she LOVES to cook), and cringed just a bit when she said her son had given her the exact same cookbook. It was funny (and kind of sad) when she gave it back to me and told me to keep it. Gadzooks!
Of course, I kept it (a small sacrifice, right?), and I have loved finding new soup recipes for our family in it, including THIS one. My husband and I loved this amazing Chicken wild rice soup (with bacon)!
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Is This An Easy Soup To Prepare?
The chicken wild rice soup has a rather long cook time (60 minutes) in order to soften the wild rice, but other than that, it was a simple soup to prepare. I recommend this recipe (AND the cookbook) whole-heartedly, and hope you will consider trying it! Here’s how to make the soup:
How To Make Chicken Wild Rice and Bacon Soup
Cook bacon pieces in a large, heavy pot. *TIP: I cut the bacon into 1″ strips with kitchen scissors before cooking, because it cooks faster. Simply stack the bacon, then cut through strips with scissors (or sharp knife).
Cook the bacon on medium-high heat until crisp (takes about 5-7 minutes). When done, transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Set aside. Leave bacon grease in pot.
Place butter, chopped carrot and onion into the pot. Cook on medium-high, stirring often, until carrot begins to soften (about 5-6 minutes).
Add minced garlic and dried thyme. Cook for one minute, stirring, so the garlic doesn’t burn. Pour in the white wine. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often to scrape up any bacon “bits” from bottom of pan (these will add flavor to soup).
Add Wild Rice And Cook Until Tender
Now add chicken broth and wild rice to pot. Stir to combine. Turn heat down to Low, put a lid on the pot and cook for 60 minutes or until rice is tender.
Once rice is tender, add cooked bacon and chicken to soup. By the way, I quickly cooked the chicken while the soup was cooking, so it was ready to go once the rice was tender. TIP: You can also use rotisserie chicken or leftover baked or boiled chicken to save time, as well!
Add the heavy whipping cream. Stir to combine. Return the chicken wild rice soup to a low simmer; cook soup, uncovered for 5 more minutes, until heated through, and soup has thickened a bit.
Once chicken wild rice soup has heated through, season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Now it’s ready to serve!
Chicken Wild Rice Soup Is Ready To Serve!
This is how it looked when I ladled it into our soup bowls… doesn’t it look yummy? Guess what… it TASTES yummy, too! Serve the soup with some crusty french bread, and enjoy!
I really hope you will consider trying this soup! I know it’s hard to look at a picture and wonder if it actually tastes good… but it does! The kitchen smelled incredibly good, too, while this was cooking!
The leftovers were good for lunch the next day, as well. You will notice with the leftovers (IF you have any leftovers… wink, wink) that the rice absorbs more of the broth if refrigerated overnight. Simply add a bit more broth when you reheat the soup, and it will be as good as the first night you made it! Have a great day… and make some SOUP!
Looking for More SOUP Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of yummy, comforting homemade soup recipes, including:
- Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup
- Mom’s Old-Fashioned Chili
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Recipe Adapted From: The cookbook “Williams-Sonoma Soup Of The Day”, published by Weldon Owen, Inc. and Williams-Sonoma, Inc., 2011, page 61.
- 6-7 slices thick cut bacon , cut into 1" strips (use kitchen scissors or sharp knife to cut)
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 carrot , peeled and chopped
- 1 yellow onion (medium), chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 1 chicken breast (skinless, boneless), cooked and chopped (1" chunks)
- 3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper , to taste
Cut bacon into 1" strips with kitchen scissors (stack bacon, then cut through strips with scissors or sharp knife). Cook bacon pieces in a large, heavy pot on medium-high heat until crisp (takes about 5-7 minutes). When done, transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Set aside. Leave bacon grease in pot.
- Place butter, chopped carrot and onion into the pot. Cook on medium-high, stirring often, until carrot begins to soften (about 5-6 minutes). Add minced garlic and dried thyme. Cook for an additional minute, stirring, so the garlic doesn't burn. Add wine. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often to scrape up any bacon "bits" from bottom of pan (these add flavor to soup). Add chicken broth and wild rice to pot. Stir to combine. Turn heat down to Low, put a lid on the pot and cook for 60 minutes or until rice is tender.
- Once rice is tender, add cooked bacon and chicken to soup. Add heavy whipping cream. Stir to combine. Return soup to a low simmer; cook soup, uncovered, for 5 minutes, until heated through, and soup has thickened a bit. Once soup is heated through, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve, and enjoy!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!
