Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
This makes a big batch of soup. Feel free to half the recipe for a smaller helping.
Servings: 10 people
Ingredients
- olive oil, for coating
- 10 chicken drumsticks or thighs
- vegetable oil, for sauteeing
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 carrots, diced
- 6 ribs of celery, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 quarts chicken stock
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups milk, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 4.3 oz boxes of Rice a Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice + 1 seasoning packet
Instructions
- Coat the drumsticks with a thin layer of olive oil. Season with kosher salt and pepper. In a large stockpot, heat a tablespoon of oil on medium heat. Sear the drumsticks for 4 minutes, about 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove from pot and set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion. Saute for about 2 minutes, sprinkling kosher salt over the onion about halfway through cooking. Add the carrots and celery. Saute for 7 minutes, again sprinkling kosher salt about halfway through cooking. Add the garlic, cooking for about a minute more.
- Add the stock, water, 1 cup of milk, oregano, and bay leaf to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken and lower to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Whisk the flour with the remaining 1 cup of milk. Add to the soup. Add both boxes of rice but just ONE seasoning packet to the soup. Continue simmering for 20 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken temperature has reached 185°F*. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Remove the chicken from the soup and pull it with forks (or your hands if it's cool enough). Return the pulled chicken to the pot.
Notes
Freezing: This soup kind of freezes well. It will separate and the texture will be kind of weird but the flavor will be there.
Chicken Temperature: 165F is the recommended temperature for chicken to be properly cooked. However, chicken cooked to 185F will taste a lot better.