Ahh, the days are finally cooling down and there's a lovely chill in the air. We might not get an actual fall in Los Angeles but I still appreciate these cooler days. Cooler days also mean time to make all the soups! I have a few that I regularly make like Tuscan kale soup and chicken noodle soup but I'm always searching for new recipes. My latest creation is this mushroom and rice chicken soup, putting a spin on creamy mushroom and rice soup. I'm not going to lie, it's pretty darn delicious!
Mushroom and Rice Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 lb chicken breast boneless and skinless
- 1 cup wild rice blend
- 2 ounces parmesan rind
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 garlic cloves smashed
- 1 lb mixed mushrooms oyster, cremini, button
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- ½ cup Greek yogurt plain
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery and saute for 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, turmeric, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and thyme, stirring to combine. Season with salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute.
- Add chicken breast, wild rice, and parmesan rind to the pot. Pour chicken broth and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Continue to cook for 35-45 minutes or until rice is tender.
- Meanwhile, cook mushrooms. Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add rosemary, garlic, and lay mushrooms in an even layer. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan. You may need to cook mushrooms in batches. Continue to cook until browned, then flip mushrooms over and brown on the other side. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Remove chicken from soup and shred with 2 forks.
- Add milk, parsley, dill, and mushrooms to soup. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken back to pot and season soup with salt and pepper.
- Portion mushroom and rice chicken soup into bowls. Place dollop of Greek yogurt on top and garnish with chopped chives. Serve immediately.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
What makes this creamy mushroom and rice chicken soup so special? Let me break it down for you. You have tender chicken swimming in a flavorful broth with a hint of turmeric, perfectly cooked wild rice, caramelized mushrooms, and fresh herbs and yogurt to finish. It's truly delicious.
Instead of sauteing mushrooms and letting them simmer in the soup, I chose to caramelize them first. Caramelizing mushrooms allow the flavors to intensify and adds extra umami to the soup. Plus, they look gorgeous with that sear!
You can use a mixture of mushrooms such as oyster, chanterelle, cremini, and lobster. When cooking the mushrooms, make sure not to overcrowd the pan. If the pan is overcrowded, the mushrooms will steam rather than caramelize.
Set aside the mushrooms while the soup simmers.
For the soup broth, we're going to use onion, celery, garlic, thyme, turmeric, red chili flakes, and lemon zest to add flavor. You can also use dried thyme instead of fresh.
Saute all of the vegetables until tender, then add the spices and saute until aromatic.
Add the chicken breast to the pot along with the chicken broth, wild rice, and parmesan rind. It may sound odd to add parmesan rind, but trust me, it's a great source of flavor. I do not recommend skipping this ingredient. You can try adding parmesan rind to other soups and you'll quickly notice the difference.
Continue to simmer the soup until the rice is tender, about 35-40 minutes. If you're not a fan of wild rice, you can also use regular rice. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time since regular rice will cook much quicker.
Next, remove the chicken from the soup and shred it. Add the caramelized mushrooms, parsley, dill, and milk to the pot and let it simmer for 5 minutes. I used milk instead of heavy cream to make the soup healthier, but you can also just use the real stuff.
Add back the chicken and give the mushroom and rice chicken soup a final seasoning.
Portion the soup into bowls and place a generous dollop of plain Greek yogurt on top. The yogurt will add extra creaminess to the soup along with a hit of acidity.
One bite of this mushroom and rice chicken soup and I was in heaven. This meal was everything that I wanted, creamy, savory, and incredibly satisfying. I ate a bowl every day for a week and I'm still craving some more!
For more chicken soup inspiration check out this spicy chicken vermicelli soup!
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