Serve Chicken Soup with Wild Rice when you're craving a hot bowl of rich, brothy soup. Slow-cooked on the stove in a homemade broth that is so delicious, it is sure to heal whatever is aching you.
To begin, gather the first seven ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Prepare your vegetables. Peel and slice the carrots, slice the celery, and peel and quarter the onion.
Remove inner packet from chicken and place entire chicken in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Cover the chicken with water, approximately 6-8 quarts.You may substitute 5-6 bone-in chicken thighs in place of the whole chicken, if desired.
Add in prepared carrots, celery, and onion. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer for 2-3 hours until chicken meat falls off the bone. Skim off foam as needed.
Part 2 - Make the Soup
To prepare the soup, remove chicken from the Dutch oven and place it on a large plate or tray to cool. Strain the broth, removing vegetables and any floating particles.
When the chicken has cooled some, pick meat off of the bones and slice into 1/2" chunks. Measure out 2 cups of chicken and set aside. You may refrigerate or freeze the remaining chicken for later use.
Prepare the vegetables for the soup. Slice the celery. Peel and slice the carrots. Slice the button mushrooms. Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
If necessary, add water to the broth to make 8 cups. Bring to a boil. Stir in wild rice and chicken bouillon cubes and allow to simmer covered for 25 minutes until rice is tender.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter and saute the sliced celery, carrots, mushrooms, onions, and garlic until tender.
Add sauted vegetables to the broth mixture along with the diced chicken. Season with dried parsley, oregano, and sage, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Serve piping hot with saltine crackers. Serves 4-6.
Notes
*Unless otherwise indicated, all butter used on this recipe site is salted. **A faster way to make this soup is to buy a rotisserie chicken at the store and use it. You will want 2 cups of shredded chicken to do this. Then you may skip the first part of this recipe and continue at Part 2.