When my daughter was diagnosed with many allergies last year, it was overwhelming at first thinking about the creamy and flour-thickened foods that we loved in our family that were no longer going to be allowed in our diet. Chicken and wild rice soup was in that list of off-limit foods, and that made us all sad.
Thankfully this year has taught me that cooking around allergens gets easier with time and practice and doesn't have to be sad at all. In fact we can actually make chicken and wild rice soup in much of the same way that we did before by just changing the thickening and creamy agents. It turns out, it's not that hard to do, so I thought I would share my recipe with you.
Is there anything more comforting than a big bowl of a creamy hearty soup in the cold months? Not for me! Soup is my love language. It's like the gift that keeps on giving because not only do you get to enjoy it the night you make it, but leftovers for lunch are even better!
This recipe uses leftover chicken from a whole chicken, but you could also use a store-bought rotisserie chicken if you don't have any chicken leftovers. Rotisserie chickens with clean ingredients at the grocery store are like a modern day miracle, in my opinion, but that's a post for another day.
Bottom line, make this soup whether you have allergies or not. You can use wheat based flour and cream or you can use the gluten-free/dairy-free versions. Either way are delicious!
Chicken and wild rice soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil (or butter)
- 3 carrots diced
- 3 celery ribs diced
- ½ large onion diced
- 1 cup wild rice mix rinsed
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp salt my broth is unsalted, so if you are using a boxed salted broth, start with 1 tsp and work up to taste
- pepper to taste
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¾ tsp dried ground sage
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- 1 cup cream, coconut milk, almond milk, oat milk, etc any creamy milk alternative should work ok
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, arrowroot, or flour
- 2 c leftover chicken chopped
Instructions
- In a stock pot, sauté carrots, celery, and onion in olive oil until tender.
- Add rinsed rice, broth, seasonings, and bay leaf. Start with a lower amount of salt and work up when you taste at the end.
- Stir and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until rice is tender.
- In a measuring cup, mix together cream/coconut milk/milk alternative with cornstarch/arrowroot/flour until smooth.
- Whisk into hot soup and cook for a few minutes until thickened.
- Add chopped chicken and cooked until warmed through. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Kiran Dodeja Smith
Mmmm ... looks so warm and tasty. Love how you used coconut milk in this, too - perfect for those of us who are dairy free!