Packed with hearty vegetables, chicken and wild rice; this chicken soup is filling, nourishing and soothing during the first cold-snap days of the season.

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There’s a chicken soup for every season, and this one is a hit at my house on the cold, blustery days of autumn.

Packed full of vegetables, tender bites of chicken, and wild/black rice; this autumnal chicken soup is the flavorful, heartening elixir your body may be craving as the temperatures cool and we slow down for the dark, cozy months of winter.

You can use any chicken broth you have on hand for this recipe, or even bullion paste or cubes dissolved in water. I have been on a broth kick lately, so I used my homemade 24-Hour Chicken Broth.

Ingredients at-a-glance:

• Cooked chicken, cut into chunks
• 1/2 curi squash – or butternut squash – or pumpkin
• zucchini
• red bell pepper
• onions
• garlic
• mushrooms
• wild rice or black rice
• chicken broth
• salt/pepper
• fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions at-a-glance:

• Saute the vegetables in stages
• add the chicken and the broth
• add the rice when the soup is simmering, and continue to simmer until the rice is cooked
• whenever you put uncooked rice in soup, it will stop cooking/softening when the temperature of the soup goes down. Keep the soup simmering until the rice is cooked.

Useful Tips:

• Chop all your vegetables before you start cooking. I like to keep my chopped vegetables in little prep bowls.
• You can use any cooked chicken you have – leftovers, even a store-bought rotisserie chicken – or a combination of both.
• This soup is great for meal-prep. I often make it just for myself and store it in the fridge or freezer in individual portions. It makes a filling, nourishing lunch on busy weekdays.

Cozy Autumnal Chicken Soup

Shannon Vavich

Packed with hearty vegetables, chicken and wild rice; this chicken soup is filling, nourishing and soothing during the first cold-snap days of the season.

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Servings 0

Equipment

• a 5-6 quart soup pot
• prep bowls
• a good chef's knife
• a good peeler
• cutting board

Ingredients

  

• 3 Tbs olive oil or chicken fat
• 2 onions peeled and chopped
• 6 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
• 3 ribs celery chopped
• 1 red bell pepper cored and chopped
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms about 6-8 medium sized mushrooms like baby portobello
• 1 zucchini chopped
• 1/2 curi squash (about 3 cups chunks) peeled and chopped
• 3-4 cups cooked chicken chopped
• 8-10 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup wild rice – or – black Italian rice
• 1-3 teaspoons salt or however much you think is best
• 1/2-1 teaspoon fresh cracked white pepper or any pepper you have on hand

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil or chicken fat in a large soup pot.
• Sautee the onions, celery and garlic until cooked down and starting to caramelize. Stir frequently.
• Add the red bell pepper and chopped mushrooms. Continue to stir frequently.
• Add the squash, the chicken, and the chicken broth. Cover the pot and bring back to a full simmer.
• Add the rice and continue to simmer. Cover the pot, but leave a small vent by offsetting the lid of the pot – so steam can escape. Simmer until the rice is tender – about 20 minutes.
• Salt and pepper to taste. I start with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then increase as needed.
• Garnish with fresh parsley – optional.

Video

Notes

Useful Tips:

• Chop all your vegetables before you start cooking. I like to keep my chopped vegetables in little prep bowls.
• You can use any cooked chicken you have – leftovers, even a store-bought rotisserie chicken – or a combination of both.
• This soup is great for meal-prep. I often make it just for myself and store it in the fridge or freezer in individual portions. It makes a filling, nourishing lunch on busy weekdays.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!