Parmesan Mushroom Chicken Wild Rice Soup (Printable Version)

Hearty soup with chicken, mushrooms, wild rice, and Parmesan. Comforting, flavorful, and satisfying in every bite.

# What You Need:

→ Protein & Dairy

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz), diced
02 - 1 cup (3.5 oz) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
03 - 1/2 cup heavy cream

→ Grains

04 - 3/4 cup wild rice, rinsed

→ Vegetables

05 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
06 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
07 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
08 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
09 - 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
10 - 3 celery stalks, sliced
11 - 10 oz cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
12 - 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
13 - 1 bay leaf

→ Liquids

14 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Seasonings

15 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
16 - 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
17 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Add sliced mushrooms and minced garlic to the pot. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until mushrooms are tender and excess liquid has evaporated.
03 - Stir in diced chicken, wild rice, fresh thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to combine ingredients.
04 - Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes until wild rice is tender and chicken is cooked through.
05 - Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir in heavy cream and grated Parmesan cheese. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
06 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley and additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours simmering when really you've got dinner ready in just over an hour.
  • The wild rice adds this earthy, slightly nutty depth that keeps you coming back for another spoonful.
  • Creamy without feeling heavy, and the Parmesan transforms it into something restaurant-quality that came from your own stove.
02 -
  • Don't skip browning the mushrooms properly because rushing past that step means you lose the deep, umami-forward flavor that makes this soup special instead of just good.
  • If the soup seems too thick at the end, thin it with more broth rather than cream, which preserves the balance and keeps it from becoming a heavy stew.
  • Wild rice takes longer to cook than regular rice, so if you use the wrong grain by accident, you'll be sitting there wondering why your soup isn't ready yet.
03 -
  • Toast your wild rice in a dry pan for a minute before rinsing it, which deepens its nuttiness and prevents mushiness during cooking.
  • Add the Parmesan off the heat and stir constantly so it melts evenly instead of clumping into small, unpleasant bits in your soup.
  • Make this a day ahead and refrigerate it because the flavors marry overnight and taste even more intentional the next day.
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