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Copycat Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a family favorite soup. This creamy soup is loaded with flavor and is easy to make.
Copycat Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup:
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Panera Bread Recipe is delicious and loaded with easy ingredients. We love how creamy it is and one of our favorite soups that we get at Panera Bread.
We all know that I love recreating our favorite recipes from restaurants. This allows me to control the ingredients. Not add anything that is not necessary. This copycat recipe is one of our favorite soup recipes and it saved me time and money making it at home.
This soup is delicious served with a slice of French bread or a grilled cheese sandwich. You can make this soup in a Dutch oven on your stovetop or in your slow cooker. You are going to love how easy this soup is to make.
Ingredients:
- Carrots (peeled and finely diced)
- Ribs Celery (finely diced)
- Onion (finely diced)
- Olive Oil
- Chicken Breasts (diced into 1 inch pieces)
- Minced Garlic
- Chicken Broth
- Water
- Milk
- Pepper
- Salt
- Dried Oregano
- Bay Leaf
- All Purpose Flour
- Rice a Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice (4.3 oz box)
How to Make Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup:
- Step 1 – Cook Vegetables – Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add in the carrots, celery and onions to the pan. Sauté for 10-12 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Step 2 – Brown Chicken – Add in the chicken and garlic. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is browned.
- Step 3 – Stir in broth, milk and seasoning – Then stir in the chicken broth, water, 1 cup of milk and seasonings. Allow the soup to simmer over medium high heat for 15 minutes.
- Step 4 – Whisk flour and milk – Then whisk together the remaining milk with the flour. Stir this mixture into the pot.
- Step 5 – Stir in rice and seasoning – Then stir in the wild rice and the seasoning mixture from the package. Allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and cooked through.
- Step 6 – Serve and enjoy – Taste test the soup and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm and enjoy.
What to Serve with Chicken and Wild Rice Soup:
There are many sides that would pair perfectly with this soup. Here are some of our favorites.
- French Bread – Serve this soup with some french bread for dipping and to make sure you get every last drop.
- Grilled Cheese – There is nothing better there the combination of a grilled cheese and soup. It is even delicious to dip your sandwich into the soup.
- Turkey Sandwich – Anytime we go to Panera, I always get their turkey sandwich and it goes well with this soup.
- Cheese and Crackers – This is a simple side but one of my favorites. I like to crumble crackers in my soup while eating.
- Bacon Sandwich – Make a delicious BLT to pair with this tomato soup for a delicious combination.
- Salads – A nice green salad pairs perfectly with this soup. Makes for a light and healthy lunch or dinner. Try making this Panera Fuji Apple Salad.
Panera Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Tips:
- Thickening Soup – You can use cornstarch instead of flour to thicken the soup if you prefer.
- Cook Vegetables – Before combining ingredients, cook the vegetables in oil on the skillet.
- Chicken – Brown chicken before adding to the soup. The chicken will continue to cook while it is in the soup.
- Cooking Time – Cooking time will vary depending how large you cut your vegetables.
- Serving Soup – We love to serve this soup in a bread bowl because of how creamy it is. The soup really soaks in the bread and I like to eat it all together.
How to Store:
Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. When you are ready to reheat, we recommend reheating on the stove in a sauce pan. This makes sure there is no hot spots.
You can also reheat in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Reheat in 30 second intervals to make sure that it doesn’t overheat.
Recipe Variations:
- Chicken – This is great soup to use leftover cooked chicken. We have even used rotisserie chicken as a variations.
- Vegetable – Change the vegetables and use what you have on hand. Green beans, peas or chopped broccoli would be a great addition to this soup.
- Seasoning – Feel free to change the seasoning to what you prefer. This wild rice soup recipe with a seasoning packet or other seasoning that you have on hand.
- Chicken Broth – You can substitute the chicken broth with chicken stock.
- Heavy Cream – If you prefer, you can substitute the milk for heavy cream.
Can you Freeze Chicken and Wild Rice Soup?
Yes, you can freeze this soup. I like to put the soup in small pre-portioned containers or bags so that I can easily grab for quick lunches and dinners.
When you are ready to reheat, thaw the soup in the fridge overnight. Then place in a saucepan or reheat in the microwave.
Freezing leftover soup saves time and money.
Print Recipe here for Copycat Panera Bread Chicken and Wild Rice Soup:
Copycat Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Carrots peeled and finely diced
- 2 Ribs Celery finely diced
- ½ Onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 2 Chicken Breasts diced into 1 inch pieces
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 32 oz Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Water
- 2 cups Milk
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Bay Leaf
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 box Rice a Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice 4.3 oz box
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add in the carrots, celery and onions to the pan. Sauté for 10-12 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add in the chicken and garlic. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is browned.
- Then stir in the chicken broth, water, 1 cup of milk and seasonings. Allow the soup to simmer over medium high heat for 15 minutes.
- Then whisk together the remaining milk with the flour. Stir this mixture into the pot. Then stir in the wild rice and the seasoning mixture from the package. Allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and cooked through.
- Taste test the soup and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Facts
More Copycat Panera Soup Recipes:
- Copycat Panera Broccoli and Cheese Soup Recipe
- Copycat Panera Bread Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
- Panera Bread Tomato Soup Recipe
This is the best soup! Has anyone made this in a crockpot? If so, how did you alter the steps?
I haven’t tried it yet but I think it would work. I would add all the ingredients except for the milk and flour to the crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hour until the chicken and rice are cooked through. Whisk together the milk and flour and stir this into the crock pot. Cook on high for 20-30 minutes until the milk is heated through and the soup thickens. Let me know how it turns out!
What can one use instead of milk for lactose intolerant people?
Soy milk or hemp milk will work great in this recipe instead of milk.
This ish SLAPS. I haven’t had the wild rice from Panera but I this is the first time I veered away from my go to recipe for this soup. I made a few adjustments: I used heavy cream for the first part of the recipe and 2% milk for the second part of the recipe (where you whisk with flour). I also seared and then oven roasted chicken in a cast iron and then shredded vs adding in cubed raw with the veggies. (I lost my job, I had the time.) I added in paprika and a little red pepper flake not for spice just for a warm mouth feeling and I used two bay leaves instead of one. Once you add the rice you DO need to reduce heat and stir every 5 or so just to make sure the rice doesn’t stick. Since we aren’t steaming here it’s ok to lift and check. Will be making again. Directions were a little confusing, I wish the measurements were included in the directions so I didn’t have to keep flipping back and forth between ingredients and instruction but other than that it’s fantastic.
Any suggestions on the rice getting stuck to the bottom of the pot? Second try and it’s ruining the bottom of my pots 🙁
I would stir more frequently and turn down the heat.
Good morning, I live in England and I can’t find the rice yiu use, can you suggest. An alternative
Kind regards
Heather
You can use brown rice or basmati rice instead of wild rice.
How much cornstarch would you use? Would you make slurry with water or milk?
I would use 1-2 Tablespoon with 1/4 cup of milk or water. Either will work great.