This copycat recipe of Panera’s chicken and wild rice soup is a quick meal that the whole family will love! Not only will the homemade version save money, you can eat it at home in your pjs! 🙂
Eating out has gotten so expensive lately that I am constantly looking for ways to make recipes from our favorite chain restaurants at home. My mom made this creamy soup for a family gathering, and it was a big hit!
I left that night with the recipe, and I’ve made it several times for my family. Everyone always scrapes the bowl clean, and most of us have seconds!
Give this great recipe a try. I bet your family will love it just as much as mine does. Soup season just got a little tastier! 🙂
How to make copycat Panera chicken & wild rice soup:
- PREP – Wash and dice the vegetables.
- SAUTE – Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced carrots, onion, and celery; cook & stir for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the flour.
- SIMMER – Add the broth, wild rice blend with flavor packet, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 25-30 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir occasionally.
- HEAT – Add the cooked chicken, milk, and cream. Heat through.
- SERVE – Ladle into soup bowls. Or for the ultimate comfort food, serve it in homemade bread bowls!
At Panera, they serve your bowl of soup with a slice of warm baguette. We love it with crusty bread like my overnight sourdough bread or no knead artisan bread. They are both perfect for dipping!
In my opinion, soup is always better the next day! You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
I don’t recommend freezing this, or any cream based soup. They tend to curdle when you thaw them.
PRO TIPS:
- Make sure you use a wild rice mix with a seasoning packet. Without it your soup won’t have enough flavor. I use Rice-a-Roni brand, but you can use any brand you prefer.
- Don’t forget to stir the soup often as it simmers, or the rice can stick to the bottom of the pan.
Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Recipe Variations:
- This is the perfect soup if you have leftover rotisserie chicken to use up, but if you don’t have any you can just cook and shred a couple of chicken breasts.
- Leftover turkey can be used in place of the chicken.
When it’s freezing outside, I think I could eat a hearty bowl of soup every day of the week. It’s definitely a favorite comfort food of mine! Here’s a few more recipes you might want to try.
MORE FAVORITE SOUP RECIPES:
- One Pot Zuppa Toscana
- Mexican Chicken Corn Soup
- Velveeta Cheese Soup
- Instant Pot Pork Chili
- Chicken Soup with Bacon
- Ham and Wild Rice Soup
Chicken & Wild Rice Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp salted butter
- 1 cup diced carrots 2 large
- 1 cup diced celery 2-3 stalks
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 32 oz chicken broth or chicken stock
- 1 4.3 oz box Rice a Roni long grain & wild rice mix
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Dice the carrots, celery, and onion.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, saute the veggies in butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the flour and stir until the vegetables are all coated. Add the broth, wild rice blend with seasoning packet, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender.
- Stir in the chicken, milk, and cream. Turn to medium heat and heat through.
- Serve hot in bowls or bread bowls.
Notes
Nutrition
Make any cold night a little warmer with a bowl of this creamy chicken wild rice soup.
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