Nothing beats curling up next to the fire with a warm bowl of soup, and my copycat Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is just the one for the job! A creamy chicken broth base is filled with a medley of warming spices, vegetables, and hearty chicken. It’s undeniably delicious and easy to make with minimal prep time!
If you’ve been following me for a bit, you know I love recreating Panera recipes at home. They’re easier than you may think… Panera lists all its ingredients on its website, so it’s just a matter of seeking those out and testing the recipe until it’s perfect.
As the days have gotten chillier, my household has been requesting more warm soups for family dinners – so I knew I had to revisit one of my favorite recipes: the Panera chicken wild rice soup!
Not to brag too much, but I nailed this one. It’s truly the perfect soup, filled with all the best veggies, chicken, and rice, suspended in savory, creamy broth. We save a bit of time by airfrying the chicken, and from there, the recipe comes together effortlessly.
Alright, alright, I’ll stop rambling. Let’s begin!
For more hearty soup recipes, check out my Chicken Potato Soup, Velveeta Potato Soup, Spiced Butternut Squash Soup, and Caprese Tomato Soup.
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Why You'll Love It
My whole family loved this one, and I have a sneaking suspicion you’ll feel the same way…
- Hearty, Filling Weeknight Dinner: I’m intent on getting good-for-you ingredients that keep us warm, nourished, and full in every dish for my family. To say that Panera cream of chicken and wild rice soup is hearty would be an understatement.
- Prep in Advance and Freeze: This creamy chicken soup freezes well, so it’s a great comfort food recipe to make a big batch of in advance to freeze for later enjoyment. It’s also a great freezer meal to drop off to any new parents you might know who could use a convenient home-cooked meal!
- Easy on the Wallet: Going out to eat can add up fast, but with this recipe, you can have a delicious dining experience in the comfort of your own home. The Panera chicken and wild rice soup recipe I’m sharing was perfectly replicated, so you will hardly taste a difference.
🥂Make it A Rosy Moment
Soup season is arguably one of the best seasons of the year! Fall and winter are a great time of year to make your favorite comfort food, and this creamy Panera chicken & wild rice soup needs to be on your menus. This is how I'd make it a rosy moment…
Harvest Friendsgiving Party - this recipe serves quite a few people so it's a great chicken soup to serve up at Friendsgiving as a side to the main dish! Host a Harvest Friendsgiving Party and use this easy menu:
- Cream of Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Fried Thanksgiving Goat Cheese Balls
- Hasselback Butternut Squash
- https://whitekitchenredwine.com/herbs-de-provence-dry-brine-turkey/
Fall Sunday Night Dinner - cozy up with the whole family, turn on your favorite football game and make a whole copycat Panera Bread lunch that everyone will love. Serve it with the classic warm baguette or crusty bread, just like Panera's version!
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup Recipe in bread bowls
- Panera Green Goddess Salad
- Panera Frontega Chicken Panini
Easy Leftover Lunch for School - this copycat chicken soup tastes even better the next day, so save some to serve up in your kiddo's thermos for an easy school lunch using your leftovers!
- Leftover Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Cheese cubes
- Small pieces of homemade crusty bread
- Grapes
Important Ingredients
I did all the heavy lifting for you, pulling the exact ingredients and quantities from Panera’s website and turning into a chemist in my very own kitchen until the cloned version was concocted.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make copycat Panera chicken and wild rice soup:
- Chicken: White meat chicken is my go-to because it is leaner. I prefer baked or air-fried chicken breast, but you can also use leftover rotisserie chicken or even leftover turkey if you’re making this after Thanksgiving.
- Spices: We’re going heavy on the spices because what is a soup if not cozily aromatic? Grab paprika, onion powder, thyme, parsley, tarragon, turmeric, and salt and pepper.
- Olive Oil: To grease and warm the pot before sautéeing the vegetables.
- Celery, Onions, Carrots, & Green Cabbage: This is a foundational vegetable blend to intensely flavor soups, similar to a mirepoix but with added green cabbage.
- Wild Rice: A wild rice blend gives great texture to this soup, thickening it up and making it slightly chewy. I recommend a pre-mixed long-grain wild rice, like the one from Rice-a-Roni.
- Chicken Stock: The core savory flavor and thin consistency of the soup come from chicken stock. Vegetarians, you know what to do: grab your vegetable broth!
- Heavy Cream: Remember how I mentioned creamy broth at the beginning? Well, it doesn’t take a lot of heavy cream to get the job done, but it’s an essential ingredient, so don’t leave it out.
- Flour & Butter: This is to make a roux, a thickening agent slowly combined with the broth to create a thick and creamy consistency. All-purpose flour is recommended.
Swaps and Substitutions
If you don’t have an ingredient on hand or your grocery store doesn’t have what you’re looking for, these substitutions can help you in a pinch to ensure your Panera wild rice soup turns out just as delicious!
- Onions: White or red onions will work if you don’t have a yellow onion on hand.
- Seasonings: We’re using a lot of individual spices to season this soup. To save some time and effort, feel free to use a pre-made seasoning packet.
- Stock/Broth: For vegetarians, swap out the chicken stock for vegetable broth. Easy!
- Rice: Instead of a wild rice mixture, you can swap in white or brown rice. It’ll have the same effect on the soup’s texture and consistency.
Full Recipe Below
Find the full list of ingredients & measurements below!
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1: If you aren't using leftover chicken, season 2 large chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Step 2: Air fry the chicken breasts at 385 degrees for 15-17 minutes, flipping halfway through. When the chicken is done, remove it from the air fryer and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Dice into small pieces.
- Step 3: Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and sauté the veggies.
- Step 4: Stir in the spices, then add the butter. Allow the butter to melt, sprinkle the flour over the veggies, and stir to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the flour turns a light brown.
- Step 5: Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Step 6: Pour in the wild rice and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Step 7: Stir the diced chicken into the soup.
- Step 8: When the rice is tender, turn off the heat and add the heavy cream. Give it a taste and add more salt and pepper to your liking. Serve and enjoy!
Top Tip
Don't skip the butter and flour (roux). Part of what makes Panera chicken wild rice soup amazing is how thick it is, and our roux will thicken it right up, giving the broth a really luscious texture. This way, we don’t have to add any additional heavy cream.
Tips for the Perfect Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Soups are beginner-friendly and foolproof – they come together quickly in one large pot. Even still, I have a few expert tips to elevate your copycat Panera chicken and wild rice soup!
- Add the spices to the vegetables while sautéing them to really develop the flavor profile.
- Combine the chicken stock slowly with the vegetables and flour mixture. Adding the stock one cup at a time is more than just a practice in patience; it allows the broth to thicken well.
- Splurge on the wild rice. I couldn’t recommend this more. The cook time is a little longer, but it does wonders for the soup’s texture and consistency. Check the instructions on the box of rice – you’ll want to follow the package directions closely to cook it correctly.
- Make it a Panera-inspired meal and pair the soup with copycat recipes, like the Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt and a tall glass of Papaya Green Tea!
Recipe Variations
Soups have a special place in my heart and my kitchen because they’re so easy to customize and tend to be healthier (important if you’re counting calories!). I encourage you to think outside the box and experiment with additional vegetables, meats, consistencies, and presentations. Have some fun with it!
- More vegetables & herbs. Don’t hesitate to add in some extra nutrients, like green beans, corn, or broccoli, or more fresh herbs like bay leaf or oregano.
- For vegetarians, leave out the chicken and enjoy an extra creamy veggie soup, or use a plant-based chicken alternative instead. If you’re completely vegan, give my Vegan Broccoli Soup a try!
- Go Chicken Noodle Soup mode and add egg noodles, orzo, smaller pastas, or spaghetti broken into smaller bits. For the full chicken noodle soup experience, check out my recipe.
- For a thinner consistency, add more chicken stock until you’re satisfied.
- For extra-thick soup, add an extra tablespoon of flour or two.
- Bring the Panera experience to your kitchen and serve the soup in a bread bowl! You can get them already cored at Panera – last time I checked, they were 2 for $5.
- If bread bowls aren’t your thing, serve with a thick chunk of crusty bread or make your own using my Dutch Oven Bread recipe.
💡Recipe FAQ
The Panera chicken and wild rice soup includes white meat chicken, celery, onions, carrots, green cabbage, wild rice, chicken stock, heavy cream, flour, butter, spices, and olive oil.
My Panera chicken and wild rice soup recipe is not gluten-free since it includes flour. However, you can easily make it gluten-free-friendly by swapping the flour for a gluten-free blend.
Separate the leftover soup into portions of 2-3 servings and put them in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Store in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost by adding to the stove top and re-heating over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Related Recipes
If you tried this Panera Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe, or any other of the delicious recipes on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 stalks of celery diced
- 1 cup chopped green cabbage
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1.5 cups wild rice
- 8 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon flour
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- ½ tablespoon dried thyme
- ½ tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you aren't using leftover chicken, season 2 chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Air fry the chicken breasts at 385 degrees for 15-17 minutes, flipping haflway through.
- While those are cooking in the air fryer, start the soup by heating up the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
- Sauté the diced celery, carrot, onion, and cabbage for 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in the spices: onion powder, thyme, parsley, tarragon, and turmeric and stir for one minute.
- Add in the butter and stir until it's fully melted and coating the veggies.
- Add the flour and stir to coat the veggies. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the flour begins to turn a light brown.
- Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring occassionaly.
- Once it's boiling, add in the wild rice and reduce to medium heat. Cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes untill the rice is tender.
- When the chicken is done, remove from the air fryer and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Dice into small pieces and add it into the soup.
- When the rice is tender, turn off the heat and add the heavy cream.
- Give it a taste and add more salt and pepper to your liking.
Notes
- Don't skip the butter and flour (roux). Part of what makes Panera chicken wild rice soup amazing is how thick it is, and our roux will thicken it right up, giving the broth a really luscious texture. This way, we don’t have to add any additional heavy cream.
- Add the spices to the vegetables while sautéing them to really develop the flavor profile.
- Combine the chicken stock slowly to the vegetables and flour mixture. Adding the stock one cup at a time is more than just a practice in patience, it allows the broth to thicken well.
- Splurge on the wild rice. I couldn’t recommend this more. The cook time is a little longer, but it does wonders to the soup’s texture and consistency. Check the instructions on the box of rice – you’ll want to follow the package directions closely to cook it correctly.
- Make it a Panera-inspired meal and pair the soup with copycat recipes, like the Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt and a tall glass of Papaya Green Tea!
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