Creamy Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Copycat Recipe!)

Nothing beats a warm bowl of soup filled with veggies, diced chicken, wild rice and a delicious, creamy broth. That's why the Panera Chicken and Wild Rice soup is one of my favorites and I had to make a copycat version to make right at home!

This copycat Panera chicken & wild rice soup is steeped in a creamy chicken broth base, but don't let that fool you! It's deceptively light while still packing in tons of flavor thanks to some warming spices and hearty chicken breasts. 

I love a good Panera copycat recipe. So if you are looking for more to enjoy at home, try pairing this soup with the Frontega Chicken Panini, Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt, and a tall glass of Papaya Green Tea! 

Important Ingredients

Like I mentioned above, I did some research and Panera lists the ingredients for their items right on their website. So then it was just a matter of testing out different ratios of ingredients until I got the perfect soup!

• White meat chicken - used cooked chicken breast, leftover rotisserie chicken, or even leftover turkey if you have it on hand!  
• Wild rice mixture - I used a premixed long grain wild rice for this recipe. The blend of rice gives a great texture to the soup.
• Veggies - a classic mix of onion, carrot, celery and cabbage give lots of nutrients as well as flavor to this family favorite. 
• Seasonings and spices - cozy spices like paprika, turmeric, and onion powder combined with lots of dried herbs (or fresh herbs) really up the natural flavor of the chicken and veggies.
• Heavy cream - it doesn't take a lot of this important ingredient to give the chicken base soup it's signature creamy feel, but you don't want to leave it out! 

Swaps and Substitutions

If your grocery store doesn't have what you're looking for on hand, here are some swaps and subs to make so that the next time you make this delicious soup it'll turn out just as good!

• If you don't have yellow onion try swapping in a red or white onion for a similar flavor. 
• Use a seasoning packet instead of blending your own spices. Something like a Knorr veggie seasoning packet would be great here! 
• Other veggies to include could be green beans, corn, or even some broccoli!
• If you aren't a meat eater, just leave out the diced chicken for a creamy veggie soup or if you are completely vegan give my Vegan Broccoli Soup a try!
• Swap in white rice or brown rice instead of the wild rice mixture. 
• Or add noodles to make a creamy chicken noodle soup!
• For a thinner soup add more chicken stock. 

Step by Step Instructions

1. Step 1: Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add olive oil and sauté the veggies.

2. Step 2: Stir in the spices then add the butter. Allow the butter to melt and then sprinkle the flour over the veggies, stir to coat.

3. Step 3: Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

4. Step 4: Pour in the wild rice and reduce to medium heat. Allow to cook for 30-40 minutes or until the rice is tender.

5. Step 5: When the rice is tender, remove from the heat and stir in the heavy cream and chicken.

6. Step 6: Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve along side a warm baguette.

Tips for the Perfect Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Soups are typically really easy because they come together quickly all in a large pot..but I've got a few expert tips to make this Panera Bread copycat recipe the best soup!

1. Don't skip adding in the butter and flour. This thickens our soup without having to add extra heavy cream and gives the broth a really luscious texture!
2. Speaking of texture, I highly recommend splurging for the wild rice. It does take a bit longer to cook, but it's so delicious and the texture can't be beat!
3. Add your spices to the veggies while sautéing them to toast up the spices and really get the maximum amount of flavor possible. 
4. Don't be afraid to just use leftover chicken or even swap the protein for something different like leftover turkey. 

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📖 Recipe

Creamy Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Copycat Recipe!)

A homemade version of Panera's Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. It's so easy to make at home and is a filling meal for the whole family!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

38 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 284kcal

Author: Sara Ayesh

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 adding in the butter and flour. This thickens our soup without having to add extra heavy cream and gives the broth a really luscious texture!
• Speaking of texture, I highly recommend splurging for the wild rice. It does take a bit longer to cook, but it's so delicious and the texture can't be beat!
• Add your spices to the veggies while sautéing them to toast up the spices and really get the maximum amount of flavor possible.
• Don't be afraid to just use leftover chicken or even swap the protein for something different like leftover turkey.

Nutrition

Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 742mg | Potassium: 598mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3042IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg

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