This chicken bacon wild rice soup is thick and creamy and perfect for cold winter nights. All made from scratch, and super tasty!
SCALE
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 1 ½ pounds bacon, cooked and crumbled, grease reserved
- 1 cup rinsed wild rice
- ½ cup green onions (or add sauteed garlic/onion)
- 3 10.75 oz cans cream of chicken soup (my mom uses chicken broth with less water)
- 5 cans water
- 5 tablespoons bacon grease
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt + 1/2 teaspoon pepper (more to taste)
- ¾ cup flour
- 2 cups half and half
- 3 cups milk
- additional water, milk, or broth for thinning
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prep the chicken and bacon.
- Whisk the cream of chicken soup and water together in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the green onions and wild rice and cook, covered, for 30-45 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to soak in pan, covered, for up to 1 hour (this is optional – just makes the consistency of the rice a little softer). There should still be a little bit of liquid in the pan at this point.
- In a large saucepan or skillet, melt the bacon grease and 2 tablespoons butter over low heat. Add the flour and salt and pepper and stir until a thick paste forms. Cook for 1 minute. Add the half and half and milk. Whisk until smooth and thick – about 5 minutes.
- Add the creamy mixture to the rice pan. Add the chicken and bacon and continue to cook over very low heat for at least 8 hours. You can also transfer the soup to a slow cooker and just keep it on low. Adjust the consistency to your preferences by adding more milk or water and whisking until smooth.
NOTES
This soup will be very thick. To achieve the kind of consistency that you want, it’s important to thin it out gradually with water, milk, or broth – especially the leftovers as they thicken even more. To achieve the best flavor, you really need to let it cook for at least 8 hours. I know it’s a long time, but trust me – I sampled it at one hour and 8 hours and it tasted much better after the wait. We usually keep the seasonings pretty simple but adjust as you like!
