When temperatures start to drop in the Fall, there is nothing like a healthy and hearty soup. And this Copycat Chicken & Wild Rice Soup recipe by Panera Bread fits the bill.
Like most soup recipes, this one is pretty straightforward. Just make sure you plan ahead to give yourself enough time to cook the chicken before you start on the soup.
Doesn't matter how you cook the chicken breasts for this soup recipe. You can fry it, bake it, grill it or even use your Instant Pot Pressure Cooker if you have one. In a pinch, you could always get a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store to save time instead of cooking your own chicken.
🍗 Chicken Temperature
The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 165°F when cooking chicken. I always use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of meats to ensure it is safe to eat.
To get this copycat recipe as close as possible to the original one from Panera, make sure you use the Long Grain and Wild Rice from Rice-a-Roni. If you have another brand of Long Grain and Wild Rice on hand, feel free to use it instead.
If you don't care much if it's 100% like the soup you would get at Panera, you can use a different plain Long Grain rice. Just make sure you use the same amount as listed in this recipe.
🐓 How to Handle Raw Chicken
Leave the chicken in the fridge until ready to use.
Be careful of dripping juices. Clean up immediately.
Do not wash raw chicken (which prevents cross-contamination).
Wash all utensils and cutting boards (if applicable).
If marinating the chicken, make sure you toss the juices before you cook. Don't ever use the juice from the marinade.
Wash your hands after handling raw chicken.
Once the soup is ready to be served, you can optionally garnish it with some diced green onions or diced scallions to taste. The standard serving size for soup is typically 8 ounces or 2 ladles of soup per bowl.
⭐ Copycat Rating
Since the goal of a Copycat Recipe is for it to taste exactly like the original, it's only natural to rate this recipe against the original. This Copycat recipe rates a solid 10 out of 10 in my opinion.
If you like eating wild rice, I suggest you try my Wild Rice and Bean Salad.
Check out my other Copycat Recipes as well as all my other Soup & Chowder Recipes.
For more great recipes like this one, I suggest you check these recipes out:
📋 Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Copycat Chicken & Wild Rice Soup recipe from Panera Bread (see recipe card for quantities): Carrots, Celery, Yellow Onion, Olive Oil, Garlic Cloves, Low Sodium Chicken Broth, Water, Milk, Ground Black Pepper, Dried Oregano, Bay Leaf, Chicken Breasts, All Purpose Flour, Rice a Roni Long Grain Wild Rice, Salt and Pepper and Green Onions.
🥣 How to make Copycat Panera Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Place the carrots, celery, onion, and olive oil in a large pot.
Let the carrots, celery, and onion to simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
Add the garlic cloves, chicken broth, water, and 1 cup of milk to the mixture and stir until combined.
Add the pepper, dried oregano, bay leaf, and shredded chicken. Mix until combined. Let the soup simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup of milk with the ½ cup of flour until no lumps remain. Pour the milk mixture into the soup mixture and whisk until no lumps remain.
Place the long grain wild rice and the seasoning packet into the soup and mix until combined. Allow the soup to simmer for 20 more minutes or until the rice is tender. The soup will thicken the longer it simmers.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Optionally garnish with fresh green onions.
Copycat Panera Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- ½ cup Carrots, finely diced
- ½ cup Celery, finely diced
- 1 medium Yellow Onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 32 oz Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Water
- 2 cups Milk, divided
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 large Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded or finely diced
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- 4.3 oz Rice-a-Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice, + seasoning packet
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Green Onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the carrots, celery, onion, and olive oil in a large pot.
- Let the carrots, celery, and onion to simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the garlic cloves, chicken broth, water, and 1 cup of milk to the mixture and stir until combined.
- Add the pepper, dried oregano, bay leaf, and shredded chicken. Mix until combined. Let the soup simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup of milk with the ½ cup of flour until no lumps remain. Pour the milk mixture into the soup mixture and whisk until no lumps remain.
- Place the long grain wild rice and the seasoning packet into the soup and mix until combined. Allow the soup to simmer for 20 more minutes or until the rice is tender. The soup will thicken the longer it simmers.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving.
- Optionally garnish with fresh green onions.
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided for this recipe is based on 1 serving. This information is an estimate and may vary based on several factors. If nutritional information is important to you and your diet, please verify this recipe with a Registered Dietitian.
Fred
This Panera chicken and rice soup is exactly like the real thing. Very tasty. I made it today and it was a hit with my family. An absolutely great copycat recipe.
SI
Soup is very tasty. I sauteed the garlic for about 30 seconds before adding broth, etc. Based upon our liking, definitely doesn't need additional salt. I let it simmer for quite a while longer since we prefer the soup to be thicker. Will surely add this to our "recipes to keep" folder.