Chicken of the Woods Wild Rice Soup

Chicken of the Woods Wild Rice Soup is a cozy fall soup perfect to enjoy after a day of mushroom foraging, or autumn hiking. Try this classic Minnesotan recipe to warm your soul!

Print Recipe

CourseVegan Recipes

CuisineMinnesotan

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Servings servings

Calories435kcal

Ingredients

2 tbs Olive Oil
1 Medium Finely Chopped Yellow Onion
1 can Whole Fat Coconut Milk
1 Cup Broken-up Chicken of the Woods
2 Ribs Chopped Celery
2 Medium Chopped Carrots
1/4 cup Dry White Wine
1 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp *Salt To taste
1 Bay Leaf
1 Cup Cooked Wild Rice
4 Cups Vegetable Broth or Mushroom Broth
3 tbs Potato Starch or Corn Starch
2 Cloves Crushed and Chopped Garlic
2 tsp Mushroom Seasoning Optional

Instructions

Instant Pot Directions

Turn on the Sauté feature on the Instant Pot and add 2 tbsp. of olive oil, your chopped onion, and garlic; sauté for 2 minutes
Now add your broken up chicken of the woods, carrots, celery, white wine if using, and sauté everything together for another 4-5 minutes- until onions start to get a little clear
Add your salt, thyme, black pepper, and bay leaf.
Sauté for one more minute
Add your vegetable broth, wild rice, and potato starch- stir well.
Now cover the Instant Pot and pressure cook for 10 minutes
Release the steam and add a can of your coconut milk, stir well
Serve with crusty bread, a green salad, and a glass of wine

Stove Top Directions

On medium heat add 2 tbs of olive oil, your chopped onion, and garlic to a large stockpot - sauté for 2 minutes
Now add your broken up chicken of the woods, carrots, celery, white wine if using, and sauté everything together for another 4-5 minutes- until onions start to get a little clear
Add your salt, thyme, black pepper, and bay leaf. Sauté for one more minute
Add your vegetable broth, wild rice, and potato starch- stir well. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes- until carrots are soft.
Add your coconut milk and stir well. Taste to see if any more salt is needed (amounts varies due to variable broths)
Serve with your favorite bread, good company, and a warm fire!

Video

Notes

You can add either 1 tbs chickpea flour or all purpose flour as well. The purpose is to help thicken the broth.
Do not use tapioca starch here- you don't want your soup to be gooey!

I made this recipe with light coconut milk once since my grocery store was sold out of whole fat coconut milk one time I made this.
I added 2 tbs of powdered coconut milk with another tablespoon of coconut oil. It worked great!

To Precook Your Wild Rice:
Pressure Cooker-
The best method to precook the wild rice is in a pressure cooker for the quickest result. Do a 1:1 ratio of water to rice and cook for 40 minutes
You do not need to soak the rice in this method Stove Top-
Otherwise presoak your wild rice either overnight or for at least 3-5 hours, then cook on the stove with a water ratio 1.5:1 to rice and cook covered for 40-60 minutes.

The rice can be slightly chewy since it will finish cooking with the rest of the soup

Consider adding 1/4 cup dry white wine when you are sautéing your onions and garlic- it adds a sweet depth that is wonderful in cream sauces and broths. The alcohol will cook out and the wine will infuse your vegetables with a tangy sweetness.
The flavor will be more earthy without it.

The amount of salt needed will vary depending on the vegetable broth you use. If you are using a homemade veggie scrap broth with no salt added you'll want to add more salt vs using a prepacked vegetable broth.
The premade vegetable broths tend to be high in sodium and may substitute any salt in this recipe.
Try a 50/50 blend of black salt with truffle salt for extra depth in the broths flavor.
Otherwise a simple sea salt also does the job!
Taste as you cook to get your ideal proportion of salt.

Nutrition