Chicken and Vegetable Soup Recipe with Green Vegetables and Wild Rice

Our recipe for chicken and vegetable soup with green vegetables and wild rice is made with shredded chicken breasts, spring vegetables such as fennel, leek, zucchini, broccoli, and broccolini, and wild rice, which adds texture, as well as nutrients, fibre and antioxidants. A generous shower of grated Parmigiano Reggiano adds richness and umami. It’s a great use of leftover rotisserie chicken or poached chicken breasts.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Australian

Servings:

Calories: 705kcal

Author: Lara Dunston

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups wild rice
2 litres of water or a light chicken stock
1 chicken stock cube optional
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus more as needed
1 small brown onion finely diced
1 fennel bulb trimmed, sliced; chop green stalks and keep feathery fronds
1 leek finely sliced
2 zucchinis trimmed, cut into rounds
300 g broccoli florets only
200 g broccolini florets and stems sliced
2 chicken breasts shredded; use leftover rotisserie chicken or poached breasts
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

To a rice cooker, add 2 cups of wild rice and 2 ½ cups of water, or follow the instructions if they differ, to steam the rice.
While the rice is steaming, to a medium-sized soup pot, over medium-high heat, add 2 litres of light chicken stock or 2 litres of water and crumble in an optional chicken stock cube and bring to a boil.
In a large pan over medium-high, heat the extra virgin olive oil and sauté the finely diced brown onion until soft, brown and fragrant, then transfer the onion to a soup pot.
To the same pan, add the fennel slices and leek slices, and sauté until soft and aromatic then transfer to the same soup pot.
Lay the zucchini slices down on the pan; when brown use tongs to turn the slices over, then transfer to the soup pot.
Lastly, to the same pan, add another tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, heat, and toss in the broccoli florets and broccolini stems. Sauté for a few minutes, then transfer to the soup pot.
Add the shredded chicken, broccolini florets, feathery leek fronds, and steamed wild rice to the soup pot. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes or so; no more, as you want the broccolini to remain bright green and firm.
Taste and season with salt and pepper if you like. Use a ladle to distribute the soup between bowls, then generously shower each bowl with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Serve immediately with crusty bread, salt and pepper, and dishes of fresh flat leaf parsley and grated Parmigiano Reggiano so guests can customise their soups.

Notes

To serve: fresh flat leaf parsley, more grated Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper, crusty bread

Nutrition