This chicken and wild rice soup is my brother Sean's most favorite thing to eat. Anytime he'd come home from college, this was his comfort food. Even though my soup base is made with equal parts cream and chicken stock, it's still lighter than most, but you can adjust the amount of cream you use to suit your taste (sometimes I hold way back on the heavy cream and finish the soup with a bit of sour cream instead). I highly recommend making this soup a day or two ahead; it actually gets better after a night in the refrigerator, which allows all of the flavors to better meld together. 

　　This recipe was excerpted from ‘At Home’ by Gavin Kaysen and Nick Fauchald. Buy the full book at GavinKaysen.com. This book was selected as one of the best cookbooks of 2022.

　　

Ingredients

Chicken stock

1 whole chicken (3½ to 4 pounds)

　　4 quarts water (or chicken stock for a richer stock)

　　1 leek, white and light-green parts only, roughly chopped

　　½ fennel bulb and fronds, roughly chopped

　　2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

　　2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped

　　6 garlic cloves, smashed

　　2 sprigs thyme

　　2 bay leaves

　　5 sprigs parsley

　　

Chicken and wild rice soup

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

　　½ fennel bulb, finely diced

　　3 celery stalks, finely diced

　　1 medium leek, finely diced

　　1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

　　1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced

　　4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

　　4 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade

　　4 cups wild rice

　　2 Tbsp. fine sea salt

　　4 cups heavy cream

　　4 cups (about 2 pounds) poached chicken meat from making stock

　　1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

　　¼ cup chopped parsley

　　

For the Chicken Stock

Step 1

In a stockpot, combine all the ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover the pot, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook for 1½  hours.

　　

Step 2

Remove from the heat and remove the chicken from the pot. Set aside. Strain the liquid into another pot and discard the solids.

　　

Step 3

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat from the bones using your hands and reserve for the soup. Some sections, like the breast, benefit from dicing with a knife to make equal 1-inch pieces. Discard the skin and bones.

　　

Step 4

The stock can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 6 months.

　　

For the Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Step 5

In a large soup pot, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the fennel, celery, leek, onion, carrot, and garlic and sweat until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.

　　

Step 6

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the wild rice and salt, stirring to combine. Bring back to a simmer, cover, and cook until the rice pods have opened, 25 to 30 minutes.

　　

Step 7

Add the cream, chicken, and black pepper and bring back up to a boil to combine flavors. Remove from the heat.

　　

Step 8

Divide the soup among bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve.

　　Reprinted with permission from At Home by Gavin Kaysen and Nick Fauchald, copyright © 2022. Photographs by Libby Anderson, copyright © 2022. Published by Spoon Thief Publishing, a division of Soigné Hospitality Group. Buy the full book from GavinKaysen.com.