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The coziest bowl of Wild Rice and Orzo Chicken Soup to welcome these long, cold December nights. Made with wild rice, herbs, orzo pasta, and chicken. It’s a hearty warming meal to enjoy any night of the week. Just throw everything into the instant pot or slow cooker, set it, and walk away. Add a little browned sage butter just before serving. The browned butter takes just minutes to make but adds a wonderful layer of deliciousness to this creamy soup. Every spoonful is so delicious with a side of bread.
I don’t know how it happened so fast, but winter has officially hit us and all I have to say is brrr. Granted today was just an especially chilly, snowy day, it feels exceptionally cold out as I sit and type this cozied up inside.
Lately, I’ve been doing crazy simple recipes. Sometimes they have a mix of flavors going on. Hearty dishes from Asian cuisine, to creamy spiced Indian curries. I’m all over the place flavor-wise, but the one thing each recipe has in common? They’re all cozy.
Short cold days just put me in a cozy state of mind. I want to spend zero time on cooking dinner and all my time baking cookies. What can I say, tis’ the season!
Anyway, both my mom and I love wild rice. We would make the Uncle Ben’s wild rice blends all the time when I was growing up. And while I don’t use those ingredients when cooking now, I still love wild rice. Especially with herbs and butter. Such a cozy yet still wholesome combination.
I’ve made a few wild rice soups in the past, but never one like this. Today’s is special. It’s made with orzo pasta and golden sage butter.
Two simple additions that make all the difference.
Here is how I make this soup
Whenever I’m cooking wild rice, I almost always use the instant pot or crockpot. But usually just the instant pot since it works so fast. For whatever reason, I have a hard time with wild rice, but using the instant pot or crockpot always works so perfectly.
If you’re in a hurry though, stick with the instant pot!
Simply add almost all the ingredients – the chicken, onion, garlic, wild rice, poultry seasoning, paprika, and broth, right to the bowl of the instant pot or crockpot. You can make this on the stove too. Use the method that works for you!
Now lock the lid and set it for 12 minutes. I find this to be the perfect amount of time to cook the rice and chicken. If making this in the crockpot, cook low and slow, all day long.
Once the rice is cooked, I mix in the orzo and cook for a few minutes to allow time for the orzo to cook.
Add cream for extra creaminess.
While that’s cooking, I like to take the cloves of garlic and mix them together with the butter and sage on the stove. What happens is that the garlic gets crispy and the butter browns around both the garlic and sage.
This is so delicious and really adds a layer of freshness to a very creamy soup.
Finish the bowls of soup off with the sage butter, then parmesan, and fresh thyme.
I recommend serving this soup with a side of crusty bread. If you own the HBH Super Simple cookbook, there’s an easy, no-knead bread recipe that’s perfect to pair with this soup.
If you’re planning to enjoy this soup leftover, the rice and orzo will soak up all the broth. The taste is still incredible, but you will no longer have soup, you’ll have super creamy rice. You can either warm the rice and enjoy it as is or just add a little broth to make the rice and chicken soupy again.
Hope you all enjoy!
Looking for other winter meals? Here are a few ideas:
Crockpot Herb Butter Chicken and Wild Rice
Sweet Potato Cheddar Pierogi with Bacon Bits
Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
Lastly, if you make this Cozy Wild Rice and Orzo Chicken Soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Cozy Wild Rice and Orzo Chicken Soup
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 528 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 whole cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 cup dry wild rice blend
- 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 rounded tablespoon poultry seasoning (see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach or kale
- 3/4 cup dry orzo pasta
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- shaved parmesan, for serving
Instructions
Instant Pot
- 1. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the chicken, onion, garlic, wild rice, carrots, celery, poultry seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper. Pour over the broth and add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Quick release the steam.2. Switch the instant pot to sauté. Remove the garlic cloves and set aside. Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Stir in the spinach and orzo. Cover and cook 6-8 minutes, or until the orzo is al dente. Stir in the cream and parsley. If the soup needs more liquid, add additional water. 3. Add the butter, garlic, and sage to a skillet set over medium heat. Mash the garlic into the butter, allowing the butter to brown and some of the garlic to get crispy. Remove from the heat.4. Ladle the soup into bowls and spoon over the sage butter. Top with parmesan and parsley. Enjoy!
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your slow cooker, combine the chicken, onion, garlic, wild rice, carrots, celery, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Pour over the broth and add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. 2. Crank the heat on the slow cooker to high. Remove the garlic cloves and set aside. Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Stir in the spinach and orzo. Cover and cook 20-30 minutes, or until the orzo is al dente. Stir in the cream and parsley. If the soup needs more liquid, add additional water. 3. Add the butter, garlic, and sage to a skillet set over medium heat. Mash the garlic into the butter, allowing the butter to brown and some of the garlic to get crispy. Remove from the heat.4. Ladle the soup into bowls and spoon over the sage butter. Top with parmesan and parsley. Enjoy!
Stove
- 1. In a large soup pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook until fragrant and softened, about 5 minutes. Pour over the broth. Add the chicken and wild rice, and season with salt and pepper. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low, cook 35-45 minutes, until the rice is tender.2. Remove the garlic cloves and set aside. Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Stir in the spinach and orzo. Cook another 6-8 minutes, or until the orzo is al dente. Stir in the cream and parsley. If the soup needs more liquid, add additional water. 3. Add the butter, garlic, and sage to a skillet set over medium heat. Mash the garlic into the butter, allowing the butter to brown and some of the garlic to get crispy. Remove from the heat.4. Ladle the soup into bowls and spoon over the sage butter. Top with parmesan and parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
Leftovers:Â If eating this leftover, the rice will soak up a good amount of liquid. It will still taste great, but if you’d like for it to be soup again, you will need to add broth. Or just eat this as deliciously flavored rice!
Poultry Seasoning: 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, 2 teaspoons dried sage, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon pepper. Mix to combine.Â
Slow Cooker: slow cookers can vary. I recommend to start checking for doneness at around 5 hours on low. If the soup gets too thick, add water to thin.Â
We live in summit county and this has become one of our all time favorites during ski season. So yummy, warm and comforting. Num Num Num <3
Thanks so much Sara!! Love to hear that this recipe is a fave:) Have a great weekend! xT
I made this in the crockpot on the “high” setting, and after 4 hours the rice still wasn’t cooked. It’s still very al dente as are most of the vegetables which I was surprised by considering I cooked it significantly longer than recommended. How do you suggest adding the butter mixture in a leftovers scenario?
I feel like this has a lot of potential and I’m not sure if I messed it up or what but the end result wasn’t amazing :/
2nd time of making it! So yummy. I have some mushrooms I need to use, when would I add to the soup? Thank you!!
Hi Cindy! I would probably add them with the celery and carrots! xT
This recipe is absolutely amazing!! I made it in the crock pot – SO easy! I did add 1qt more of chicken stock at the end. The brown butter with the garlic and sage – MADE the soup! And of course the parmesan cheese! I had the rind so i threw that in as well. DELICIOUS soup and i will definitely be making it again. Thanks for the recipe!
At what point did you add the rind? That sounds really good!
Hi there! Thanks SO much! I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying the recipes! 🙂 xT
I made this tonight & it was so delicious! My whole family loved it.
Thank you for trying out the recipe Sam! So glad you enjoyed this soup! xT
BETTER THAN A HUG! This is such a wonderful soup, truly one of my favorite! This is on rotation for my family of 7…the best comfort food!
Happy Friday! Thank you for trying out this recipe, and have a great weekend! xT
I made this soup last night!!!! Sooooo delicious!! I didn’t have orzo so just added extra wild rice and we loved it!! And we have leftovers for the weekend!!
Happy Friday! Thank you for trying out this recipe, and have a great weekend! xT
This soup is so delicious! My family really enjoyed it and the brown butter added so much flavor. We made the stove top version. Love all your recipes💕
Thank you for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have a great rest of your week! 🙂 xT
I made this today in the crockpot as we were having a snowstorm in NJ. It was absolutely fabulous! So hearty and nutritious! The sage butter was phenomenal and the parmesan added so much. We even had a Loaf of crusty sourdough to go with it. Thank you for sharing this perfect winter recipe!
I accidentally added all of the poultry seasoning to my recipe from your note instead of one rounded tablespoon. Is there anything I can do to counteract it so the seasoning isn’t too overpowering?
I did the exact same thing! I just took out as much as I could and then still added paprika and didn’t salt til the end just in case Tasted great
Hi Courtney! So sorry I’m just now seeing this comment! Did it turn out okay for you? xT
I like this recipe but I made it vegan because I cannot eat dairy. I felt it was missing something. I am just not sure what. I haven’t had a bowl yet just taste tested. We will see when I have some for dinner.
Hi Sharon! So sorry this recipe didn’t turn out for you! I would say maybe add some more spices if you’re feeling like the flavor is lacking?
Made this last night. We’re snowed in and I had all the ingredients. It was delish! Served it with your beer bread. So good.
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and leaving a comment! Have a wonderful week! xT
I cooked this today in the crockpot and it drove us mad smelling it cooking! It was fantastic! The blending of flavors and the brown butter and shaved parm at the end was heavenly. My hubby said the cheese gave a sense of anticipation for each bite.
I did add mushrooms because, well, mushrooms. 🙂
Your instructions were clear, concise, and easy to follow. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and leaving a comment! Have a wonderful week! xT
This soup was ok. I expected more flavour but the poultry seasoning took over. In the recipe it says to add butter with the garlic then what? Add it back in the already cooked soup? I skipped that completely. If I make this again I would saute the onions and garlic first then make the soup. I would also not add the orzo it was not needed.
I usually do not leave a comment on recipes but wow this recipe blew me and my husband away, absolutely delicious!! Adding to our soup rotations! 🙂
Wow thank you so much Kristen! Absolutely love to hear that! xT
Made this tonight and it was delicious!!!
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for giving it a try! xT