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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: 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.
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.
Wowowowowowow. This is probably one of my new favorite recipes . I added mushrooms, and ended up not doing the sage butter at the end, instead just added a few sage leaves when adding back the shredded chicken, and it still turned out fantastic!! Definitely recommend using heavy cream, and if you think it taste bland, you’re probably not adding enough salt (just keep adding a little throughout cooking and taste as you go till it’s just right, don’t be afraid of salt). This recipe will be a go to for cold dreary weather for sure!!
Hey Laura,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Thanks for sharing what works well for you! xT
This was so good! His the spot on this cold Chicago winter day! It was seasoned perfectly! Ate it with some Asiago focaccia bread and it was absolutely perfect
*grocery store was out of orzo so we made it with broken spaghetti, still turned out great
Hey Katie,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! 🎊🎈
The garlic, sage butter was an excellent finishing touch to the soup. The soup was really good but missing a little flavor in the end. It may have been because we used half and half instead of heavy cream. Overall, very pleased and excited to try another recipe soon.
Hey Lisa,
Happy New Year!!🎆 I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try and sharing your review! xT
this recipe is chicken noodle soup’s hotter older cousin with tattoos. i’ve made it twice this week. So good!!!!!!!
Hey Sarah,
Happy Holidays!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! 🎄❄️
Such a delicious soup. This will certainly become a winter staple in our house!
Hey Brittany,
Happy Holidays!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! 🎄❄️
I have one vegetarian at home. Could the chicken be cooked and added separately for those who want it?
Hey Tracey,
I’m not sure if that will affect the outcome of the dish, but you can certainly give it a try! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This is the perfect dish for a cold snowy night. So easy to throw together and the flavours are delicious together.
Hi Caroline,
Happy Holidays!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you!🎁🎅
Made this tonight and it was amazing! Forgot to buy spinach so used thawed frozen spinach and worked out great! Also used half and half instead of heavy cream. Do you think the leftovers would freeze well?
Hey Melissa,
Happy Holidays!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! This might not be the best option for freezing:) 🎁🎅
Looking forward to making this and wondering if turkey would work instead of chicken? This might be a great alternative to regular turkey soup with our Christmas leftovers.
Thanks!
Hey Cristina,
Sure, turkey would be delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xx
I really, really wanted to love this recipe, but it didn’t quite hit the mark.
I followed the crock pot directions. Cooked the soup on low for about three hours… I went to check on it and it was done (chicken cooked through, rice cooked, veggies soft). Thank goodness I checked on it when I did because I’m not sure what it would have looked like if I waited the suggested 6-7 hours. My crock pot is relatively new and I haven’t had any issues with it before so I’m not sure if it’s the recipe or the crock pot.. but I digress.
Also, I would suggest doubling the seasonings. I followed the recipe to a T and it was the blandest soup I have ever tasted.
Not sure if I will attempt this one again, but good luck if you try it.
Hi Kelsey,
Thanks for making this dish and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear this was not enjoyed. xT
Very good and easy. Elevated basic chicken soup recipe especially with the brown butter spooned on top and crispy sage. I used brown rice as that’s all I had and it worked fine. Only confusing thing was covering while on instantpot sauté mode? From what I’ve read the lid shouldn’t be put on in sauté mode- it kept intermittently pressurizing so I took it off and the orzo cooked fine uncovered
Hey Samantha,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Sorry about the lid! Have a great weekend!🎄⛄️
How to freeze? Wait to add cream? And should I wait on the orzo? Thanks
Hi Jennifer,
I honestly don’t think this would be the best dish to freeze! xx
Do you pressure cook after adding orzo and greens or just cook on sauté function?
Hey Jennifer,
You are just going to cook on the sauce function. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
So good! Family loved it. Nice alternative to regular chicken noodle soup. Felt a bit heartier. I don’t do a lot of creamy soups so just put a splash of light cream in it. Honestly, so delicious it doesn’t need the cream. Perfect on a cold New England evening!
Hey Tanya,
Happy Friday!!❄️🧑🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Where do I add the paprika? I don’t see it in the stove instructions.
Hi Sarah,
You’re going to add the paprika in step 1. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Could I use 1/2 c white rice + 1/2c wild Rice (I ran out of wild rice!)
Hi Jessi,
Yes, that should be okay for you to do! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx