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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.
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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.
This was a good, hearty soup, but just not very flavorful. I usually love the flavors in HBH recipes, so this was a little disappointing. I would definitely try it again but increase the seasonings.
Hey Christine,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xx
Very well received by my whole family. So yummy! I made the stovetop version and it was perfect. I loved the butter.
Hey Sarah,
Happy Sunday!!🏈 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
This was so cozy I ate it for three days straight! Note- I preferred the soup better before I added the brown butter…. But both ways are definitely delicious. Will make again\ I used instant pot method and it was quick and clean up was a breeze. Thank you!
Hey Fran,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you:)
I used the crockpot version and the rice was so bloated, it was total mush. The poultry seasoning that’s linked in the recipe isn’t a very traditional poultry seasoning (more of a Grill Mate), so I don’t know if the flavors I had were so different than what she intended, but it just wasn’t yummy.
I LOVE Tieghan’s work; this is the first dud I’ve had. Maybe if I had her same seasoning and I added the rice at the end it would have turned out. But I’m not going to try again. I’ll move on to another one of her delicious recipes!
Hey Madeline,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it didn’t turn out for you! Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
This recipe is SO tasty and so easy to make in the Instant Pot! Added a little more salt and pepper at the end, but such a staple during the cold winter months. Would highly recommend if you’re looking for an easy delicious soup!
Hey Lauren,
Happy Friday!😁 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
You mentioned coconut milk as a non dairy substitute, would you recommend canned full fat coconut milk or the thinner milk that typically comes in a box/carton? Can’t wait to make this!
Hi Kate,
I prefer to use canned full fat:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I love this soup!
Hey Yvonne,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your comment, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
This was delicious! I made it pretty much exactly as written but used more chicken. Would this be ok to freeze?
Hey Forrest,
Amazing!! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your comment! Sure, you could freeze this! xx
Making this now (crockpot on!) – I am at the 5 hour mark so I checked as your note suggested and the chicken is done, but not the rice. How can I continue to cook the rice withour overcooking the chicken? Wondering if I should pull the chicken – just don’t want it to lose flavor! Thank you!
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! I would pull out the chicken to allow the rice to finish cooking. I hope this helps! xx
Hi! I am trying to understand what went wrong when I made this a few weeks ago. I followed it to the tee but it had absolutely no flavor. I used chicken broth from whole foods, low sodium. I consider myself a good cook but something was amiss here even after I doctored it up, it was still lacking. About how much salt are you using?
Hey Natalie,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! I just salt to taste:) Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
This soup was outstanding! Super comforting with lots of flavor. The only change I made, because I was tired and wanted to eat 😊, was not making the sage garlic butter at the end. I did remove the garlic cloves from the soup at the end, mashed them with a fork, and put them back into the soup. Oh my goodness, it was fabulous! I’ll definitely try making the sage garlic butter next time! Thank you so much for another great recipe.
Hey Leann,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was delish! xx
Sage garlic brown butter needs to go on everything from now on! YUMMMMM!
Hey Clare,
Perfect!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Made this today to have for lunches this week, it was great! I made it in the crockpot, very easy. I left out the spinach because I forgot to buy it. Still great! Makes a TON!
Hey Danielle,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xT
Came out great! Love the addition of parm and buttery crispy sage on top.
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Friday!!⛄️❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
I started this this morning in the crockpot and accidentally cooked it on high instead of low for 6 hours. Now the wild rice is very mushy. Any saving it or any ideas??
Hey Natalie,
So sorry to hear this!! You could try fluffing the rice on the stove top, or just make another side of it! Thanks for giving the recipe a try! xx
Hi loved this recipe! Are the safe leaves supposed to be chopped for the butter or whole? Thanks!!
Hey Anne,
You can leave the sage leaves whole. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
What would be a non-dairy option that would taste just as good?
Hey Debbie,
You could go with coconut milk or another non dairy milk that you enjoy! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT