This creamy Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice Soup is wildly delicious and comforting, filled with shredded chicken, tender mushrooms, and hearty wild rice, all in a creamy, herby broth. A perfect cold weather soup recipe to snuggle up with this time of year.

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Ingredients

This creamy chicken soup recipe definitely has a lengthier ingredient list but it’s nothing too far out of the ordinary at all, and you hopefully have a bunch of this already! 

• Mirepoix: Mirepoix is a mixture of onions, carrots, and celery that is used often as the base of soups and stews. Typically it’s a 2:1:1 ratio (meaning there’s double the amount of onions as there is carrots or celery). 
• Sometimes I buy the mini carrots and just chop those; it removes the added steps of peeling and slicing whole carrots. 
• Garlic: Plenty of garlic to help flavor the dish, specifically 4 cloves. But measure this with your heart.
• Mushrooms: Baby bella mushrooms are my go-to. Adding mushrooms to this soup gives it such a rich earthy flavor that pairs really well with the wild rice. Remove the stem if it looks very earthy or just trim it. 
• Flour: Adding a bit of all purpose flour helps thicken the soup a little so it’s not so liquidy and a bit creamier. 
• Chicken breast: Boneless skinless chicken breasts. They get added right into the soup and cooked in there. Then you pull them out once cooked, shred them up, then add them back in. 
• Wild rice: I love the different colors in wild rice and the slightly nutty flavor. This, similar to the chicken, gets cooked right in the soup. I used the wild rice blend from Lundberg.
• Chicken stock or chicken broth: The base of the liquid part of the soup. Bonus points if you have homemade chicken stock on hand!
• Fresh herbs: Using both thyme and parsley in this soup gives it delicious herbaceousness and freshness. 
• Heavy cream: Heavy cream of course adds the creaminess to the soup.
• Olive oil & butter: Use of both olive oil and unsalted butter at different points to sauté the veggies.
• Kosher salt and black pepper: standard seasonings

Ingredient Substitutions

If you need to make any substitutions or swaps for this Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice Soup, below are some that will work! 

• Chicken breast: you can substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken tenderloins, or even rotisserie chicken (or any leftover shredded chicken you may have) . Each will require a different time to cook though, so keep that in mind for calculating when to add to the simmering broth. For example, thighs will take longer to cook, but rotisserie chicken needs no additional cooking time. 
• Wild rice: instead of a wild rice mix you can use really any kind of rice you like (eg wild rice, white rice), just watch the cooking time. You can cook the rice separately as well.
• Chicken stock: you can use vegetable broth instead. 
• Herbs: really use whatever you love! Fresh rosemary or sage would be great additions. 
• Heavy cream: make it dairy free by using unsweetened full fat coconut cream or coconut milk instead. 

Step by step instructions

Check out the instructions below for how to make this super cozy creamy soup. Full recipe can be found in the recipe card below.

Overview 

Sauté the vegetables and thyme, add the flour, add the stock and rice, simmer, half way through add the raw chicken, continue to simmer. Shred the chicken, add the cream and parsley.

Detailed instructions

1. Sauté the mushrooms. Grab a large pot (such as a dutch oven) and set it over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pot followed by the mushrooms. Sauté these for about 10 minutes, until they release their natural liquids and are tender. 

2. Add the remaining vegetables. To the pot with the mushrooms, add the butter, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, salt, and pepper. Sauté that until it all starts to soften, about 5 minutes. 

3. Add the thyme. Add in the fresh thyme to the pot and let that cook for a few minutes to infuse the flavor. 

4. Add the flour. Then add in the flour to the pot and cook until no more dry flour remains, about 1-2 minutes. 

5. Add the stock and rice. Pour in all the stock and add the uncooked rice. Bring it to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then cover and cook for 30 minutes. 

6. Add the chicken. While the rice cooks, remove the lid from the pot and add the raw chicken breasts in. Cover it again and continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes. 

7. Shred the chicken. Take the cooked chicken out of the pot and shred it, then add it back in.

8. Add the heavy cream and parsley. To finish the soup, stir in the heavy cream and fresh parsley. 

Tips and tricks 

Tips and tricks below are to help you nail making this super hearty and comforting soup.

• Rinse the wild rice before cooking it! It’s super important to rinse your rice before you add it with the broth. This will rinse off the excess starch, which, if kept on, will not only make the rice super mushy and cause it to stick together, but will also leave the overall soup with a starchy weird texture. 
• How to effectively rinse wild rice: add it to a fine mesh strainer then run cold water over top for about 1 minute until the water runs clear and is no longer cloudy. It’s best to shake the strainer a bit to toss up the rice as you are running the water over it. 
• Two easy ways to shred chicken: one, use two forks and do a pull-apart method. Two, use a hand mixer or stand mixer.  
• To get a nice brown on the mushrooms, don’t move them for the first few minutes of sautéing. 
• You can cook the rice separately and add it to the soup at the end, then all you really need is the 15 minutes of simmering to cook the chicken. 
• Use whatever type of mushrooms you like best. I used baby bella mushrooms, which are the same as cremini mushrooms. You could also use portobello, button, shiitake, oyster, or porcini. 
• Serve with some crusty bread or cornbread, and a sprinkling of fresh grated parmesan cheese. 
• If you like a little hit of acidity in your dishes, try squeezing some lemon juice in at the very end or a dash of vinegar.

Storage and reheating

• Storage: allow it to cool to room temperature then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 
• Reheating: reheat either in the microwave for a few minutes or on the stovetop.
• Freezing: allow the soup to come to room temp then put in a freezer-safe container. Can be kept frozen for about 2 months. However, if your plan is to freeze this, don’t add the heavy cream. Add the heavy cream once you reheat it. To reheat from frozen, put it in a pot on low heat and let it slowly melt. Once fully warmed through, add the heavy cream. 

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📖 Recipe

This Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie is a wonderfully delicious and hearty recipe. Made with rotisserie chicken, potatoes, mirepoix, and plenty of garlic and herbs, topped with flaky buttery store-bought puff pastry crust. It’s perfect to feed a hungry crowd, and truly the perfect comfort food. 

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Ingredients

• Rotisserie chicken: Grocery store rotisserie chicken is a perfect short cut to help simplify this chicken pot pie recipe. Cut it into roughly 1 inch cubes. 
• Potato: A single russet potato, peeled and cut into half-inch chunks.
• Mirepoix: A mix of onion, carrots, and celery. Traditionally, the ratio is 2 parts onion to 1 part carrot and 1 part celery. However in this recipe we do equal parts onion and carrot.
• Garlic: Plenty of cloves chopped up. Measure garlic with your heart. 
• Peas: Frozen petite peas are my favorite, but frozen sweet peas are also fine. 
• Herbs: A mixture of dried thyme for the classic pot pie flavor, and fresh parsley for a little extra something special.  
• Flour: All purpose flour. This will help thicken the sauce.
• Milk: Whole milk to make the creamy filling.
• Chicken stock: This combines with the milk to make the sauce of the filling. 
• Puff pastry: (Thawed) frozen store bought puff pastry sheets (usually sold as 2 sheets in a package). All-butter puff pastry is the best.

Ingredient substitutions

• Rotisserie chicken: You can use cubed chicken breast instead of rotisserie chicken. If you do this, cook the chicken until no longer pink on the outside as the first step. Then continue with the recipe. You can also use leftover turkey.
• Peas: You can use fresh peas or canned peas (drain and rise if you go the canned route). For either of these options, add them to the dish just before you bake otherwise you run the risk of them getting too mushy. 
• Herbs: Adding some fresh rosemary or sage would also be delicious. You can use fresh thyme instead of dried – use about 1 tablespoon fresh.
• Milk: Make it dairy free by using full fat coconut milk. Make it extra creamy by using heavy cream.
• Chicken stock: Use chicken broth or vegetable broth / stock. 
• Veggies: You can add more vegetables to the filling mixture such as chopped green beans or mushrooms.
• Puff pastry: I use store bought, but if you want to make your own try this recipe.

Step by step instructions

While there are a few steps required to make this puff pastry chicken pot pie recipe, they’re all relatively straightforward and easy to accomplish! Let’s get to it: 

1. Cook the mirepoix. Heat your large skillet and olive oil over medium heat. Add the mirepoix, cubed potatoes, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper. Cook until softened, 5 minutes.

2. Add the flour. Lower the heat to medium-low and sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Stir it all together until all the flour is no longer dry. 

3. Add the milk. Still on medium-low heat, stir in the milk and cook for 2 minutes until it coats everything. 

4. Add the stock. Stir in the chicken stock and raise to medium-high heat until it comes to a simmer, then lower to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened – about 5-8 minutes. You want it to be able to coat the back of a spoon (this is the sauce/gravy).

5. Add the remainder of the ingredients. Once the sauce is thickened, add the cubed cooked chicken, frozen peas, and fresh parsley to the pot pie filling. Stir to combine.

6. Roll out the puff pastry. On a clean surface, roll out the sheet of puff pastry dough using a rolling pin until it is wide enough to cover the circumference of your pan with some extra hang room. 

7. Make an egg wash. Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk until scrambled. 

8. Cover the pot pie. Gently place the puff pastry centered over the pot pie, folding the edges on top of themselves. 

9. Brush with egg wash. Evenly brush egg wash over the puff pastry and cut a few slits in the center using a sharp knife to allow air to escape. 

10. Bake. Bake the puff pastry chicken pot pie in a 400℉ oven for 20 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown and puffed. 

Tips and tricks

• Use a 10-inch oven safe skillet. I find it’s the perfect size for this recipe. A little bigger would be okay (for example, 12-inch skillet), however, any smaller and it won’t all fit.
• If using cast iron, use one that is well seasoned so the food doesn’t stick.
• Bake the chicken pot pie on a large baking sheet that way if there’s any spillage it won’t end up on the bottom of your oven. 
• Defrost your puff pastry in the fridge at least 5-6 hours prior to using it. If you’re in a pinch you can defrost it at room temp, it’ll take about 30 mins-1 hour. But once defrosted put it back in the fridge if possible to firm back up. 
• Preheat your oven before you start cooking the recipe. Puff pastry shouldn’t be at room temperature for long because the butter will melt and it won’t get as puffy, so the quicker you can go from rolling it out to putting it in the oven, the better!
• Don’t skip the egg wash - it makes the puff pastry golden and give it the shiny top.
• Store bought chicken stock is perfectly fine, but if you have homemade chicken stock definitely use that it's so good!!

Storage and reheating

To store this recipe, you can keep it in the skillet or dish you baked it in, and cover and keep in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Alternatively, you can scoop the filling into an airtight container then cut the remaining puff pastry into smaller pieces and add on top. 

To reheat, warm in the oven at 350℉ until warmed through, about 15 minutes.

Make ahead instructions

Make the filling mixture (up to step 5). Allow it to cool to room temperature, then store in the fridge (ideally just overnight) either in the skillet or in a baking dish. When you’re ready to bake, take it out of the fridge to get the chill off while you roll out the puff pastry. Then continue according to directions to finish. 

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📖 Recipe

This Butternut Squash Lasagna is layers upon layers of delicious homemade roasted butternut squash sauce with roasted garlic and a cheesy spinach mixture, all baked until golden with crispy edges and topped with fresh sage. Perfect for any dinner table, especially on holidays or serving a crowd! 

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Ingredients 

This delicious butternut squash and spinach lasagna skips the classic red sauce and instead uses a seasonal creamy butternut squash sauce that is so good when paired with spinach and ricotta layers.

• Lasagna noodles: Regular lasagna noodles. I like the ones with the curly edges. They get cooked to al-dente before being layered together and baked which finishes them off 
• Butternut squash: The star of the show - it's a relatively sweet squash but paired in this recipe gets a balance of savory. It's cubed and roasted which gives it a stronger butternut squash flavor that is so good.
• Spices: A mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg give the butternut squash sauce such a fabulous depth of flavor.
• Heavy cream: Smooth out and help serve as the base of the butternut squash sauce. 
• Garlic: A full head of garlic gets roasted and added into the sauce. It’s a game changer.
• Spinach: Frozen chopped spinach is the easiest route here. 
• Onion: Yellow onion is sautéd and added into the spinach mixture for more flavor. 
• Cheeses: A combination of four cheeses – ricotta, mozzarella, gruyere, parmesan – all blended for the perfect gooeyness and cheesy flavor. 
• Egg: Acts as the binder to the spinach mixture so it doesn’t melt all over the place.

Ingredient substitutions

• Lasagna noodles: can substitute no boil noodles, just add some vegetable broth to the butternut squash sauce to add extra moisture to help the noodles cook. 
  • You can also use whole wheat noodles or gluten-free noodles if you’d like.
• Butternut squash: you can use pumpkin instead. You can also use frozen butternut squash, just defrost it slightly then roast. 
• Spices: pumpkin pie spice is a good sub, but if you use it, use that as the only spice as it includes both cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Heavy cream: use full fat coconut milk 
• Frozen spinach: use fresh spinach instead, add it to the onions when they’re just about done and sauté until wilted.  

Step by step instructions

Lasagnas are a bit of a labor of love with a bunch of different components, but it’s definitely worth it! This is really a great vegetarian main dish that the whole family will truly love. Fall comfort food at its finest.

1. Roast the butternut squash and garlic. Toss the butternut squash cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Spread them in an even layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Separately, cut the top ¼ off a head of garlic and drizzle it with olive oil then wrap it in aluminum foil. Add it to the baking sheet with the butternut squash. Roast at 425F for about 30-40 minutes until tender. 

2. Make the sauce. To a high powered blender or food processor, add the roasted butternut squash, heavy cream, and squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb. Blend until smooth. In a medium bowl add the butternut squash puree and mix in the ricotta cheese.

3. Sauté the onions. Warm a sauté pan over medium heat. Add a little olive oil and the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent - about 5-8 minutes. 

4. Make the spinach ricotta mixture. In large bowl, add the thawed chopped spinach, sautéed onions, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, ½ of the mozzarella cheese, gruyere cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined. 

5. Par-cook the noodles. Boil a large pot of water. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente – a few minutes less than the box directions. Drain and set aside in an even layer to prevent sticking. 

6. Assemble. Use a 9x13 or 10x7 baking dish / casserole dish. There's going to be 3 layers of noodles. First, put ¼ cup of sauce on the bottom of the dish. Then layer 3 noodles side by side. Next add ⅓ of the remaining sauce and spread to an even layer. Follow with ½ of the cheese mixture and spread to an even layer. Then repeat – noodles, ⅓ sauce, rest of the cheese. For the final layer, add noodles, remaining sauce, and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on the top of the lasagna.

7. Bake. Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake at 375F for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 until lightly browned. Option to broil for a few minutes if desired. Top with fresh sage leaves if desired. 

Tips and tricks

• If you’re using a blender that doesn’t have a vent, let the butternut squash cool a little before you blend it in the sauce. You don’t want the blender getting too hot. 
• Buy pre-cubed butternut squash if you want a bit of a shortcut.
• To cut butternut squash, cut the top and bottom off. Then cut it in half to separate the "neck" from the "bulb". Then stand each piece up, slicing off the skin with downward cuts. Then cut into cubes! For the bulb, make sure you remove the seeds first. 
• To pick a ripe butternut squash, look for one that has a solid beige color. 
• Make sure you’re using full fat ricotta cheese, it helps make the lasagna nice and rich, and is a bit thicker. Lower fat content will be a bit more runny. 
• Let the lasagna sit for at least 10-15 minutes before you slice into it to help it set – no runny lasagna here!
• If you don't want this to be a meatless lasagna, you can ad some ground or shredded turkey or chicken, or ground beef even. It can be put between the sauce and cheese layers or over the cheese layer (it’s a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers!). 

What to serve with lasagna

Lasagna is a pretty heavy dish, so you’ll want to even it out with lighter accompaniments. 

• Green salad! Something simple like arugula, lemon juice, olive oil, and shreds of parmesan would be great. 
• Veggies! Roast some broccoli, green beans, or brussels sprouts alongside the lasagna as it bakes. 
• Soup! A broth-based soup would be best so it’s not so heavy. 

Storage and reheating

Storage: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Reheating: microwave is the easiest method, but you can reheat in the oven covered at 350 for 15ish minutes until warmed through. 

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📖 Recipe

This Broken Lasagna is a delicious weeknight meal made in one skillet with noodles cooked right in a homemade tomato sauce with ground chicken and it’s all topped with mozzarella and ricotta cheese broiled until melty.

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Ingredients

Some pretty standard ingredients are used to make this one pot deconstructed lasagna but they come together in an absolutely delicious way. 

• Lasagna noodles: Regular uncooked lasagna pasta noodles, I love the ones with the wavy edges for added texture in the dish. Break them into pieces roughly 2 inches big. You do not need the no-boil for these. 
• Ground chicken: Whichever brand you like - stays nice and tender in the sauce. 
• Onion: Yellow onion helps serve as the flavor base for the tomato sauce. 
• Garlic: Measure garlic with your heart. I used about 4 garlic cloves which equates to roughly 1.5 tbsp
• Tomato paste: Deepens the tomato flavor in the sauce. When we add the broth to help cook the noodles it dilutes the tomato flavor, so adding the paste makes sure it still has tons of that classic flavor! 
• Tomato puree: Nice and smooth pureed tomatoes. 
• Chicken broth: Adds just enough liquid to cook the lasagna noodles without totally drying up the sauce. 
• Dried spices: A mixture of dried parsley, dried basil, and dried oregano adds great flavor to the sauce. 
• Brown sugar: Helps bring out the tomato flavor – canned tomatoes can get a little metallic tasting, and this balances that out. 
• Fresh basil: To serve!
• Ricotta cheese: Whole milk ricotta cheese will yield the creamiest result. 
• Mozzarella cheese: A ball of fresh mozzarella cheese cut into chunks. 

Ingredient substitutions and variations

• Ground beef, sweet italian sausage, or ground turkey would also work well. 
• Vegetable broth would be great.
• Crushed tomatoes instead of tomato puree work great if you prefer those.
• Granulated sugar instead of brown sugar is fine.  
• Shredded mozzarella cheese or the mini balls would work. 
• Make it vegetarian by omitting the meat or subbing it for chopped mushrooms or a meat substitute. 
• Add some calabrian chili peppers or red chili flakes for some heat. 

Step by step instructions

This easy skillet lasagna comes together by first making the meat sauce, then cooking the lasagna noodles, then finishing with cheese. No dealing with layering here! 

1. Cook the chicken. Warm a deep large skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once warm, add the chicken breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon and cook until about ½ way done, 5 minutes.

2. Add the onion. Sauté the onion with the chicken for 5 minutes until softened and the chicken is cooked through. 

3. Add the garlic and spices. Add in the garlic and spices and cook for 1-2 minutes until very fragrant.

4. Add the tomato paste. Stir in the tomato paste until evenly distributed with the chicken/onion/garlic. 

5. Add the tomato puree, broth, and sugar. Stir in the tomato puree, broth, and brown sugar until evenly combined with everything. Bring to a gentle simmer.

6. Add the noodles. Carefully mix the raw broken lasagna noodles into the sauce until fully submerged.

7. Cook until al dente. Keep at a simmer, cover the dish and cook, stirring often, for about 20-30 minutes until the noodles are al dente. Add more chicken broth if needed. 

8. Top with cheese and broil. Top with dollops of ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese and broil until melted and golden. Serve warm with fresh basil.

Tips and tricks

• Truly make sure you stir the dish often once the noodles are added. They’ll stick together and not cook properly if not. 
• If you want, you can cook the noodles separately in a large pot of salted water and add to the sauce, but if you do this, omit the chicken broth entirely. 
• Break the lasagna noodles by just snapping them with your hands, or put them in a bag and give it a few whacks with a rolling pin or wood spoon. 
• Use a skillet with deep sides to ensure there’s enough room for everything. 
• The best way to tell if your pasta is al dente in this recipe is to take a bite! Also look at the “floppiness” of the noodles, if they are still pretty stiff, they’re likely not ready. 
• If you love cheese like I do, top the finished dish with parmesan cheese too. 
• Add salt to taste, if it needs extra seasoning for your taste with a pinch more salt, go for it.
• If you want to add some veggies in there, when the noodles are almost done cooking stir in some fresh spinach or peas.

Storage and reheating

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Reheat in the microwave until warmed through. 

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📖 Recipe