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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 soup recipes 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 chicken or vegetable broth, right to the bowl of the instant pot or crockpot. You can make this on the stove in a dutch oven, 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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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 post was originally published on November 30, 2022
This meal is one of my all-time favorites and I’ve been making Tieghan’s recipes for years! The flavors are incredible. Serve with a glass of wine and it’s the perfect cozy Sunday dinner.
Hey Lydia,
Happy Monday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Thanks for your comment! xT
Delicious,easy, flavorful! Made it at the last minute and it was pretty quick and soothing! Can it be frozen when cooled?
Hi Rita,
Happy Monday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Thanks for your comment, I probably wouldn’t freeze this one! xT
Really tasty recipe! Used my instapot and turned out perfectly. Used whole milk; the soup was plenty think and creamy. Was a hit with the family!
Hey Felicia,
Happy Monday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Thanks for your comment! xT
You list paprika in the ingredients so I assume it goes in at the beginning, it’s not included in the instructions. Also do you put a parmigiana rind into the soup while it’s cooking. I’m very excited to have this tonight. Love your recipes. Thanks.
Hi Peggy,
The paprika is added in step 1:) If you have a parmesan rind and would like to add one it’s delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe!! xx
For gluten free, any suggestions other than orzo? Should I just leave it out or substitute GF elbows?
Hey Marcie,
Gluten free elbows would be great to use, you could also do arborio rice! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s delish! xx
Hi! I was wondering if I could use a frozen chicken breast when making this dish and if so, would I have to alter the cooking time for the instant pot? I’m super excited to try this it sounds amazing!
Hey Naomi,
I would recommend allowing the chicken to thaw first. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s a hit! xx
Hi Tieghan! Tried it tonight and it was amazing!! Thank you for your help!
Awesome! So glad to hear this!!
I made with frozen chicken breast in the IP, just increase cook time to 20-23 min based on size of breasts. Then you can remove and shred (I place in a bowl and use a hand mixer – quick and effortless shredding). Frozen worked perfect in a night I didn’t defrost any meat! I also subbed the orzo for Arborio rice and coconut cream for cream….delicious!
Thanks for sharing Sarah!!
I forgot sage leaves so I had to skip the butter, but this was super delicious and filling. I was surprised how flavourful it was given the simplicity.
I used 5% cream which was just right in terms of creaminess for me.
So satisfying.
Hey Nicole,
Happy Sunday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Loved this one
Hey Danielle,
Happy Sunday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Hi! Could you just use wild rice instead of orzo and wild rice? If so, how much wild rice would you use total? Thanks for your help!
Hey Ansley,
Sure, I would just keep an equal amount of wild rice, should be just fine! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know you give it a try! xx
So delicious…don’t skip the butter/sage final step!
Hey Colleen,
Wonderful!!🎄 I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xx
Thank you Tieghan! This is a great and quick recipe – the sage garlic butter puts this soup over the top!
I made as written with the exception of using rotisserie chicken that I had on hand
Add a good crusty bread and this is the perfect cold weather dinner! Yum!!
Hey Kate,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing what worked well for you! So glad it was enjoyed:)
I made this for dinner this evening and just had to get on and comment how absolutely delicious it is! The touch of browned garlic sage butter really puts it over the top! Definitely going in the top comfort foods rotation!!
Hey Lori,
Happy Saturday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xx
Made this tonight and it is DELICIOUS!! This will be a fav of mine for a while to come. I followed the recipe, except excluded kale or spinach due to allergies. I also made grilled Gouda cheese sandwiches in the pan with the garlic, sage, brown butter. It’s probably the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had! 🙂
Hey Clarissa,
Wonderful!!🎄 I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xx
This is wonderful. Great for a cold winter night. I didn’t have orzo so I used some egg noodles and I added a parmesan rind and some vegeta seasoning instead of the salt. I will definitely be making this again!
Hey Nina,
Wonderful!!🎄 I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xx
just tried this recipe and it was AMAZING! wonderful recipe, very cozy indeed thanks for sharing 🙂
Hey Allie,
Amazing!! So glad you enjoyed this dish, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
This turned out amazing! I didn’t have cream but had Boursin cooking cream. After I browned the butter with sage and garlic, I heating some naan in the same pan. Perfect!!
Hey Lani,
Wonderful!!🎄 I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xx