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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
I made this on the stove top in my Dutch oven and it is absolutely delicious!!!!! Such a perfect comfort food for cold weather dinner! I’ll definitely be making this one again! I love all of your recipes!! Thank you and keep them coming ♥️
Hey Barbara,
Happy Thursday! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
This was probably the best soup I’ve ever made. The garlic sage butter was DELICIOUS. I did make a few edits- added a Parmesan rind while it boiled and used a box of original seasoned wild rice instead of just plain wild rice. Im sure it would’ve been amazing as listed, but the result was SO flavorful and delicious!
Hey Grace,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
This is the best chicken soup I’ve ever made (I’m in my sixties). Good bye to my mother-in-law’s old recipe.
Hey Jennifer,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
Made this last night for the family and everyone LOVED it! So happy I finally found a use for all the wild rice my Dad brings back from Minnesota. This is definitely going in my “make again” book. Thank you so much for your creative and minimalistic recipes!
Hey Sally,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
This was absolutely delicious! Hearty and tasty for a winter night. I used ground chicken. The browned butter, garlic / sage was fab!
Hey Wendy,
Happy Wednesday!! I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit:)
This is very easy recipe and so tasty. I used shredded chicken I had from a roasted chicken I made 1 day prior and made via stovetop. However, it was beyond thick. To me this is a lot like a risotto vs. a soup so if you want it more soupy use less rice and orzo. I also think this easily makes enough to freeze for another cold rainy night!
Hi Melissa,
Happy Wednesday!! I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit:)
Delicious!! We used stove method and it was still super easy and relatively quick. Perfect blend of ingredients and we added some jalapeños for a little extra kick. This recipe is a keeper!
Hey Annette,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Happy Tuesday! 🎄
Loved this recipe! Perfect for a cold rainy night. We also have colds going around our house so it hit the spot. After the rice cooked, most of the liquid was soaked up, so I had to add another 2 cups of water.
Hey Emily,
Amazing! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed:) Hope you’re house feels better soon! xx
Made this soup today. So perfect for a winter night’s supper! The sage/garlic butter is a touch of genius. (I think it even knocked out my cold!
Anyway, I feel better!) My husband raved about this soup, and soup generally isn’t his dream meal.
Hey Linda,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Happy Tuesday! 🎄
This is INCREDIBLE! I have made many HBH recipes and although I love them all this is by far in my top 3. Definitely a keeper and will be on my rotation. The flavors blend so well together and the garlic sage butter is not to be left out. We had plenty of leftovers and I reheated them on the stove too and added about 2 cups of broth as the rice and orzo soaked all of it up. I also mixed in any remaining garlic sage butter right into the pot. So good.
Hey Nicole,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Happy Tuesday! 🎄
This is such a delicious, relatively simple and HEARTY recipe. Just made it tonight for the first time. We don’t have an Instant Pot.. YET! So I used my cast iron Dutch oven. Only mishap was browning the butter! I forgot about it. Ha! My husband gave it two thumbs up! Leftover for dinner tomorrow. Yay! The whole time I’m cooking, I can hear Teigan talking!! So delicious. Thank you!!!
Hey Suzie,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Happy Tuesday! 🎄
Hi Tieghan
We are now empty nesters. For years I have cooked many or your great recipes. Please suggest method I could use to cut back recipes for 6 to serve 2. For your recipes that serve 4….. would I just cut ingredients in half ? Would spices or herbs be a problem.
Please send help!! Anxious to try this recipe and Sheet Pan Sticky Ginger, Soy and Chicken recipe.
Yvonne
Hi Yvonne,
Thanks for making so many recipes! To reduce a recipe, simply adjust the serving size and the ingredients list will automatically adjust for you:) I hope this helps! xx
Oh my gosh. So good. And SO EASY! My only recommendation would be to somehow cook your garlic cloves in an easily retrievable way because I was fishing through all the goodness to find them. 🙂 Also don’t skimp on the sage butter. I almost left it out just because I was making it all ahead of time but wow, it adds such a depth of flavor!! Thanks for another hit!!
Hey Jana,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Happy Tuesday! 🎄
Is there something special about using a wild rice blend? I have just plain whole grain wild rice. Will this change the consistency or final result?
Hey Marcia,
That should work just fine for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s delish! xx
Another winner! So perfect for our Sunday family dinner and football on a snowy day in the Pacific Northwest. Doubled the recipe and it came out great in the insta pot. I kept out the orzo for my gluten free family members and it was still delish. Next time I will make a side of orzo for the rest of us. I thought I saw that you added a Parmesan rind but then couldn’t find that in the recipe but I will add that next time just because how can that not be great. I couldn’t find the garlic in my soup to put in the sage butter so had to just make with garlic but it was still good. I think the prep time is a little unrealistic at least for me. It took me at least 30 minutes to chop all the vegetables but maybe I am slow lol. Either way it makes up fast, is super easy and absolutely wonderful. I can’t wait to make it again!
Hey Bobbi,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Happy Tuesday! 🎄