Paired with a Märzen/Oktoberfest
I don’t care what time of year it is, sometimes I just crave soup. While I absolutely adore chilled soups for the summertime, sometimes you just want a warm and comforting bowl of hot soup. It’s possible that I might feel differently if I lived in a place that had really hot summers, but when it gets down into the 30s and 40s at night where I live, sometimes I just NEED a bowl of soup.
Zach and I were both craving mushroom soup last week, and in an attempt to keep dinner simple while we prepare for our trip to Europe, soup sounded like a superb idea. One, it is so simple to make. Two, it reheats well, so yay for leftovers! Three, it’s ready in an hour. Besides the fact that I’m obsessed with mushroom soup, I was all over this cream of mushroom, wild rice and chicken soup for these reasons alone!
While I absolutely don’t expect you to make this soup at any point this summer, I’m asking you to store it away for safe-keeping. It will be the perfect weeknight meal once school is in session and it will be even better on the day of the first snowfall. It combines some of my favorite ingredients: chicken thighs, wild rice, and mushrooms. Pair it with a Märzen/Oktoberfest! Märzen and mushrooms pair so perfectly together, especially if you wait until the fall to make this recipe! I hope you guys enjoy! Have a wonderful Thursday!
Yields 8
10 minPrep Time
50 minCook Time
1 hrTotal Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 3 cups assorted sliced mushrooms (I used a blend of white button and cremini)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Märzen/Oktoberfest beer
- 1 cup wild blend rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups chicken stock
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2/3 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (plus extra for garnish)
- Serve with: sour cream drizzle, fresh parsley, oyster crackers
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven set over medium-high heat, add the canola oil. Add the chicken and season with salt and black pepper. Cook until the chicken is fully-cooked, and then remove it from the pot and transfer to a plate. Leave the stove on, but reduce the heat to medium.
- Melt the butter in the pot, and then add the onion, celery, and mushrooms. Season with salt and black pepper and cook until the veggies are tender and the mushrooms have released all of their liquid, about 8 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until golden brown. Whisk in the beer and add the rice. Cook for 3 minutes to lightly toast the rice and allow for the wine to cook off. Add the bay leaf and stir in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a heavy simmer. Cook until the rice is just tender, about 25 minutes.
- Once the rice is tender enough to eat, bring the heat back up to medium. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Add the dried thyme. Stir. Next, stir in the heavy cream, parsley, and chicken. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste. Keep warm and covered until you are ready to serve.
- Serve the cream of mushroom, wild rice and chicken soup drizzled with sour cream, sprinkled with fresh parsley, and topped with oyster crackers. Soup is just as good served the next day. Enjoy!
