Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup

I broke up with Jason. Or we broke up with each other. Or the distance broke up with both of us and we were just the last to know. It happened on a Tuesday night — a phone call, not a visit, because the irony of a long-distance relationship ending is that the ending is also long-distance. He said, "This isn't working, is it?" I said, "No." He said, "I love you." I said, "I know. I love you too." He said, "That's the hardest part." I said, "Yes." Four statements. Each one true. Each one insufficient. The truth of love and the truth of ending can coexist in the same phone call, in the same breath, in the same woman standing in a kitchen in Anchorage holding a phone and a spatula because she was in the middle of cooking when the call came and the cooking didn't stop just because the relationship did.

I was making chicken tinola when he called. The ginger was already in the pot. The chicken was already browning. You can't stop tinola in the middle — the process has a momentum that doesn't care about your personal life, the ginger will burn if you leave it, the chicken will overcook if you forget it, and the soup demands your attention even when your heart is doing its own kind of breaking. So I cooked. I held the phone between my shoulder and my ear and stirred the soup and cried into the ginger steam and the tears fell into the pot and the soup didn't care. The soup has no opinion about heartbreak. The soup just simmers.

After we hung up, I finished the tinola. I added the chayote. I added the malunggay leaves. I seasoned it with fish sauce. I served it in a bowl, at the table, seated. I ate the entire bowl. Then I called Angela. "It's over," I said. Angela said, "Are you on the floor?" I said, "No, I'm at the table." She said, "Good." The "good" was the same "good" she'd said when I told her Jason was going to Fairbanks — the single syllable that means: you are upright. You are not where you were in 2016. You are at the table. That is enough. That is everything.

I washed the dishes. I left the stove light on. I went to bed alone in a bed that has been alone for five months and will be alone for — I don't know. I don't know how long. I know the tinola was good. I know the ginger was strong. I know I didn't sit on the floor. Three facts. All that matters tonight.

The tinola that night reminded me of something I already knew but keep needing to relearn: a warm pot of soup is not a solution, but it is a witness. It stays. It asks nothing of you. In the weeks since, I’ve been making this creamy chicken wild rice soup on the nights when I need that same kind of steadiness — something rich and grounding that fills the kitchen with smell and the bowl with substance. If you’re the kind of person who cooks through the hard things rather than stopping for them, this is that recipe.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 cup uncooked wild rice blend, rinsed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Cook the rice. In a medium saucepan, cook the wild rice blend according to package directions. Set aside when done.
Poach the chicken. Place chicken in a pot, cover with water or broth, and simmer over medium heat for 15–18 minutes until cooked through. Remove, let cool slightly, then shred with two forks. Set aside.
Sauté the vegetables. In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Build the roux. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir to coat. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the raw flour smell cooks off.
Add broth and season. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking as you go to prevent lumps. Add thyme, rosemary, smoked paprika, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil.
Simmer and combine. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the milk, heavy cream, shredded chicken, and cooked wild rice. Simmer uncovered for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly and everything is heated through.
Taste and finish. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley. Serve hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup — The Pot That Kept Simmering