The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
This one’s a Panera copycat, but I stopped calling it that in my head after the second batch. The rice does something the original never quite nails — it holds its bite instead of going mushy, which matters more than people think in a soup this thick.
Why This Works
The order of operations here isn’t arbitrary. Cooking the chicken breasts directly in the stock first — instead of searing them separately — means you’re not dirtying an extra pan, and the poaching liquid picks up flavor you’d otherwise pour down the sink.
The roux gets made separately, off to the side, instead of directly in the soup pot. Butter and flour cooked alone for a full minute lose their raw-flour taste before any liquid touches them — skip that minute and you’ll taste it in the final bowl, a faint chalkiness that no amount of salt fixes.
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- 1 shallot or small yellow onion, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 6 cups chicken stock or broth, plus more for reheating
- 1 lb chicken breasts (about 2), sliced in half
- 1 cup wild rice blend
For the cream sauce:
- 1/2 cup butter (or vegan butter)
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour blend
- 2 cups milk, any kind
Instructions
Build the base:
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat.
- Add the carrots, celery, and shallot or onion. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until tender, 8–10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, poultry seasoning, and thyme. Sauté until fragrant, 1–2 minutes.
Cook the chicken: 4. Pour in the chicken stock. Turn heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. 5. Add the chicken breast halves, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until cooked through, 10–12 minutes. 6. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Once cool enough to handle, chop or shred it, then refrigerate until ready to add back.
Cook the rice: 7. Add the wild rice blend to the pot and stir to combine. 8. Cover and simmer until al dente, 20–30 minutes depending on the brand, stirring occasionally.
Make the cream sauce: 9. With about 10 minutes left on the rice, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. 10. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute — don’t rush this, it’s what keeps the soup from tasting like raw flour later. 11. Slowly drizzle in the milk while whisking to build a smooth sauce. 12. Switch to a spatula and cook, stirring, until thick and creamy, 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
Finish the soup: 13. Once the rice is al dente, slowly stream the butter-flour-milk mixture into the pot while whisking constantly. 14. Add the chicken back in and cook 5 more minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened and the rice is tender. 15. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. 16. Remove from heat and let sit 5–10 minutes — it thickens more as it rests.
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes Servings: 8 Equipment: Large soup pot or Dutch oven
Tips
- Chop the carrots and celery small and even — uneven pieces mean some go mushy while others are still crunchy by the time the rice is done.
- Don’t skip the resting time at the end. Pull it off the heat too early and serve immediately, and it’ll look thinner than it should.
- If the soup gets too thick after refrigerating, it’s not broken — it’s just cold roux. A splash of stock while reheating brings it right back.
Variations
Swapping in a wild rice blend that’s mostly white or brown rice speeds up the cook time, but you lose the chew that makes this taste like the original — skip that swap if the whole point is the Panera copycat angle.
Make-Ahead
This soup does not freeze well once the cream sauce is in — it separates and goes grainy on reheat, no fixing it at that point. If you want to make it ahead, cook the soup base and rice fully, freeze that, and make the roux fresh when you reheat.
FAQ
Can I use regular flour instead of gluten-free?
Yes — swap it 1:1, regular all-purpose flour works the same way in the roux.
Why did my soup turn out thin?
Usually one of two things: the roux wasn’t cooked long enough before the milk went in, or the soup didn’t get its full 5–10 minutes of resting time at the end.
Does this taste like the real Panera soup?
Close. The rice texture is actually better here, in my opinion — Panera’s tends to go soft, and this stays chewy if you don’t overcook it.
Closing Thoughts
This one’s good with a piece of crusty bread for dragging through the last of the bowl, but.
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
This Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup is thick, hearty, and comforting, with tender chicken, wild rice, carrots, celery, herbs, and a smooth homemade cream sauce. It is an easy one-pot dinner that is naturally gluten-free when prepared with certified gluten-free ingredients.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Sauté the Vegetables
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat.
- Add the finely chopped carrots, celery, and shallot or onion. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.
- Sauté for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the garlic, poultry seasoning, and dried thyme. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
Cook the Chicken
- Pour in the chicken stock or broth. Increase the heat to high, cover the pot, and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Add the chicken breast halves, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer for 10–12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Once cool enough to handle, chop or shred it.
- Place the prepared chicken in a bowl or covered container and refrigerate it until ready to return it to the soup.
Cook the Wild Rice
- Add the wild rice blend to the soup pot and stir to combine.
- Cover and simmer for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is al dente. Follow the package timing when necessary because wild rice blends vary by brand.
Prepare the Cream Sauce
- When the rice has approximately 10 minutes of cooking time remaining, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Sprinkle in the gluten-free flour blend and cook for 1 minute while whisking continuously.
- Slowly drizzle in the milk while whisking constantly to create a smooth sauce without lumps.
- Switch to a spatula and continue cooking for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick and creamy.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover it, and set it aside.
Finish the Soup
- Once the rice is al dente, slowly pour the cream sauce into the soup while whisking constantly.
- Add the chopped or shredded chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the soup has thickened and the rice is tender.
- Taste the soup and add more salt and black pepper as needed.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let the soup rest for 5–10 minutes to thicken slightly before serving.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm.
Notes
- Wild rice blend: Cooking times vary considerably between brands. Follow the package timing and cook the rice until al dente before adding the cream sauce.
- Gluten-free flour: Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend designed for one-to-one substitution. Different blends may produce slightly different thicknesses.
- Gluten-free preparation: Check that the broth, poultry seasoning, flour blend, and other packaged ingredients are certified gluten-free when required.
- Vegetable shortcut: To help the vegetables soften more quickly, cover the pot while sautéing and add a small splash of stock or water.
- Chicken safety: Cook the chicken until the thickest portion reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Milk: Dairy milk or an unsweetened non-dairy milk may be used. Richer milk produces a creamier soup.
- Butter: Regular butter or vegan butter may be used.
- Consistency: The soup thickens as it rests and after refrigeration. Stir in additional chicken stock or broth when reheating if needed.
- Storage: Refrigerate cooled soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat gently over medium-low heat, stirring frequently and adding broth as needed. Avoid rapidly boiling the soup after adding the milk.
- Total time: The stated 1-hour-5-minute time does not include the final 5–10-minute resting period.
