Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Stew – Dairy Free
This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice soup is loaded with vegetables and one big secret: the creaminess comes from honeynut squash, not dairy! This nourishing dish is has lots of wholesome nutrients, fiber, and protein. Cozy up with a bowl of this and a hearty piece of sourdough for a warming weeknight meal!
Dairy-free Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
This creamy chicken and wild rice soup is rich, nourishing, and packed with great flavor. Let’s unpack all that’s in it. First of all the chicken comes from this recipe, but you can also use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, or leftover thanksgiving turkey. Then all you have to do is dump in a few cups of shredded chicken or turkey, a pretty great use of leftovers! Next we have a wild rice blend that is rich in nutrients and a much better alternative to traditional white rice. Then the vegetables: carrots, onion, celery, and kale, but that’s just what we can see initially. The last ingredient is honeynut squash, a smaller but more potent version of butternut squash, that gets pureed to create the creamiest base to this soup.
Methods for Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
To achieve this creamy soup without dairy, roast the honeynut squash in the oven until soft, allow to cool slightly, then scoop out the insides of the squash and pulse with an immersion blender till you get a thick puree. This gets added to the soup at the final cooking stage and thickens up the whole soup to make this hearty, delicious dairy-free creamy chicken and wild rice soup.
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Stew
Ingredients
- 2 honeynut squash
- 3 c cooked shredded chicken or turkey
- 2 c diced celery
- 2 c sliced carrots
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 c Lundberg Wild Rice Blend
- 4 c chicken broth
- 1/4 – 1/2 c additional liquid of your choice see step 11.
- 2-4 c shredded fresh kale
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp dried rubbed sage
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp rosemary
- Optional toppings: parmesan cheese fresh parsley, sourdough bread
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Grease a baking sheet or pan.
- Cut off ends of each honeynut squash, then cut in half vertically. Remove squash seeds/guts. Place in pan skin sides down.
- Drizzle the squash with oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then flip squash to be skin side up.
- Roast in oven for about 25 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through cooking. Squash should be tender and skin should be starting to wrinkle.
- In a heavy bottom soup pot, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat.
- Add diced onion and stir frequently until translucent in color.
- Add in diced celery and carrots, stirring frequently. Add in garlic cloves and stir till fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Rinse wild rice blend under running water, then strain thoroughly.
- Add shredded chicken and the rice to the soup pot. Allow to heat while stirring for about 2 minutes. Then pour in 4c of chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Once the soup has come to a boil, cover pot with a lid and reduce to a simmer for 30-45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, scrape the roasted honeynut squash flesh away from the skins into a tall container or blender. Add in 1/4c of chicken broth, water or cream (dairy or non-dairy coconut or cashew cream) to the puree and pulse the squash with an immersion blender or blender with lid on. Add an additional 1/4c if needed. When the puree is smooth, but still thick you have achieved the desired consistency.
- Add the honeynut squash puree to the soup when the rice has finished cooking. Stir in the puree until it is well distributed. Add in the shredded kale and allow to continue simmering until kale is cooked.
- Serve as desired. Enjoy!
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