Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Beans and Kale

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Beans and Kale

Cozy, comforting and healthy! Our family loves this lightened up version of chicken and wild rice soup with chopped kale and white beans because it's so easy to make and a crowd pleaser!

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken and wild rice soup, fast wild rice soup, healthy chicken and rice soup, wild rice soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 376kcal

Author Lauren

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breast, thighs, or both chopped or shredded
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1 medium yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup white wine
1 can small white beans drained and rinsed, 15.5-ounce can
1 head tuscan kale about 6 cups roughly chopped
1 cup wild rice
10 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to season

Instructions

Stove Top Instructions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and bake in a 375°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the thickest part of the chicken breast reached an internal temperature of 165°F. Let cool 5 minutes and cut into bite-sized pieces. A time saving option is to use the meat from a cooked rotisserie chicken.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over high heat. Sauté onion for 1 minute then add garlic and kale. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, stirring.
Stir in the wine and add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Instant Pot Instructions

Starting with the pressure cooker on the 'sauté' function, add the oil and cook the onion for about 1 minute before adding the garlic and kale. Cook for about 30 to 60 seconds before stirring in the wine. Add the remaining ingredients, cover and seal the instant pot.
Cook for 30 minutes on high pressure - whether using cooked or raw chicken. Quick release the vent. When the pressure valve is down open the Instant Pot, remove the chicken to a cutting board, cut into bite-sized pieces and return to the soup.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Slow cooker instructions

Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the slow cooker. The chicken breast can be cooked whole and cut after cooking or cut into bite sized pieces before so it's ready to serve immediately after cooking.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and cover. Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. If cooking the chicken breast whole, remove the cooked chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces then stir back into the soup.
Give a final season of salt and pepper to taste and serve!

Notes

Cooked chicken can be used in any of the cooking methods, it does not change the cooking times of the instant pot and slow cooker directions.
Rotisserie chicken is the easiest, time saving hack for getting this soup done as fast as possible.
To lighten this soup up even further, after refrigerating overnight skim off any fats that have hardened on top.

Nutrition