instant pot creamy chicken, wild rice, and cauliflower soup

One thing I’ve noticed from all my time spent at Panera Bread is that there is no one type of person who loves Panera bread. There were groups of Live Laugh Love moms together during day of shopping. There were my leggings-as-pants, down puffer vest, PSL-season teen peers with good highlights who didn’t need to work at the mall. There were the part-timers at the nearby retail stores; the lifers knew better and brought lunch. There were older people with no kids. Families with way too many kids and high-chairs spilling into the aisles.

Around Christmas, the line would be outside. Panera just feels warm, even when you don’t order soup. I’ve since realized Panera is just a fast food version of Chili’s whose theme just happens to be more cozy than kitsch, but there’s just something about it that touches me. (Disclosure: my first legally-18 date was at a Chili’s in the other mall, just across the street.)

There is no Panera where I live now, but I feel confident** that this soup, while less sludgy and with a lot more mushrooms than I imagine mainstream American audiences are down for, will give you all the Panera vibes you didn’t know you needed. It is also entirely achievable in situations where Panera would make the most sense: at lunch, at work, as a quick comfortable dinner, as a warm reprieve from a rainy day. The only differences are the simplified ingredient list, the added cauliflower for fiber and creaminess, and the Instant Pot, which pops open the wild rice (which takes forever to cook and always tastes sort of… hard) and gives the soup its signature and remarkably photogenic look.

This was actually one of the first recipes I ever made in the Instant Pot, based on Pinch of Yum's recipe for a vegetarian mushroom version. While it wouldn’t be unfair to assume I eat more pasta than not, this soup is what I live on during daylight hours between November and March to channel deep winter nostalgia. I hope you find it as convincing as I do.

**Edited in 2020 to add that even my now-boyfriend, who spent his equivalent teen years working at the Panera at the other mall 20 minutes from my mall, confirms this soup is the real deal.

instant pot creamy chicken wild rice soup | italian enough

Adapted from Pinch of Yum's recipe.

RECIPE

Somewhat a copycat of Panera’s Cream of Chicken Wild Rice soup, this upgraded version uses the Instant Pot to break down tough wild rice in a fraction of the time, while adding extra thickness, creaminess, and a health boost from cauliflower rice cooked under pressure.

Effortful time: 10 minutes

Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Serves: 6 large bowls or 8 small bowls

YOU NEED

For the Instant Pot:

  • 5 medium carrots, chopped

  • 5 stalks celery, chopped

  • Half of an onion, chopped

    (NOTE: you can also use frozen chopped mirepoix blend, which is what I use often for this recipe, especially because I used to make it after stepping off a flight and had no fresh groceries at home. It’s not exactly the same quantity, but it works just fine.)

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed

  • 1 cup uncooked wild rice (the black kind — not a blend or it won’t work!)

  • 8 oz. fresh crimini or button mushrooms, sliced

  • 8 oz. frozen riced cauliflower

  • 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

  • 1 tsp. salt

  • 2 tsp. poultry seasoning

To finish:

  • 6 tbsp. butter

  • 1/2 cup flour

  • 1 1/2 cups milk, whole or 2%

MAKE IT

  1. Cook the soup. Dump everything on the Instant Pot list into the Instant Pot. Set to 35 minutes at high pressure.

  2. Chill. Go take a shower, watch a network-length comedy, defrost some bread, pet your cat. When it’s done, let it de-pressurize naturally for at least 15 minutes.

  3. Make roux. On the stove, heat butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and a pinch of salt and stir. Cook until it’s foamy and golden and no flour is visible, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, 1/2 cup at a time, and whisk to combine until thickened, about 3 minutes.

  4. Mix the roux into the hot soup. Stir until it looks like the Panera you remember. Simmer 3-5 minutes.

  5. Serve it up. Get spoon. Cover self with blanket. Smell fall leaves on fire. Dream of bread bowls past.

instant pot, soups & stews, non-italianA @ italian enoughcozy, originals, fall, healthyishComment