Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Creamy turkey and wild rice soup is a hardy and delicious meal to make from left-overs, from the holiday meal. Or you can make it anytime of year, just sub the turkey for, the much more readily available, chicken.

This is one of my family’s favourite soups. It is so flavourful and creamy. Perfect with a side of hot buttered bread; and perfect for the time of year when I am using up my left-overs from Thanksgiving and Christmas. Since, here in Canada it is already cold and a hot bowl of soup is just what you want for dinner!

Alternatives for the meat

I make this soup after I make stock from the left-over turkey carcass. The turkey is also from the left-over holiday bird.

You can follow the same recipe for a chicken carcass.

You may be making this soup at a different time of year, and maybe do not have access to a turkey or chicken carcass. In that case, you can boil two chicken breasts in water and then shred it for the soup.

Frozen chicken breasts should be boiled for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees F. Let the chicken breast rest for about 5 minutes, when you remove it from the water to shred. You can then use two forks to shred the chicken. For added flavour, use the water that you boiled the chicken in for your soup.

A shredded rotisserie chicken would also be a great option for the meat in this soup!

Ingredients for Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Turkey stock. You can make this from the holiday bird. You can also make this from chicken carcass. Or substitute boxed chicken or vegetable stock from the store.

Turkey meat. A great way to use up some of the left over turkey meat. You can also use shredded cooked chicken.

Vegetables. If you have left over vegetables from your holiday meal, you can chop them up an use them here. I use two peeled and chopped carrots. Two chopped ribs or celery, and two chopped potatoes. You could add any vegetables your family enjoys!

Wild rice. I have a wild rice blend, but any rice is great in this soup. I just love the look and slightly firmer texture from the wild rice in this soup. If you do not have rice, you could use pasta, barley, or riced cauliflower.

Cream. Anything from heavy cream to 10% will be the best for this soup. Anything with less milk fat than that will not give the broth that creamy, silky texture.

Optional

Thickener. This is optional. There is a lot going on in this soup so it is already quite full with vegetables, meat, and rice. If you would like to thicken the broth: To a sauce pot, on medium heat, melt 6 Tablespoons of butter, whisk in 5 Tablespoons of flour. Continue to whisk until it cooks and bubbles. Add in a cup of the soup liquid and whisk to combine. Add in one more cup of liquid, stir until it bubbles, then add the thickened liquid back into your big pot of soup. Stir to combine and continue to cook everything together.

Seasoning. At the end adjust the seasoning to your taste with salt and pepper. If you are using the stock and meat from your left over turkey, it is already quite flavourful and doesn’t need a lot of other spices and herbs. If you are making this soup at a different time of year, add ½ teaspoon of thyme, ½ teaspoon of rosemary, and ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.

Lemon juice. If you used the Epic Holiday Turkey recipe. There is already lemon in it. If not, 1 tsp of lemon juice brightens the soup up and gives it a really nice flavour. It is optional.

Need something to go along with your soup? Try these Rich and Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits they are ready in no time!

Need more left-overs inspiration? Try this Homemade Ruby Red Cranberry Sauce left-over muffin recipe included!