Tiny meatballs can be added for a hearty meal and are perfect for a season of cooler weather to warm you up, especially at that first snowfall.
It's full of wild rice, and chicken and this is a great version in comparison to all the heavy cream versions, it's lighter and a healthy bowl of comfort food that's for sure!
This soup is very easy to make in no time and bursting with flavors, serve it up with hot crusty garlic Italian bread with butter and it's a whole meal by itself in a bowl!
Economical Hearty Soup
This healthy chicken and wild rice soup have no cream or milk, and the meatballs flavor the soup perfectly.
This is a totally comforting soup whenever you have those "low-key got the blues days" and need warmth and some tasty food to pick you up.
This Italian-style chicken soup also freezes perfectly in individual containers so you can just pop it in the microwave for a single serving.
Other Options
- any boneless meats
- tiny meatballs
- any vegetables
- use vegetable broth instead of chicken
- Turkey can be substituted for chicken or beef meatballs
- add escarole, spinach, or kale for greens in your soup
- add pasta instead of rice, barley, or quinoa
- tomato sauce for a tomato-based soup
Ingredients you will need to make Chicken with Wild Rice Soup (measurements and instructions below in printable recipe card
- olive oil fingerling carrots, chopped in half or use slices
- celery stalks, finely minced
- minced garlic onion, chopped
- coarse salt and ground pepper
- canned chicken broth or vegetable broth
- water
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed (or thighs)
- wild-rice blend (do not use the seasoning packet)
- granulated garlic powder, dried parsley, basil, and a pinch of rosemary
- Optional: tiny meatballs, greens of any kind like spinach or cooked escarole
Pin for later
Easy Chicken Soup Recipes
This soup is not only delicious to warm you up but also any time of the year when you need comfort food.
Depending on what you put in your soup vegetable-wise, this can be a whole meal in one bowl, just serve it with crostini or garlic bread to dunk in this amazing broth!
Don't forget to review our additional ingredients to make this soup a whole meal in itself!
Chicken with Wild Rice Soup

Yield: 12
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour
Chicken and wild rice soup all from scratch and we also have a variety of optional additions like tiny meatballs.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup fingerling carrots, chopped in half or use slices
- 2 celery stalks, finely minced
- 3 cloves finely minced garlic
- 1 small onion, chopped
- kosher coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2- 14.5 ounces of canned chicken broth or vegetable broth
- around 3 to 3 cups of water
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed (or boneless thighs)
- 1/3 cup wild-rice blend (do not use the seasoning packet)
- 1 teaspoon each of granulated garlic powder, dried parsley, basil, and a pinch of rosemary
- Optional: 1 small 4-ounce can of tomato sauce for a tomato-based soup
- Add some boiled cooked spinach or escarole to this soup, which is chopped in with broth, chicken, and meatballs.
- Add 1 can of cannellini beans to the broth drained
- Another option is to add 1 cup of cooked ditalini pasta or another small pasta (always cook separately).
- If you want a spicy soup, add a little cayenne pepper for heat.
- Meatball Recipe:
- 1/2 pound ground beef or ground turkey
- 1/4 cup Italian-flavored breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 3 tablespoons flat-leaf fresh parsley chopped
- 1 whole egg
- 2 cloves freshly minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste usually around 1/2 teaspoon each
- Mix the meatballs ingredients, shape them into small 1-inch balls and refrigerate.
Instructions
- In a large soup pot over medium-high. saute the carrots, celery, and onion; seasonings and salt, pepper to taste.
- Cook, occasionally stirring until vegetables are crisp-tender, no longer than 3 minutes (make sure the garlic doesn't burn).
- Add the broth, chicken, rice, and 1 - 1/2 cups of water to the pan or more tasting for more seasoning.
- Bring to a boil then set to low heat.
- Drop the raw meatballs into the soup pot and let them simmer with the chicken.
- Simmer the meatballs and chicken until cooked all the way through for around 15 minutes skimming off the top for any film residue.
- Place the cubed chicken from the cutting board and return it to the pot.
- Continue cooking until the rice is soft around 10 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with grated cheese on top, red pepper flakes if desired, and hard-crusted Italian garlic bread
Notes
Other Options
- any boneless meats
- tiny meatballs
- any vegetables
- use vegetable broth instead of chicken
- Turkey can be substituted for chicken or beef meatballs
- add escarole, spinach, or kale for greens in your soup
- add pasta instead of rice, barley, or quinoa
- tomato sauce for a tomato-based soup
Nutrition Facts
Calories
136.2Fat (grams)
7.14Sat. Fat (grams)
2.58Carbs (grams)
7.47Fiber (grams)
0.85Net carbs
6.62Sugar (grams)
1.25Protein (grams)
10.29Sodium (milligrams)
306.49Cholesterol (grams)
43.5Pin for later
Try Some of My Other Favorite Recipes
Our Best Soup Recipes
Escarole and Beans (green and beans)
15 Bean Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
25 Ways to Repurpose Rotisserie Chicken
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Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2011. It was edited and re-published in 2023.
This soup looks very appetizing dear, rich and healthy at the sime time. I'd like to try it. Bye bye, have a good we
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the title on your post I immediately thought "wedding soup". I've never made it, but Safeway sells a pretty good version of it.
ReplyDeletewedding soup is one of my favorites, the vegetables, chicken broth and meatballs married together is such a great flavor so I know this soup is too.... thanks for sharing ...hope all is well is so fl
ReplyDeleteFunny how names come to be, in foods. Funnier still is how the meaning is changed, as time goes by. This soup looks so delicious, and a great way to use up those legs. thanks.
ReplyDeleteItalian wedding soup is the bomb. These meatballs are huge and wants me to eat them.
ReplyDeletei just had a chinese style chicken soup then!
ReplyDeletebut this looks great in meatball form italian style!!!!
I love how this is made with chicken meatballs - this is indeed one of my favorite soups and you have provided a lightened but still robust version of it - perfect for our rainy, chilly day.
ReplyDeleteItalian wedding soup looks delicious and filling.
ReplyDeletemmm...yummy and comforting!
ReplyDeleteThis soup looks very hearty! I always love soups that allow you room to experiment with different options. Peas or even spinach could work nicely in this context, maybe even potatoes.
ReplyDelete~Nancy Lewis~
Looks so warm and inviting!! Lots of veggies too... perfect for a cold rainy day :)
ReplyDeleteI really like Italian wedding soup! This looks super delicious as well. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYum! This is one of my husbands favorite childhood soups. I've never tried to make it, maybe I will now :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is one of our favorite soups. I've tried different versions from the family recipe--one notable one from Ina that used sausage for the meatballs--but have never made one with tomatoes in it. I'll have to try that in the future. Acini de pepe is my pasta of choice, too.
ReplyDeleteJust greens and meat, I love it. This is homestyle at it's best Claudia!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. I had no idea about the origination of wedding soup. Either way, your's looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all thanks for explaining how this "italian wedding soup" name came about ... I've been wondering about it for a while. Having said that your soup looks lovely ... just the right thing if the cold weather returns again.
ReplyDeleteSuch a flavourful soup, this one looks fabulous! Thank you for the soup lesson, married flavours...makes complete sense. This would have warmed me up today!!
ReplyDeleteI just love this soup! And the idea of putting a chuck roast bone in the stock is wonderful..just more flavor! Great post, Claudia!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the explanation of how Italian Wedding Soup was named. I thought that it was the soup the they ate "Italian Weddings." Obviously, I'm not Italian, but I love the soup. Now I have a recipe and a story!
ReplyDeletethank you for sharing!
Oh that bowl of soup looks delicious!! It reminds me of something that my mom would serve, and that's a great thing! :)
ReplyDeleteWedding soup is one of my favorites. I've only made it once and it was a flop. I'm blaming the recipe. ;)
ReplyDeleteI like that I can use any green in this recipe. Sounds very comforting!
I cannot wait to try this. Chicken meatballs and lots of vegetables, thanks for sharing..
ReplyDeletechicken is my yummy testy food. They looking is beautiful. surrogacy in india
ReplyDeleteVery comforting mug of soup, ideal for chilly spring evenings!
ReplyDeleteI love revisiting this recipe! My mom grew up in ND and Minnesota where wild rice was plentiful. I loved her soup and need to make a pot ASAP!!
ReplyDelete