Tonight the kitchen sounded like comfort. The gentle clink of a wooden spoon on a Dutch oven. Steam curling up like a quiet prayer. Wild rice doing its slow, patient dance while onions went glossy and sweet. I tasted the broth and felt that familiar tug in my chest. Some soups are meals. This one feels like a memory that knows your name.

Inspired by Julie & Julia, I’m cooking my way through Magnolia Table Volumes 1, 2, and 3. I’m calling it The Jeanie Jo & Joanna Project. Recipe 62 of 457 is Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and here’s how it turned out.

This soup is cozy in the way a favorite sweater is cozy. The base lands savory and round, layered with soft aromatics and a hint of herb that lifts the whole pot. The wild rice brings a gentle chew that keeps every spoonful interesting, and the chicken settles in like it was always meant to be here. Carrots and celery do their classic thing. Nothing flashy. Everything right.

On the practicality scale, it wins. It is mostly hands off once the pot gets going, but wild rice asks for time. I set the table while it finished, and it rewarded me with depth you cannot rush. If you are weeknight-fast, you could cook the rice ahead or the day before. If you are weekend-slow, let the rice take the long road and enjoy how the kitchen smells like home.

Texturally, it is a happy place. Tender chicken, toothsome rice, silky broth. I added a generous pinch of kosher salt at the end and a twist of black pepper for warmth. A squeeze of lemon brightened the finish, and a handful of parsley made the bowl look as fresh as it tasted. We tore into crusty bread and let it catch the last bits at the bottom. The next-day bowl was even better. The rice drank some broth overnight, so I loosened it with a splash of stock and it sang again.

Would I make it for company. Yes. Would I make it for a friend who needs a little love in a bowl. Absolutely. It is the kind of soup that invites you to sit down, breathe, and remember that simple can still feel extraordinary.

Gracefully yours,

Help keep the words flowing and the stories brewing.
Buy Me a Coffee