Vegan Chick’n & Wild Rice Soup

This recipe converts the American classic chicken and wild rice soup into an easy vegan version. Using a plant-based chicken-style product in tandem with vegetables and chewy wild rice results in a comforting mild soup.

The formula for the classic soup in its original form is fairly standard — chicken and wild rice in a creamy base, usually with onions, celery, and carrot, often with mushrooms as well. It’s so easy to veganize with a plant-based chicken alternative and plant-based milk.

Use your favorite plant-based chicken alternative: For this particular batch, I used Improved Nature Mini-Pieces™. This product comes in economical packages of 8 ounces in dehydrated weight, and cooked, makes 2.5 pounds of plant-based “meat.” So you need only about about 20 to 25 percent of what’s in the package for a recipe like this one that calls for 8 to 10 ounces of plant-based chick’n.

Here are some other vegan chick’n products to consider in addition to the Improved Nature used here:

• Abbot’s Butcher Slow-Roasted Chopped “Chicken”
• Butler Soy Curls
• Dr. Praeger’s Chick’n Tenders
• Gardein Chick’n, any variety
• No Evil Goods Comrade Cluck
• Sweet Earth Mindful Chick’n
• Tofurky Plant-based chick’n
• Viana Chickin Nuggets

See more about these in 12 Plant-Based Chicken Alternatives. Or, you can use an 8-ounce package of baked tofu as another option.

Wild rice is a characteristic ingredient in this soup, obviously, though you can opt to use a whole-grain and wild rice blend, or even black forbidden rice. Here’s our guide to wild rice, a useful grain-that’s-not-really-a-grain.

Don’t be intimidated by the long-is ingredient list. Aside from cooking the wild rice separately, so it doesn’t have to cook too long in the soup, everything just gets tossed into the pot.

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Yield: 6 to 8

Vegan Chick’n & Wild Rice Soup

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This recipe converts the American classic chicken and wild rice soup into an easy vegan version. Using plant-based chicken in tandem with vegetables and chewy wild rice results in a comforting mild soup.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

Wild rice

• 3/4 cup wild rice

• 3 1/2 cups wate
• r
! The rest
• 
1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 
6 to 8 ounces mushrooms, any variety, cleaned, stemmed, and sliced
• 
6 cups water

• 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
• 2 teaspoon poultry seasoning or salt-free seasoning blend (like Mrs. Dash)

• 8 to 10 ounces plant-based chicken alternative, in small bite-sized pieces
 (see Note)
• 2 cups unsweetened plant-based milk, or as needed

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• 2 tablespoons unbleached white flour

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter, optional

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

Instructions

1. Combine the wild rice with the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the water is absorbed, about 35 minutes. The wild rice might be still a bit firm at this point, but it will cook further in the soup. You can do this step ahead of time.
2. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until golden. 
3. Add the celery, carrots, mushrooms, water, bouillon cubes, poultry seasoning, and plant-based chicken. Bring to a slow boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes. 
4. Add the cooked wild rice and plant-based milk. Add more plant-based milk if the soup is crowded. Season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for 10 minutes longer. 
5. Combine the flour with just enough water to dissolve it into a smooth paste in a small bowl or cup. Drizzle into the soup. Stir in the vegan butter, if using.
6. Taste again for salt and pepper, and adjust the consistency with more plant-based milk as needed, especially as the soup stands. This will vary depending on what type of plant-based chicken product is used.
7. If time allows, let the soup stand off the heat for a while to develop flavor, or serve right away. Stir in the parsley just before serving.

Notes

If you use an Improved Nature product, as I did for this batch, you need not pre-cook it as is usually called for (it comes dehydrated). It will cook in the broth.

 If you like this veganized “chicken” soup, you might also enjoy …

Vegan Chicken-Noodle Soup

21+Vegan “Chicken”-Style Recipes

Find lots more delicious vegan soups & stews.