I usually bring my lunch to work, but sometimes I end up buying my lunch from the deli in the building next to my office. One day I didn’t have anything to pack for lunch so I decided to change things up and got lunch from Panera. I got myself a cup of their cream of chicken soup and let me tell you, I was hooked after that. I went back several times after that first taste of their cream of chicken soup and every time I stopped, they had all kinds of soups but cream of chicken! So I scoured the net to find a recipe to make my own cream of chicken soup and that’s how I stumbled upon this recipe today. This copy cat Panera cream of chicken and wild rice soup is a perfect lunch or dinner option because it’s easy to make and for sure to make even the pickiest eater happy! A bowl of this soup is satisfying, stick to your gut goodness! Another bonus is that the ingredients are easy to find and wallet friendly. So if you want to be a copy cat too, here’s the recipe for you:
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup butter (12 tbsp. or a stick and a half)
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 3 cups light cream or half and half
- 6 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
- 2 chicken breast halves (cooked, boneless and cubed)
- 1 (6 ounce) package long grain and wild rice blend, quick cooking version
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- salt and pepper
- In a small bowl, combine pepper and flour. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.
- Add celery and onion and saute for 5 minutes.
- Add seasoned flour gradually while constantly stirring, to form a roux. Saute roux for 3-4 minutes to cook out raw flour taste.
- Whisk in cream a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.
- Add in the broth, cooked chicken cubes, frozen peas and carrots and rice.
- Let it simmer until it's heated through.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Love this but I leave out celery & peas but add extra carrots and fresh mushrooms. No salt needed.
love the idea of adding mushrooms !
[…] Soups, stews and chowders are definitely not yet out of the rotation for our household specially during these crazy hot/cold days we have. Salad days and grilling days are definitely on their way, but for now, it’s still cool enough to enjoy a nice bowl of chowder. So for today’s post, we bring you Seafood Chowder or Maritime Seafood Chowder. Martimers are such great people. Generally, they’re laid back, cool, calm, collected, nature loving people who love and appreciate their bounty of fresh seafood (well, actually I know one Nova Scotian who hates seafood and I love her, but I think she’s a little nutty for being a seafood hater)! This Seafood Chowder is great because it has halibut, lobster and clams all in one pot and the it’s creamy and rich and perfect on a nice spring day. The potatoes add a wonderful thick, velvety texture to the chowder and so you don’t really need to go full fat on the cream. We decided to substitute the whipping cream the original recipe calls for with half and half cream and it was just as rich and satisfying. We also used leeks instead of onions because, well, we heart leeks! So if you want something creamy, rich, satisfying and a variety of seafood all in one bowl, then try this recipe out and you won’t be sorry. Seafood Chowder (Maritime Chowder) Print Prep time 20 mins Cook time 45 mins Total time 1 hour 5 mins Author: Chef Michael Smith Cuisine: Canadian Serves: 6-8 Ingredients […]
I love copycat recipes and also most everything at Panera. I’ve never had their cream of chicken soup but will definitely try it next time I see it on the menu and think of you!
I’m in love with Panera’s broccoli and cheddar soup. Will have to try this next time or better yet make it myself and never need panera!
Hi Leanne! I will try the brocolli and cheddar soup next time I stop by ! Thanks for the tip!