Turkey Wild Rice Soup
A creamy, one-pot turkey wild rice soup built on a butter-and-flour roux, with chewy wild rice simmered right in the broth and three cups of leftover turkey finished with a gentle stir of half-and-half.
Equipment
- 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot - holds heat evenly and resists scorching the roux
- Fine-mesh strainer - for rinsing the wild rice without losing any grains
- Chef's knife - for dicing the onion, carrots, and celery evenly
- Large cutting board - with room for the vegetables and turkey
- Balloon whisk - to stir the broth into the roux without lumps
- Wooden spoon - for stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot
- Ladle - for serving
- Instant-read thermometer - to confirm the turkey reaches 165°F (74°C)
- Measuring cups and spoons - plus a small bowl for the parsley and thyme
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter - 57 g
- 1 medium yellow onion - finely diced, about 1 cup or 150 g
- 2 medium carrots - peeled and diced, about 1 cup or 130 g
- 2 stalks celery - diced, about ¾ cup or 75 g
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt - divided, plus more to taste
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour - 42 g
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth - 1.4 L; turkey stock works too
- ¾ cup uncooked wild rice - 120 g; rinsed under cold water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves - or ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups cooked turkey - about 420 g; cut into ½-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
- 1½ cups half-and-half - 360 ml; at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry - optional, stirred in with the half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley - for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse the wild rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cold water for 30 seconds, dice the onion, carrots, and celery to about ¼ inch, mince the garlic, strip the thyme, cut the turkey into ½-inch pieces, and set the half-and-half out to lose its chill. Chop the parsley and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat until it foams but does not brown. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and ½ teaspoon of the salt, then cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is translucent and the carrots begin to soften without browning.
- Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and stir constantly for about 2 minutes so the flour coats everything and loses its raw taste; the mixture will look pasty and clumped.
- Pour in 1 cup of the broth and whisk firmly until smooth and thick, then add the remaining 5 cups in two additions, whisking after each so no lumps form. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits.
- Stir in the rinsed wild rice, bay leaf, thyme, and black pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and simmer 45 to 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until many grains have split open and the rice is tender with a slight chew. Add ½ cup extra broth or water if it looks too thick.
- Stir in the diced turkey and simmer uncovered over low heat for about 5 minutes until heated through and reading 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Fish out and discard the bay leaf.
- Turn the heat to the lowest setting so the soup stops bubbling, then pour in the room-temperature half-and-half and the dry sherry, if using. Stir gently for 3 to 5 minutes until steaming hot but not boiling; never let it return to a bubble once the dairy goes in.
- Taste and stir in the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and more pepper if needed. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, then ladle into warm bowls, sprinkle with parsley, and thin with a splash of warm broth if you like a looser consistency.
Notes
- Cook the wild rice directly in the soup rather than separately; the grains soak up deeper flavor as they swell.
- Keep the cream off the boil and use room-temperature half-and-half to prevent the soup from splitting into grainy curds.
- Whisk the first cup of broth hard into the roux; a smooth paste at this stage prevents flour lumps for the rest of cooking.
- Stay with pure wild rice rather than blends, which contain faster-cooking white or brown rice that can turn mushy by the 45-minute mark.
- Use dark turkey meat when possible; thigh holds up better than breast when the soup is reheated.
- Season at the end, since broth, turkey, and sherry all carry salt.
- Freeze shredded turkey in 1½-cup portions so two bags give exactly the 3 cups needed for this recipe.
- A small splash of dry sherry or a squeeze of lemon brightens the creamy base without making it taste sharp.
- Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months; freeze before adding the half-and-half for the best texture and stir the cream in when reheating.
- Reheat gently over low heat, adding ¼ to ½ cup broth or milk to loosen, until leftovers reach 165°F (74°C); do not boil a dairy-based soup.
- For a gluten-free version, replace the flour with a cornstarch slurry (2 tablespoons cornstarch whisked with 3 tablespoons cold water) and check that your broth is gluten-free.
Nutrition
Serving: 1BowlCalories: 305kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 23gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 650mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4g
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