Chunky Butternut Soup with Rice and Bacon

This Chunky Butternut Soup is the ultimate Autumn soup recipe. It's a hearty soup with Chicken and Wild Rice, plus Butternut Squash for fall flavors, and bacon for good measure. Oh yum! 

I got a message on Facebook last week requesting a good Autumn Soup recipe. I've got some good fall soups in the recipe archives here (like this Red Lentil and Rosemary Beet Soup, or my Pumpkin Black Bean Chili) but I took the message as a personal challenge to develop a really good Autumn soup. Something with fall flavors and something hearty and warm for the chilly fall evenings moving in.

It took a few tries, but by golly, I think I've done it!

The Butternut squash is a perfect taste of fall flavors. The Chicken and Wild Rice make this a hearty, filling soup, satisfying enough as a meal on its own. And I've thrown in a bit of cream and bacon just to make this Chunky Butternut Soup the kind of delicious comfort food you'll want to turn to on a crisp, dark November evening.

After many bowls emptied and many requests for seconds, I think we've got a winner with this Chunky Butternut Soup. So Melanie, this one's for you. Thank you for getting the ball rolling.

Evolution of a Soup

When I set out to make a new Autumn soup recipe, I turned to my recipe archives first for inspiration. I settled immediately on my favorite Chicken Soup with Rice recipe from a few years back. This is one that we still make All The Time! It's easy, healthy, adaptable to what I have in the fridge, and a delicious kid favorite too.

With a simple Chicken and Rice Soup recipe as my base, I just adjusted the flavors to fit with the addition of winter squash. The bacon and cream were almost an afterthought, but turned out to be the key to a really perfect Autumn soup.

So my simple Chicken Soup with Rice Recipe evolved into this dinner table masterpiece that almost necessitates seconds and even thirds. It's that good. It's also not much more difficult or time consuming than the original soup recipe I started with. And here's a time saving tip: by pre-cut butternut squash and this soup is really a cinch.

And if soup is your thing, here are 15 Delicious Soup Recipes to warm you up!

Yield: 6 to 8

Chunky Butternut Soup with Rice and Bacon

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Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion (about ½ cup), chopped
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup wild rice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1 ½ cups cooked chicken breast (about a pound), chopped or shredded
• 2 cups butternut squash, cubed
• 6 slices cooked bacon, chopped, divided
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons flour

Instructions

1. In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until onion is softened.
2. Stir in the broth, rice, salt, poultry seasoning. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. When soup begins to boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and cover. Cook for 45 minutes, or until rice is softened.
3. Stir in the chicken, squash, and most of the bacon, reserving about ⅓ cup for serving. Increase heat to medium-low and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and flour until smooth. While stirring continuously, slowly pour the flour mixture into the soup. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings.
5. Serve with reserved bacon and a good crusty baguette.