The Store-Bought Panera Bread Soup That's Lackluster In More Ways Than One

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

These days, the conveniences of modern life mean that brands like Panera offer soups and other foods ready-made at the grocery store, so you can have them on hand whenever a craving hits. But be warned, before you fill your fridge with these ready-to-eat soups, some of them might not be quite as good when heated at home as they are when you get them in the restaurant. Tasting Table's taste tester, Julia Duda, set out to rank nine of the store-bought Panera Bread soup offerings, and the chain's Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup came out at the bottom of the list for a variety of reasons. 

First and foremost, Panera's Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup deeply lacked in flavor. The promised creamy texture was certainly present — but there wasn't much to back it up. The problems didn't end there either. While the chicken added some nice contrast, it was equally flavorless, and though they were able to locate some grains of the wild rice amidst the creamy base, they reported that the texture was much firmer than one hopes for in a soup. Yes, some bite is nice — mushy rice only belongs in a classic congee recipe – but too-firm grains floating in a silky soup is not a great combination. 

Despite these profound negatives, however, our taste tester was clear in their assessment that they didn't necessarily dislike any of the store-boughht Panera soup offerings. Even the lowest ranked, Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice was passable — it's just not one they'd pick up again.

Many of the reviews for this product seem to echo our taste tester's opinions. "The rice remains very hard/grainy and it almost ruins the soup," wrote a one-star Target review. "This was not flavorful had no chicken and the rice wasn't cooked," said another. But despite the apparent issues with this soup across the board, the numerical average for ratings is higher than one might expect. This product boasts just over four stars out of five at multiple grocers, though only about half of the Target customers said that they would recommend the product to other consumers.

The Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice soup is also included the 17 items to avoid ordering at Panera, so the restaurant version might not be much better. But if you happen to have a container hiding in your fridge, we can offer some advice for how to improve it. Given that the rice seems undercooked, rather than just zapping this soup in the microwave, try simmering it on the stove for five to 10 minutes. That should help cook the rice a little further, but it also gives you a chance to improve the overall flavor by adding more of that savory and herby seasoning it lacks. 

A sprinkle of chicken bouillon powder will give the soup a bit more savory depth, and a pinch of dried herbs and black pepper should round out the aroma. Simmer those extras into the creamy base while you're softening the rice, and you might just have yourself a nice bowl of store-bought Panera soup.