This healthy, flavorful Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is full of tender, juicy chicken and hearty wild rice. It’s an easy slow cooker recipe that makes a satisfying meal whether you’re sick or just need something warm on a cold day. (recipes for stovetop and Instant Pot too)
If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that the weather here in northern Idaho is getting a bit cooler. I’m so sad to see summer go but fall here is quite beautiful too.
But with the cooler temps, it means I am in full comfort food mode around here. I haven’t made anything in the slow cooker for a long time and I really needed to just let something simmer all day with the way the schedule has been. So I made this Chicken and Wild Rice Soup that was perfect to curl up with next to the woodstove.
What I love about this recipe is that I can alter the cooking method depending on the time available. If I know we are just going to be hunkering down because of the snow – I can make this on the stovetop or even better – on the woodstove if we lose power.
But I love that I can toss it all into the slow cooker and let it do its thing – almost effortlessly. If I forget to thaw the chicken – I can use the Instant Pot instead – which is a really nice option too. I know you’ll love this as much as we do.
Stovetop Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Here are some commonly asked questions
Can this soup be made gluten-free?
Yes – you can make this soup gluten-free. Fortunately, wild rice is naturally gluten-free – so that sure makes it so much easier, right?! But please be sure to find a broth that is gluten-free as well.
Can this be made with leftover chicken or turkey?
That is what I love about this recipe – it is so versatile. Yes – you can make this soup using leftover shredded or diced chicken. We also often toss in our Thanksgiving leftovers and make this in a turkey version. Both are absolutely delicious.
Now – you would think that you would reduce the amount of time this needs to cook when doing this – because the chicken or turkey is already cooked. But this is not the case.
For this soup – the cooking time is based on how long it will take for the rice to soften – which is longer than the chicken takes to cook. So keep the cooking time the same and you are good to go.
chicken rice soup crock pot
Can I make the soup thicker?
You bet – it is so easy to make the soup a little thicker if you happen to like it to be more of a chowder consistency. Just add 1 tablespoon of water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Once you have a nice, smooth slurry, pour it into the soup and give it a stir. Let the soup sit for about 5 minutes and the heat will help that slurry coagulate the soup into a nice, thick, and hearty dinner.
Variation Suggestions
- Add in chopped bacon
- Include roughly chopped baby spinach or kale
- Swap out the wild rice with Orzo pasta
chicken & rice soup crock pot
What to serve with chicken and wild rice soup
This soup goes great with so many sides – but here are a few of the recipes that we serve most frequently with it.
- Easy Chef Salad
- Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Breadsticks
- Incredibly Easy Crusty Artisan Bread
- One Hour Dinner Rolls
- Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks
- Easy Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks
Can I freeze Chicken Wild Rice Soup?
Normally I’m all for freezing soups for later because you never know when you’ll need a quick dinner. But because this soup has dairy mixed in it doesn’t freeze well. The dairy tends to separate and isn’t great when reheated.
chicken and wild rice soup
Ingredients for Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- celery – sliced
- carrot – sliced
- garlic – minced
- yellow onion – diced
- chicken broth
- wild rice
- dried thyme or fresh thyme
- bay leaf
- mushrooms
- heavy cream
- butter
How to reheat creamy soups:
The key when reheating creamy soup is to only reheat the portion that you plan on using at that time. This way you aren’t reheating portions of the soup over and over again. We like to portion out individual servings and microwave for several minutes until each bowl-full is hot.
OR – to save time we will ladle out what we would normally serve ourselves – only we each ladle it into one large pot. That way all the portions are in there but we can reheat it over medium heat on the stovetop all at the same time. Then we just ladle it out into our individual bowls once it is ready.
chicken wild rice soup
How to make chicken and wild rice soup
Slow Cooker
- Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker in a single layer.
- Next, add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic.
- Then, add the chicken broth, wild rice, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
- Then, remove the chicken and shred or slice it. Return the chicken to the slow cooker along with the mushrooms, heavy cream, and butter. Stir.
- Cook for an additional 45 minutes on high or 1.5 hours on low.
- Enjoy warm and store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Instant Pot
- Add the chicken breasts, celery, carrot, onion, and garlic to the pot.
- Then, add the chicken broth, wild rice, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Cook on manual high pressure for 30 minutes.
- Allow for a 10 minute natural release – then quick release the remaining pressure.
- Remove the chicken and shred or slice it. Return the chicken to the pot along with the mushrooms, heavy cream, and butter. Stir.
- Place the lid back on the pot to hold in the steam (do not turn on – just leave on the warm setting) and let the mushrooms soften for about 5 minutes.
- Stir and serve.
Stovetop
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1″ pieces – set aside.
- Combine the butter with the celery, carrot, onion and garlic in a large pot.
- Saute over medium heat for 7-10 minutes – stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken, broth, rice, thyme, bay leaf and mushrooms. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring every 5-10 minutes, and cook for 40-45 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
- Stir in the heavy cream, discard the bay leaf and add any salt and pepper to taste if desired before serving.
creamy chicken wild rice soup
What slow cooker do you use?
We actually have several slow cookers that we have acquired over the years from doing this job. I have a smaller one that is great for half recipes.
But the one I use the most is this standard, no-frills slow cooker that is perfect for this particular recipe.
Is it necessary to use a specific type of pressure cooker?
No, not at all. I just happen to have an Instant Pot, but pressure cookers have become so popular over the last couple years that just about every big & small appliance company makes one. This will work with them all.
chicken wild rice soup instant pot
If you love this Easy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup recipe, you’re going to love these other soup recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
More Great Soups to Make
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Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 stalk celery sliced
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup wild rice
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms see notes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker in a single layer.
- Next, add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic.
- Then, add the chicken broth, wild rice, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
- Then, remove the chicken and shred or slice it. Return the chicken to the slow cooker along with the mushrooms, heavy cream, and butter. Stir.
- Cook for an additional 45 minutes on high or 1.5 hours on low.
- Enjoy warm and store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Instant Pot
- Add the chicken breasts, celery, carrot, onion, and garlic to the pot.
- Then, add the chicken broth, wild rice, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Cook on manual high pressure for 30 minutes.
- Allow for a 10 minute natural release – then quick release the remaining pressure.
- Remove the chicken and shred or slice it. Return the chicken to the pot along with the mushrooms, heavy cream, and butter. Stir.
- Place the lid back on the pot to hold in the steam (do not turn on – just leave on the warm setting) and let the mushrooms soften for about 5 minutes.
- Stir and serve.
Stovetop
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1″ pieces – set aside.
- Combine the butter with the celery, carrot, onion and garlic in a large pot.
- Saute over medium heat for 7-10 minutes – stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken, broth, rice, thyme, bay leaf and mushrooms. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring every 5-10 minutes, and cook for 40-45 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
- Stir in the heavy cream, discard the bay leaf and add any salt and pepper to taste if desired before serving.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Giftbasketworldwide says
Great Job Buddy!!