Get ready to cozy up with a spoonful of heaven in a bowl – this creamy chicken and wild rice soup is the ultimate comfort food. With tender chicken, nutty wild rice, and a velvety broth, you’ll be making this recipe all soup-season long.
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This recipe is…
This creamy chicken wild rice soup has everything you’d want in a comfort classic: succulent chicken, hearty wild rice, soft sautéed veggies, and the most delicious, creamy, velvety broth. Whether you’re a kitchen pro or a newbie that just wants to cook up some comfort food goodness without the fuss, this recipe has your back.
If you’re looking for more comfort food classics, look no further. This beef pot pie is unbelievably delicious, this chicken and dumplings recipe has been a reader favorite for many, many years, and this Zuppa Toscana recipe rivals the popular Olive Garden recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s easy – this soup is made in one pot, making for an easy, fuss-free solution to mealtime.
- It’s creamy and delicious – this chicken wild rice soup is not your average recipe. It’s luscious, creamy, and will leave your guests’ bellies full and happy!
Recipe Ingredients
For such a rich, delicious recipe, the ingredient list is quite simple! You’ll need a handful of veggies, chicken (of course), wild rice, and a few extras to take the creaminess to the next level. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Wild rice – grab a wild rice mix (or blend) for this recipe.
- Chicken breasts – we used chicken breasts here, but chicken thighs work every bit as well. Feel free to use whichever you have on hand.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Make it dairy-free – skip the heavy cream and use canned full-fat coconut milk instead to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Make it gluten-free – to make this recipe gluten-free, simply use a GF all-purpose flour (we used this King Arthur one).
How to Make Chicken Wild Rice Soup
This recipe is incredibly easy to make! Follow along below.
Step 1: Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium high heat, and season the chicken with salt (1 teaspoon). Once the pot is hot, sear the chicken on one side for 3 minutes, flip, and sear for another 3 minutes on the other side, until golden brown. Set aside.
Step 2: Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the pot, and saute until the onions are translucent and veggies start to soften.
Step 3: Pour the flour over the veggies, toss to combine, then add in the broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring continuously to dissolve the flour. Once all of the broth is in, add the wild rice and thyme and return the chicken to the pot.
Step 4: Bring the soup to a simmer, then cover and let simmer for 50 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan every 5 minutes to make sure nothing is sticking. Test the rice for doneness. Pull chicken out, shred it, and return back to the soup.
Step 5: Stir in the cream, lemon juice, and pepper, and taste for salt. Garnish with additional thyme, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Tip
If you have leftover cooked and shredded chicken on hand, feel free to use it in this recipe to save yourself a little bit of time and effort. If you don’t have leftovers on hand but you still want to skip cooking the chicken yourself, feel free to grab a rotisserie chicken!
How to Serve
Serve your soup all on its own (it’s a complete and DELICIOUS meal this way) or alongside a loaf of cheesy garlic bread if you really want to impress.
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat the soup, simply pop a serving in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or in a small pot on the stovetop over medium heat for 7-10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
No need to pre cook the rice before tossing it into the soup! It’ll cook in the broth until soft.
If your rice is still crunchy, it’s because it hasn’t finished cooking. After your soup has simmered for 50 minutes, be sure to check the doneness of the rice before adding in the lemon juice and heavy cream. If the rice isn’t completely cooked, let the soup continue to simmer until it is.
You can, but it takes a lot. If you’re following this recipe and simmering your soup for 50 minutes, we can almost guarantee that your rice won’t be overcooked and mushy.
More Favorite Cozy Soup Recipes
If you tried this Chicken and Wild Rice Soup or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1¼ pound chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium high heat, and season the chicken with salt (1 teaspoon). Once the pot is hot, sear the chicken on one side for 3 minutes, flip, and sear for another 3 minutes on the other side, until golden brown. Set aside.
- Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the pot, and saute until the onions are translucent and veggies start to soften.
- Pour the flour over the veggies, toss to combine, then add in the broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring continuously to dissolve the flour. Once all of the broth is in, add the wild rice and thyme and return the chicken to the pot.
- Bring the soup to a simmer, then cover and let simmer for 50 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan every 5 minutes to make sure nothing is sticking. Test the rice for doneness. Pull chicken out, shred it, and return back to the soup.
- Stir in the cream, lemon juice, and pepper, and taste for salt. Garnish with additional thyme, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Make it dairy-free – skip the heavy cream and use canned full-fat coconut milk instead to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Make it gluten-free – to make this recipe gluten-free, simply use a GF all-purpose flour (we used this King Arthur one).
Nutrition
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My entire family enjoyed this. I used chicken I had prepped for the week- pressure cooker and shredded. It remained flavorful. I am saving this one for the future.
We love us some meal prep!! So so happy you loved it, Kelli!
Delicious! I subbed out the chicken for pheasant and it is amazing! A family favorite!
Yay! We are so happy y’all loved it, Erin!
This soup is amazing and will be a regular in our home! I substituted in GF flour and DF cream and it was still delicious. You know it’s a hit when your husband takes a second serving.
Question: has anyone tried freezing it to have the leftovers at a later date? I’m wondering how it would fare with the cream. Thanks!
Yay! So so happy y’all loved it, Danielle! It freezes great! Freeze in individual serving sizes to make for easy reheating! Should be good for up to 3 months!
So, so good! Made this last night and even the kids (12 and 9) liked it. Easy recipe to break out into manageable chunks between work meetings and homework management. Will definitely make again before soup season ends!
We are so so happy y’all loved it, Jessie! Thank you of taking a moment to share!
I made this soup and the results are as amazing as described. Creamy, comforting and simply delicious. I used a lactose free cream and the results were still amazing! I always look forward to receive the newsletter as the recipes are easy to prepare yet delicious!
Awe yay! We are so happy you loved it, Zoraida! That’s so sweet about the newsletter! We really appreciate it!
This is the best chicken and wild rice soup I have ever made. This recipe is a keeper for sure.
WHAT?!?! That is so kind, Lynn! We are so happy you love it!
I made this for my family of 5 and everyone loved it! (ages 4-14)
it was pretty simple to make and so perfect for the rainy winter weather right now. I served it with sourdough bread and it was the perfect pair!
That is amazing! So great when it’s a hit for the whole fam! Thank you o taking a moment to share, Steph!
can this be made in an Instapot?
Delicious! Perfect meal for a cold, lazy day
Yes! So perfect! We are so happy you loved it, Kourtney!
This was delicious! It felt healing yet indulgent on a sick day in winter. Will definitely make again.
We are so happy you loved. it, Erinn!
absolutely loved this recipe!! definitely chicken soup for the soul 🙂
Yay! Thank you for taking a moment to share, Renee!
I want to try this but wondering what your thoughts are on subbing quinoa for the wild rice.
That sounds delicious, Julie! Should work great!!!
Sound delicious
I will try sound delicious
Yay! Let us know what you think, Eva!
Can you make this in the crockpot?
I was wondering the same… I bet if you follow steps 1-3 then add everything to a slow cooker it will work. I would wait to add the cream and lemon until just before your serve.
I made it in my crockpot/ slow cooker on high for 6 hours. Made according to directions for steps 1-3, then combined everything but lemon juice and cream into crockpot. It was fantastic! It came out very thick even with the 1 cup of cream. So you may want to add extra chicken stock if you try it in a slow cooker. I will definitely make it again!
Yay! Great note on the extra stock, Jordan! Thank you so much for taking a moment to share!