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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This is so delicious and the prep is super easy. It’s great for someone who needs a recipe to follow ♀️. It could be customized with veggies of your choice. I will def be making this again and again.
Thank you, Andrea! We are so glad you loved it!
So freaking yummy! The whole family thoroughly enjoyed this recipe – hubs, both 6 and 4 year olds, and grandad lapped their entire bowls right up! I’m talking, bowl tipping’, broth sippin,’ and spoon lickin’ kinda awesome. Fantastic for a chilly day. Super happy I doubled the recipe so we have this to enjoy for the next day or two.
Whole family loved this, including my toddler! Easy, simple and had nearly all the ingredients beforehand.
So freaking yummy! The whole family thoroughly enjoyed this recipe – hubs, both 6 and 4 year olds, and grandad lapped their entire bowls right up! I’m talking, bowl tipping’, broth sippin,’ and spoon lickin’ kinda awesome. Fantastic for a chilly day. Super happy I doubled the recipe so we have this to enjoy for the next day or two.
HAHAHAH! That is AMAZING! We are so so happy y’all loved it, Jenn! Thank you so much for taking a moment to share!
Yay! We are so happy it was a hit!
My family loved this soup and my kids gave it two thumbs up. It was easy to make and while the soup cooked for the 50 minutes I was able to catch up on dishes.
TWO thumbs up?!?! Wow! That is so kind! Thank you, Linda! We are so happy y’all loved it!
I am making this every few weeks! It was amazing and so easy!
That is awesome, Jennifer! We are so happy you love it!
Love this soup! My first time making wild rice creamy chicken soup. it was gone in two days, dinner, lunch, then dinner again. no COMPLAINTS about eatlimg leftovers.
Before making it my husband iwho is not a fan of chicken said to make sure its seasoned well. So i marinated the chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic the morning of. Also used a combination of thighs and breast.
That is amazing, Sherrie! Great idea! We are so glad y’all loved it!
This was a HUGE hit!! My 13 year old son took 2 bites and asked me to make sure I make this every week!
AWE! That is so sweet, Jenny! We are so happy y’all loved it!
I love this version of a chicken and wild rice soup. I preferred to cook the rice separately. The lemon really made it special and taste a little lighter than other versions. Yum! I will definitely add this recipe to my soup rotation.
Yes! Lemon is a MUST! really brightens up the dish and adds a nice pop
AGREED!
Yay! We are so happy you loved it, Kate!!
I made this a few days ago and have been eating it for lunch everyday! Served great with some crust bread. I made it dairy free by using a vegan heavy whipping cream from Trader Joe’s.
Yay! That is awesome, Michele! We are so happy you love it!
Delicious and easy recipe! I swapped out turkey because that’s what had on hand and it was great. Also used basmati rice… was still delicious. I felt like I was really nourishing my family by serving them this meal. Thank you for all the great content!
That is so great, Amber! We are so happy y’all loved it! You are so so welcome!
This soup is so delicious. The only substitute I made was thighs instead of breasts because it’s what I had. Even my picky middle kid asked for more. It wasn’t too heavy but offered the perfect amount of delicious, cozy comfort we look for in a soup on a cold day. Paired perfect with a slice of crusty Italian bread.
That is amazing, Carrie! We are so happy it was a hit! Thank you for taking a moment to share!
This was an easy dinner great for a cold winter day! I made it on a Saturday night. I used jasmine rice because we prefer it over wild rice at our house. I left out the lemon because a friend was coming for dinner and it was still just as tasty. Will definitely be making this again!
Yay! We are so happy it was a hit for everyone! Thank you, Jena!
We loved it! Used rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breast and was still delicious! The lemon really adds some brightness and rounds out the flavor. Did not need too much babysitting on the stove.
Great idea on the rotisserie chicken, Lauren! We a re soapy you loved it!
We made this and enjoyed it! It was a little “plain” tasting. But that was ok because my kids preferred it plain. My husband and I added some hot sauce to give ours a little kick. It makes a LOT of soup!
Oh man! We’re so happy your kiddos liked it but are sorry it was not as exciting for you and your husband!
This creamy chicken and rice soup is delicious! And incredibly simple to make. I used already cooked and shredded chicken so it took only 20 minutes to put it all together.
This will stay a staple soup in my kitchen.
Great idea, Natalie!! We are happy you loved it!