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, cut into coins
- 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
Made this soup last night and it did not disappoint! I love that it’s all one pot. The rice and cream in this soup are delicious! This will be a family staple 🙂
Yay! We are so happy y’all loved it, Alise!
This was so good! My husband and I joke that I’m incapable of making a soup and this was no exception. I must have left it simmer too long because it became more stew-like, almost casserole consistency. BUT it was still delicious and I liked the consistency. My two-year-old ate it and my husband and I fought over the last serving.
lol! We are so happy y’all enjoyed it, Hope!
The whole family loved this recipe! It was straightforward and all ingredients we normally have on hand. We used chicken thighs and it works perfectly. I would definitely recommend.
Woohoo! We are so glad y’all enjoyed it, Katie!
Fantastic recipe! My husband immediately asked for this to be a staple in our dinner rotation!
Awe yay! We are so glad y’all enjoyed it, Brandi!
Love this recipe! I’ve been making a creamy chicken wild rice soup for a while that is loved. This one had just a little extra flavor and it definitely came from the lemon juice. What a great add! Next time, I’ll add a little more broth as my family prefers it to be more soupy.
That is so kind, Gina! We are so so happy y’all enjoyed it!
Delicious!! I love the wild rice and lemon – it gives it a little extra!
Yay! Thank you, Bridgette!
I have always been nervous about cooking wild rice but this was so easy and the taste was phenomenal!! It was creamy without being heavy and the lemon juice at the end made it perfect!! Definitely adding this to my winter rotation.
That is amazing, Heather! We are so happy you loved it!!
We loved it!
Yay! Thank you, Tenisha!
My family loves this, we’ve had it twice this month! Super easy to make, and delicious. It also makes great leftovers. Perfect cold weather meal.
We are so so glad y’all love it, Carrie!
We have made this twice already. All of our 7 kids loved it as well ages 8-17! will make again!!
we have made this twice since it was shared! we loved it and our 7 picky kids ranging from 7-17 all loved it too.
WHAT?! That is amazing, Kelly! We are so happy y’all loved it!
This was the perfect soup for the frigid weather we are having this weekend. I used coconut milk to make it dairy free. My family didn’t notice the difference. I enjoyed the creaminess of the soup. The recipe was east to make and my kids committed how good it was. We’ll be having this soup again soon.
That is so great, Kim! We are so happy y’all enjoyed it!
Cozy deliciousness on this winter day. Easy soup to make. It made the house smell amazing and hit the spot. Hubby and I had several bowls each. Picky children didn’t touch it, but that isn’t the soup’s fault. Already looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow. Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
Oh yay, Sonja! You are so welcome!
Love this one! So easy to make and a crowd pleaser on a cold winter day!
Oh yay! We are so glad it was a hit, Emily!
We had family in town last week so I made this, it was loved all around! So yummy and so so easy to put together!!
That is amazing! Thank you, Lexi!