Creamy chicken and wild rice soup recipe is packed with vegetable, creamy broth, and flavorful herbs. It’s the perfect soup for simmering on these chilly evenings.

hands holding a bowl of creamy chicken and wild rice soup

I am often asked how I have the motivation and energy to cook three meals a day, from scratch, every single day.

It can really seem like a lot – especially when it comes to the dishes – but eating โ€˜realโ€™ food is very important to our family. 

There have been a few tricks that I have learned to make things easier. For instance, we frequently rely on leftovers. 

I love making a few whole chickens at a time, then saving the meat for later meals like southwest chicken salad, sourdough chicken pot pie, or a quick soup.

During the fall and winter months (also knows as soup season around these parts), you will often find a pot of soup or chili bubbling away on the stove all day long.

We eat it for lunch and dinner. If someone is hungry between meals, they can grab a ladle of soup.

This homemade soup tastes the best when it has had opportunity to sit for a while. Simmer away on the stove for a few hours, if you so desire. 

It is a seriously delicious meal, and one of my favorite soups for a cold day. You will want to print the recipe off to make it over and over again.

There’s so much flavor packed into this rich, creamy chicken soup. It is so filling, but I highly recommend serving it with a side of crusty bread.

Nothing beats dipping warm sourdough bread, smothered with butterinto your hot soup. Nothing. 

Yum.

two bowls of creamy chicken and wild rice soup on a blue and cream stripped towel

Tips

  • You can use homemade or store-bought chicken broth. I highly recommend making your own bone broth. Not only does it taste better, but it is packed full of trace minerals and healthy collagen. It is a much more satisfactory product overall.
  • You can use fresh herbs if you have them in your garden.
  • The longer the soup sits, the more the flavors develop. So if youโ€™re able to make it earlier in the day and have it sit for several hours before reheating it, the lemon flavors really come out best. Store in the fridge or continue to simmer on the stove.
  • Use organic lemon, if possible, when youโ€™re using the zest.
  • Make a double batch to have leftovers all week.

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Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup Ingredients

Butter – or olive oil

Carrot

Celery

Onion

Salt and black pepper

Hearty wild rice blend – If you do not have wild rice you could also substitute with white rice or brown rice.

Chicken stock or broth: I like to use homemade broth because it is inexpensive and super healthy. Try this Instant Pot recipe.

Seasonings: dried rosemary, thyme, celery seed, bay leaves (optional)

Boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 12 oz) cut into small cubes. Could also substitute with skinless chicken thighs.

Lemon – Juice and zest. This adds a bright and fresh flavor to the soup.

Whole milk

Whipping cream: Could also use heavy cream or light cream.

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To Thicken:

Butter

Flour – all-purpose flour, einkorn. You could also make this gluten free by making a cornstarch slurry out of water and cornstarch.

Tools you may need:

Dutch oven

Knife

Cutting board

Zester

Measuring cups and spoons

FAQ:

close up picture of two bowls of chicken and wild rice soup packed with veggies

Can you make this soup gluten free?

Yes. Instead of making the flour and butter roux, create a corn starch slurry. You’ll need 1-2 tbsp of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of cool water. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. 

Add a little bit of the cornstarch slurry to the bubbly soup a few minutes before serving. Stir and allow it to come to a simmer, and watch it thicken. Keep adding a little more slurry until it reaches the thickness you prefer.

Can you make it in the slow cooker?

Yes. Add all of the ingredients (except for the flour, butter, cream, and milk) to the slow cooker. I would recommend leaving the chicken breasts whole. Cook on low for five hours. Take out chicken and shred. Add it back to the slow cooker.

Create the roux in a separate pot and add it to the slow cooker. Add the cream and stir until soup has thickened. Serve.

Can you make this in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker?

Press the sautรฉ setting. Add butter, carrots, celery and leek (or onion) and cook until the vegetables are tender.

Add the chicken broth, diced chicken, wild rice, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, celery seed, and bay leaf. 

Place the lid on, and lock. Select High Pressure. Adjust time to 5 minutes cook time and start.

Allow the pressure cooker to cook and then when the timer goes off, allow it to natural release for 5-10 minutes. Switch to venting to quick release the rest of the pressure.

Create the roux in a separate pot. Turn the IP to sautรฉ, add to the flour mixture to the simmering soup. Whisk until dissolved.

Turn off the IP at add remaining ingredients.

How do you add rice to soup without it getting mushy?

The best way to avoid mushy rice is to cook the rice separate from the soup. Then add in as much rice as you want in each bowl. 

This works especially well if you plan to make this for more than one meal, say for meal prep. That way it doesn’t get all mushy as it sits in the fridge.

bowl of creamy chicken and wild rice soup with vegetables on a wooden table with a vase of hydrangeas and a red dutch oven in the background

How To Make Chicken And Wild Rice Soup

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add carrots, celery and leek (or onion) and cook until the vegetables are tender. Cooking the vegetables first, before adding stock, adds a lot of flavor.

veggies in a red dutch oven to make soup

Season with salt and pepper.

Add the wild rice, chicken stock, rosemary, thyme, celery seed, and bay leaf. 

Raise the heat slightly to allow soup to simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. 

Add chicken pieces, simmer for approximately 20 minutes more until chicken is cooked and rice is tender. 

To finish the soup, add zest of one lemon and lemon juice, whole milk, and cream. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. 

To thicken the soup, melt 1โ„4 cup of butter in a separate small pot and whisk 1โ„4 cup of flour into it and stir for a minute or two. 

Add this flour mixture to the soup to thicken. Repeat if you like your soup extra thick. 

Bring the creamy wild rice soup back up to temperature and serve with fresh thyme sprinkled on top.

Storage:

Place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. 

Freeze up to 3 months. Because this soup contains cream, it can be trickier to freeze. You could also freeze the soup base and leave out the milk and cream and add it when you reheat add it to the soup.

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Creamy Chicken And Wild Rice Soup

4.62 from 98 votes
Creamy chicken and wild rice soup is a vegetable, bone broth, and herb-filled meal. It's the perfect soup for simmering on these chilly evenings.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8
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Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups carrot, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 2 large onions , sliced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup wild rice
  • 4 cups chicken stock, preferably home made
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 2 bay leaves, optional
  • 2 chicken breasts, about 12 oz, cut into small cubes
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 cups whipping cream or light cream

To Thicken:

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup flour

Instructions 

  • In a large pot, cook carrot, celery, and onion in the melted butter over medium heat until the vegetables are tender.
  • Season with salt and pepper. Add the wild rice, chicken stock, rosemary, thyme, celery seed, and bay leaves.
  • Raise the heat slightly to allow soup to simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
  • Add chicken pieces, simmer for approximately 20 minutes more until chicken is cooked and rice is tender.
  • To finish the soup, add zest of one lemon and lemon juice, whole milk, and cream. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
  • To thicken the soup, melt 1โ„4 cup of butter in a separate small pot and whisk 1โ„4 cup of flour into it and stir for a minute or two.
  • Add this flour and butter paste to the soup to thicken. Repeat if you like your soup extra thick.
  • Bring the soup back up to temperature and serve with fresh thyme sprinkled on top.

Notes

  • I highly recommend using homemade bone broth for superior flavor and nutrition.
  • The longer the soup sits, the more the flavors develop, so if youโ€™re able to make it earlier in the day and have it sit for several hours in the fridge before reheating it, the lemon flavors really come out best.

Nutrition

Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 368mg | Potassium: 687mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 6622IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.62 from 98 votes (87 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




29 Comments

  1. Rochelle says:

    5 stars
    This soup is 10/10 so very yummy! I’m serving it in sourdough bread bowls, which I also used your recipe๐Ÿค— delicious. Thank you ๐Ÿ’œ

  2. MrsD says:

    5 stars
    Best chicken soup I have ever made, and I didnโ€™t even have the correct ingredients!

  3. Kate says:

    3 stars
    Delicious!

  4. Loni says:

    I made this with turkey bone broth and meat leftover from thanksgiving and added mushrooms. So good!

  5. Ashley Chrisfield says:

    Which dairy-free option would you suggest for the whole milk and heavy whipping cream?

  6. Meg Lowrie says:

    Made this soup 3 times now and plan to make it a family classic! The added lemon and soup texture is perfect! 5 stars!

  7. Luke says:

    5 stars
    One of our favorite winter soups

  8. Kelly says:

    If you are making the gluten free version, you have to find a gluten free cornstarch. Many grocery stores do not carry it and off-the-shelf, generic cornstarch often contains gluten. You can also try arrowroot powder for the same effect.

    1. Colleen says:

      Hi! This soup has my mouth watering!
      if wanting to make gluten free with arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch would it be exact same measurement as cornstarch?
      Thanks for your help!

  9. Carin Chapman Utt says:

    WHERE HAS THIS SOUP BEEN ALL MY LIFE!
    I made this soup for my family last night and it was oh so yum! We are vegetarian so I left out the chicken, of course, and used veggie broth instead of the bone broth, and added corn. It just so happened that I had just cleared out a ton of leaks and carrots from my fall garden so those were super fresh! This was so satisfying and delicious! The lemon juice and zest kept it from tasting like just every other ‘cream of’ soup! This ones a winner and is definitely going into my rotation. Thank Lisa!!

  10. Shannon says:

    Good morning. This soup sounds delicious! However, could you clarify something please? In the post you said cornstarch would be used, but the recipe says flour and doesnโ€™t mention cornstarch. Just wandering which is correct?
    Thanks!

    1. Catherine says:

      Hi,
      I think she wrote that if you prefer to make this recipe gluten-free, you can use cornstarch mixed with a little water instead of the roux composed of flour and butter.