This slow cooker chicken wild rice soup is creamy and comforting, but still nourishing with lots of veggies, shredded chicken and wild rice. Added bonus: it’s so easy to whip up, gluten-free + dairy-free.
Spring will be here before we know it, but I’m still craving comfort food and easy slow cooker meals. This chicken wild rice soup fits the bill and it’s so delicious.
Plus, lately the weather here in Richmond has been so sporadic. One day it’s warm and sunny and the next it’s cold and rainy. Luckily this soup is the perfect rainy-day dinner!
A few weeks ago, one of the EBF team members, Emily came to town. She typically manages social media, but came to help me out in the kitchen for a week of recipe testing and creating! It was so great to meet her in person and crank out a bunch of recipes together. This recipe is inspired by her and her love for wild rice soup. Thanks, Emily!
chicken breast – you’ll cook the chicken right in the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients!
vegetables – yellow onion, celery, carrots and garlic.
seasonings and spices – dried thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, sea salt and pepper.
chicken broth – I prefer to buy the low sodium version so I can control the amount of salt.
olive oil – for making the roux. Butter, ghee or vegan butter will all work.
flour – we’re whisking this with the oil and milk to create a creamy roux that helps to thicken the soup! Gluten-free all-purpose flour, regular all-purpose flour or oat flourwill all work.
milk – to help make the roux extra creamy! I like using unsweetened almond milk or oat milk.
fresh thyme – for serving. This is optional, but I love adding fresh herbs to my dishes to really elevate the flavors!
How to Make
A lot of people think that all slow cooker recipes are simple, but that’s not true! I’ve made plenty of slow cooker recipes that take a ton of prep before the ingredients go into the pot. Not this one!
After rinsing the rice, you’ll place the rice, chicken, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, broth, water and seasoning blend in the slow cooker. Seriously, dump alllll the ingredients in your slow cooker, set it and forget it. In the last half hour of cooking, remove the chicken to shred it. Once shredded, you just add it back into the soup.
The only other thing you have to do is make a roux to thicken the soup. In a saucepan, melt the butter or oil. Add in the flour and cook for a minute. Whisk the mixture while slowly adding the non-dairy milk. That’s your roux! Add the roux to the slow cooker and stir to combine. If the end result is too thick you can add in additional water or milk.
Substitutions and Variations
Make it dairy-free – use dairy-free milk and vegan butter to keep this soup dairy-free. If you’re a dairy lover, feel free to use traditional cow’s milk and butter.
Make it gluten-free – use all-purpose gluten-free flour to make this soup gluten-free. Again, if you can tolerate gluten, traditional all-purpose flour works fine as a substitute. You could also use oat flour.
Make it vegan – this is a little trickier, but to make this soup vegan simply use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth, use vegan butter and omit the chicken breast. You may want to add more vegetables or even chickpeas or white beans to make this a heartier soup with more protein!
How to Make on The Stovetop
The great thing about this chicken wild rice soup recipe is that it can easily be made on the stovetop instead of in the slower cooker! Here’s how to make it on the stovetop:
Cook rice: Cook rice according to the instructions on packaging.
Sauté vegetables: While rice is cooking, heat 2 Tablespoons of oil, butter or ghee over medium heat in a Dutch oven or large pot. Once hot add onion, carrots and celery and sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer. Add thyme, rosemary, salt and bay leaves and mix until veggies are coated.
Simmer: Add chicken broth, water and chicken into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. When chicken is fully cooked, remove from pot and shred using two forks.
Combine: Add shredded chicken and cooked rice into pot.
Make roux: In a separate saucepan melt ¼ cup oil, butter or ghee. Add the flour and let the mixture cook for 1 minute. Whisk the mixture slowly while adding in the milk. Continue to whisk until all lumps have dissolved. Allow the mixture to thicken and become creamy. Add the creamy mixture into the pot. Stir to combine. Add additional water or milk to your preference if the consistency is too thick.
Serve: Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve.
How to Serve
This meal is truly a complete meal on its own – protein, veggies, healthy fats… it’s balanced! If you’re like me though, you want to serve it with a little something on the side! I love it with hearty, seedy bread and a side salad. Here are some ideas:
This soup is perfect for meal prep! I love making a batch on the weekend so I have lunch or dinner ready to go for the week.
For storing, allow the soup to cool completely and then carefully transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You could also freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.
For reheating, heat the soup over medium low heat in a saucepan, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking/burning. As the soup sits it’ll thicken so you might need to add a splash of water or broth when reheating to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. Alternatively, you can reheat the soup in the microwave.
This slow cooker chicken wild rice soup is creamy and comforting, but still nourishing with lots of veggies, shredded chicken and wild rice. Added bonus: it’s so easy to whip up!
Rinse the rice under running water. Place the uncooked rice, chicken breast, garlic, onions, celery, carrots, thyme, rosemary, salt, bay leaves, chicken broth and water into your slow cooker.
Cover and cook on the high setting for 3-4 hours or on the low setting for 7-8 hours.
In the last 1/2 hour of cooking, remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Allow to cool slightly and then use two forks to shred the chicken into small pieces.
When the rice is done cooking, remove the bay leaves and add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker.
Melt the butter or oil in a saucepan. Add the flour and let the mixture cook for 1 minute. Whisk the mixture slowly while adding in the milk. Continue to whisk until all lumps have dissolved. Allow the mixture to thicken and become creamy.
Add the creamy mixture into the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Add additional water or milk to your preference if the consistency is too thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve.
Stovetop
Cook rice according to instructions on package.
While rice is cooking, heat 2 Tablespoons of oil, butter or ghee in a Dutch oven or large pot. Once hot add onion, carrots and celery and saute for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute longer.
Add thyme, rosemary, salt and bay leaves and mix until veggies are coated.
Add chicken broth, water and chicken into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. When chicken is fully cooked, remove from pot and shred using two forks.
Add shredded chicken and cooked rice into pot.
In a separate saucepan melt ¼ cup oil, butter or ghee. Add the flour and let the mixture cook for 1 minute. Whisk the mixture slowly while adding in the milk. Continue to whisk until all lumps have dissolved. Allow the mixture to thicken and become creamy.
Add the creamy mixture into the pot. Stir to combine. Add additional water or milk to your preference if the consistency is too thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve.
Yay! I am excited to hear that you and your family are enjoying this recipe, Gina. Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
I’ve made several of your other soups and look forward to trying this one!! If I wanted to add more vegetables like mushrooms, would you recommend adding them at the beginning with everything else or throwing them in later?? Thanks so much!!
WOO! I am pumped to hear that you are loving this recipe, Amy. The best healthier comfort food. Thanks for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
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Pretty easy to pull together and everybody loved it.
YUM! I am so glad this recipe is a hit, Katie. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
This was amazing! I cooked this using the stove top method in my Dutch oven and used rotisserie chicken. A favorite!
YUM! Sounds delicious, Beth. I am so glad that this recipe is a hit! Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
My family enjoyed- it reminded me of a chicken pot pie filling but much healthier and not as thick. Looking forward to left overs this week!
Yay! I am excited to hear that you and your family are enjoying this recipe, Gina. Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
I’ve made several of your other soups and look forward to trying this one!! If I wanted to add more vegetables like mushrooms, would you recommend adding them at the beginning with everything else or throwing them in later?? Thanks so much!!
Hi Heather – You can add them with everything else in the slow cooker or if you are cooking on the stovetop, you can sauté with other veggies. Enjoy!
This soup is so yummy!! I need to double the recipe because I’ve eaten half of it. Love the healthier comfort foods. So good!
WOO! I am pumped to hear that you are loving this recipe, Amy. The best healthier comfort food. Thanks for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!