Slow Cooker Chicken Wild Rice Soup
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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!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Two cooking options – Whether you prefer using a slow cooker or the stovetop, this recipe has you covered!
- Cozy and hearty – Packed with tender chicken, chewy wild rice, and a creamy broth, this soup is pure comfort in a bowl.
- Dairy-free friendly – Use plant-based butter and milk to make this soup completely dairy-free without losing any creaminess.
- Perfect for meal prep – This soup stores well and tastes even better the next day, making it ideal for easy lunches or dinners throughout the week.
Ingredients Needed
- dry (uncooked) wild rice blend – I really like the Lundberg wild rice blend.
- 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 flour will 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!
Substitutions and Variations
- 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!
- 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.
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!
Step 1: Rinse the rice and place it in the slow cooker along with chicken, garlic, onions, celery, carrots, thyme, rosemary, salt, bay leaves, chicken broth, and water.
Step 2: Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
Step 3: In the last 30 minutes of cooking, remove the chicken, shred it with two forks, and set it aside.
Step 4: Once the rice is done, remove the bay leaves and add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker.
Step 5: In a saucepan, melt butter (or heat oil), whisk in flour, and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until the mixture thickens.
Step 6: Stir the creamy mixture into the slow cooker, adjust the consistency with extra milk or water if needed, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve.
If you’d rather make this soup on the stovetop, the complete instructions are included in the recipe card below.
Brittany’s Tips
- Rinse the rice: Always rinse the wild rice before cooking to remove excess starch. This keeps the soup from getting too thick or gummy.
- Adjust the thickness: Wild rice can soak up a lot of liquid, especially after storing leftovers. Add extra broth or milk when reheating to bring the soup back to your preferred consistency.
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:
- Serve with a slice of crusty bread like homemade sourdough or honey whole wheat bread. Crackers would also be delicious with this soup. You can make my almond flour crackers or use your favorite store-bought cracker. I’ve been hooked on the Simple Mills almond flour crackers because they have minimal, clean ingredients and taste delicious!
- Some salads that would go well with this soup: roasted sweet potato salad or garlicky kale salad.
How to Store Leftovers
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, shredded rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked chicken breast works perfectly. Just add it toward the end of cooking to warm it through.
Of course! Diced potatoes, parsnips, or even mushrooms would be delicious additions to this soup.
Totally! Swap the chicken for extra vegetables or a can of chickpeas, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Sausage Kale Soup
- Mexican Sweet Potato Chicken Soup
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Turkey Soup
Be sure to check out the full collection of soup recipes here on EBF.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice blend, uncooked
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- ¾ cup celery, chopped
- ¾ cup carrots, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water, or additional chicken broth
- ¼ cup olive oil, butter, ghee or vegan butter
- ½ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour, or regular all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, or oat milk
- pepper, to taste
- fresh thyme, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Let the soup cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or broth if it’s too thick, or warm it in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
This is SO GOOD! I even tricked my husband who prefers full fat/cream!
Ah yay! So happy to hear this soup was a success. Thanks for the review, Megan!
I made this the other night with my roommate and it’s super good! We were in a bit of a time crunch so we decided to pressure cook it in the Instapot. I made these small changes and it turned out perfectly:
-cooked for 24 minutes on high with the pressure cook setting
-didn’t bother taking the chicken out early, just shredded it after the soup was cooked
Woo!! So pumped to hear this wild rice soup was a hit even with your slight adjustment, Claire. Thanks for the review and star rating. It means so much to me!
Thanks for sharing the InstaPot time. I came to the comments hoping someone else already tried it for me!
I have made this twice in the last three weeks in my instapot. It is so good!!!
Yay! Happy to hear this recipe has been a hit, Chelsy! Thanks for the review :).
Awesome recipe!! I used a can of chickpeas and extra vegetables instead of chicken and it was delicious, definitely making this regularly!!
Ah yay! So pumped this wild rice soup was a hit, Lexie! Thanks for the review and star rating. It means so much to me!
I made this for myself and my 2 yr old was really lovely comfort food on a cold day! I was pleasantly surprised how the roux really finished it off often slow cooker recipes I find can be watery and require steps before you put actually put them in slow cooker which I hate! Not this one🤗will be making again def as we head into colder months!
So glad you loved this recipe, Lisa!! Thanks for making it and for the review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Made this recipe today, turned out so good. Wondering if I can freeze this recipe ?
Yes! It should be fine to freeze in an airtight container 🙂
Made this soup this evening. Turned out quite nice. I used a combo of wild rice and forbidden rice as I only had just over 1/2 cup of wild rice. The only difference really is the soup is rather dark in color due to the forbidden rice. I did cook on high for 3 hours. I think 21/2 would have be sufficient. Will make this recipe again. Thanks!
So happy to hear this soup was a success even with the substitution. Thanks for the review, Anne! I really appreciate it!
I used canned unsweetened coconut milk for the roux and it was DIVINE! The whole family loved it, baby too! my mother in law wants this on repeat! Every one of your recipes is always a hit in my family, and I atleast make one of your recipes a week!
Woo!! So pumped this wild rice soup has been such a hit, Alyssa! Happy to hear you’re loving the recipes. Thanks so much for the review + star rating. I so appreciate it!
I love trying recipes that I find on Pinterest, and not all of them turn out how I’m expecting them to… but y’all, THIS one was perfect, and it’s already been added to my recipe book so I can make it all the time! It tasted great, and it makes enough so that my husband and I can have lots of leftovers. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes! ❤️
Yay!! So happy to hear this soup was a hit! Thanks so much for trying it out, Morgan. And I really appreciate the review :).
Could this be done in an Insta pot or ninja foodie?
I haven’t tried it, but I would think it’d be totally fine to make in an Instant Pot! Let me know if you try it. 🙂