Chicken Wild Rice Soup
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!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time4 hrs
Total Time4 hrs 15 mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken wild rice soup
Servings: 6
- 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)
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.
Serving: 1/6 of recipe | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 10g | Sodium: 1305mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g