We can’t get enough of this creamy Crockpot Wild Rice Soup made with tender bits of chicken, nutty wild rice, and a creamy broth. And we know you’ll love it too. Everything goes right into the slow cooker so total prep time is less than 15 minutes. The slow cooker does the rest!
Comfort food for the win
A big bowl of this creamy chicken and wild rice soup with a hunk of crusty bread is the perfect meal when you want a meal that’s hearty and comforting yet low-fuss. We start with the usual soup vegetable suspects, carrot, onions, garlic, and celery, then add whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, mushrooms, wild rice, chicken broth, and dried herbs. The magic is not only in the flavor but in the ease of preparation – no satuéeing needed – just toss it all in and let the crockpot do the work. A comfort food that’s delicious just like our Chicken Pot Pie Casserole!
Ingredients to Make this creamy Crockpot wild rice soup recipe
- Chicken breasts – Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are also delicious and can be used either in combination with or in place of chicken breasts
- Chicken broth – Packaged chicken broth is convenient and easy to use. However, if you want a richer, more complex broth, try our Instant Pot Bone Broth recipe to make your own healthy, economical version at home.
- Wild rice – According to The Spruce Eats, wild rice is a semi-aquatic grass with an edible grain that grows naturally in waterways grows all over North America. This native grain can be found in abundance in the Great Lakes region and can be found from supermarkets to roadside stands all over the upper Midwest. It’s long black grains have a chewy texture when cooked and a pleasant, nutty flavor.
- Mushrooms – White button, cremini or baby bella mushrooms all work well in this creamy crockpot chicken soup with wild rice.
- Garlic
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Dried rosemary
- Dried thyme
- Dried sage or poultry seasoning
- Dried Bay leaves
- Half and half – For a dairy-free option, substitute your favorite plain, unsweetened non-dairy creamer or full-fat coconut milk
- Cornstarch – This ingredient is optional and used for thickening in when preparing this soup in the Instant Pot (see recipe card for full directions)
- Fresh parsley – For optional garnish
Ingredients list with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Set it and forget it – Dinner will be waiting for you
You’ll love that this recipe can be made in either the slow cooker or the Instant Pot to give you options. Slow cookers are great for those days when you have time to prep the ingredients either the morning of or the day before. While the Instant Pot shines on those days you didn’t plan ahead.
When cooked on low, you really can’t overcook this Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, but if you do have a programmable slow cooker that automatically switches the temp to “warm” when the cooking time is up, we’d recommend using that feature.
Simple Directions for Making creamy Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
This wild rice soup recipe is surprisingly simple to prepare and even easier to enjoy!
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the bottom of a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker along with the broth, uncooked wild rice, onions, carrots, mushrooms, celery, garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, and bay leaves.
- Stir to combine then place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
- When the chicken is cooked, and the rice and vegetables are tender, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker.
- Next, add the half and half to the slow cooker and stir. Cover and cook an additional 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soup is warmed through. Serve with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
For the complete directions, ingredient amounts, and nutrition analysis that lists calories, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, sodium per serving, scroll down to the recipe card below.
Want to make this creamy wild rice soup in the Instant Pot?
No problem! We’ve got directions for that. One of the benefits of using an Instant Pot to make this chicken and wild rice soup is that you can use the ‘Sauté’ function to thicken the soup with a bit of cornstarch. Slow cookers don’t get hot enough to be able to thicken soups with starch or flour but the Instant Pot does so if you prefer a thicker, creamier soup, consider using the Instant Pot for this recipe (either the pressure cooker or slow cooker feature will get the job done!). Full Instant Pot directions can be found in the recipe card below.
Crockpot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
- Can other types of rice be used in this recipe? While it’s tempting to swap the wild rice for white, brown, a wild rice blend, or even black rice, we do not recommend it. Wild rice is incredibly unique not only in taste but texture. Other types of rice will become too soft and soak up too much liquid making this soup more of a starchy casserole than a soup. For that reason, we only recommend using wild rice in this chicken and wild rice soup recipe.
- Can this wild rice soup recipe be made dairy-free? Absolutely! Simply substitute the half and half with an equal amount of plain, unsweetened non-dairy creamer or full-fat coconut milk.
- Will it have a coconutty flavor if I use coconut milk to make this soup dairy-free? It will have a light coconut flavor but it’s still delicious.
- Can I use leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken to make creamy crockpot chicken and wild rice soup? While the recipe calls for raw chicken breast, if you happen to have leftover shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken this soup is a great way to use it. Simply add the cooked chicken to the slow cooker or Instant Pot at the same time you add the half and half.
This Soup is Freezer-Friendly!
Once the soup is done, transfer the soup (or leftovers) to a freezer-safe container such as a large reusable zip-top bag or large glass container with tight-fitting lid. Allow the soup to cool completely in the refrigerator before transferring to the freezer. Frozen soup can be stored for up to 6 months.
How To Reheat Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
To reheat on the Stovetop (Recommended method): Remove the container of soup from the freezer the one day (or the night) before and place it in the refrigerator to partially thaw. To reheat, transfer the soup to a pot large enough to fit the desired amount of soup and warm over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until hot or soup registers 165℉ on an instant read thermometer.
To reheat in the Instant Pot from frozen: Place the frozen block of soup in the Instant Pot. You may need to let the container sit in warm water to loosen up the frozen block of soup in order to remove it. Set the Instant Pot on high pressure for 5 minutes. Then, release the pressure using the quick-release option.
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Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
We’ve lightened up the classic creamy chicken and wild rice soup while keeping it full of flavor and even give a dairy-free option so that everyone can enjoy a hearty and satisfying bowl.
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 ¼ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, raw
- Salt and black pepper
- 7–8 cups chicken broth (packaged or homemade), use less for thicker soup
- 1 cup wild rice, uncooked
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (1 ¼ – 1 ½ cups)
- 3–4 carrots, peeled and diced (1 ½ cups)
- 2–3 medium celery stalks, diced (~¾ – 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed between your fingers
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon dried sage or poultry seasoning
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 8 ounces cremini or baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced or diced
- 2 cups half and half (may use unsweetened plain non-dairy creamer or full-fat coconut milk for dairy-free)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch (optional for thickening in Instant Pot)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, optional for garnish
Instructions
Slow Cooker Directions:
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker.
- Stir in the broth (use 7 cups for thicker soup), wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, rosemary, thyme, sage, and bay leaves.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours (or high for 3-4 hours).
- When the chicken is cooked and shreds easily, remove the bay leaves and discard them. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker to a clean plate and shred using two forks. Add chicken back to the slow cooker and stir.
- Stir in the half and half.
- Cover and heat until warmed, an additional 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Instant Pot Directions:
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breast, broth, wild rice, mushroom, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, rosemary, thyme, sage, bay leaves and mushrooms in the Instant Pot.
- Lock the lid into place. Turn the vent valve to the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Select ‘Manual’ or ‘High Pressure’ setting and set cook time to 12 minutes.
- When the cook time is up, release the pressure using the quick-release method (i.e. flip the vent valve to the ‘Venting’ position).
- When all of the pressure is released and lid unlocks, remove the chicken to a clean plate and shred with two forks. Set aside.
- Replace the lid on the Instant Pot and cook an additional 6 minutes, allowing for 5 minutes of natural pressure release.
- Stir in the half and half.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the Instant Pot and stir.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
- Optional step for Instant Pot: If you prefer even thicker soup, remove ½ cup of the liquid in the Instant Pot to a small bowl. Whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into the liquid to create a slurry. Set the Instant Pot to the Saute function until the liquid starts to simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry into the soup and stir until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
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Notes
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: ⅛ of repipe (~1 ½ cups)
- Calories: 320
- Fat: 14 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Carbohydrate: 23 g
- (Fiber: 3 g
- Sugar: 6 g)
- Protein: 24 g
Dietary
The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
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Janet McClure says
Ok Missy Minnesota, here’s a local question for you…..FYI, I’m NOT a fan Taste of Home. I find their recipes look good but lack flavor. Very bland, Too bland. So….. how does your recipe compare to Byerly’s Wild Rice Soup? (Although I haven’t tried your recipe, I plan to…..but…. kind of feel like some bell peppers need to be added in with the onion. Just feels like this recipe needs it.) Overall ….. looks fabulous and I agree, if you’re from Minnesota, THIS is comfort food!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Janet,
I’m going to field this question for Stacie since she’s on maternity leave but being that I’m also Minnesota-born and raised, I feel that I’m pretty qualified to answer (wink, wink).
To answer your question about how it compares to the ‘gold standard’ (Byerly’s Wild Rice Soup or even the Boundary Waters Restaurant in the old Dayton’s downtown), it’s very similar but not quite the same. Byerly’s uses minced ham instead of chicken and relies on a bit of dry sherry to give it it’s characteristic flavor and going on memory I believe that the Boundary Waters used chicken and a bit of poultry seasoning (though I could be wrong – it’s been a while).
That being said, with all recipes, it’s always recommended that you taste and adjust your seasonings accordingly as we all sense flavors differently. If you give it a go, we’d love to hear that you think and if you made any changes.
Heather says
Hi there,
Would this work with a milk substitute- like almond milk? I know it won’t be as creamy, but would it suffice?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Heather,
It definitely works with non-dairy milk. I think unsweetened cashew and oat milk work best but you can also use unsweetened, plain almond or almond/coconut milk creamer with very good results.
Leslie says
Love this! If you’re adding the chicken after, would you decrease the cooking time in the instant pot? Thank you!
Stacie Hassing says
That’s a good question. You probably could but it wouldn’t change the outcome if you cooked it the same length as you do with raw chicken, as the recipe is written. Maybe just keep an eye on it if you’re home and adjust the time according to when the veggies are soft and rice is cooked. Hope you enjoy!!
Denise Rumohr says
Can the creamy chicken wild rice soup be doubled and still taste great?
Jessica Beacom says
Absolutely! If you have enough room in your slow cooker, go for it. It may take slightly longer to cook since you’re doubling the volume and keep in mind that the rice will expand significantly once it’s cooked.
Sherri says
I have always eaten very healthy and grew my own fruits/veggies and raised and butchered my own meats. Recently I was diagnosed with a very rare disease and am on a very strict sodium diet. At first my food was bland but over time, I learned all sorts of things to make food delightful again. I greatly appreciate people like you, that are helping people eat healthier and not lose the flavor. You do an EXCELLENT job at it. I actually used most of your chicken and wild rice recipe, only changing it slightly for my own taste. I had never tried chicken and rice soup before and it was absolutely delightful. It is my go to now when I have problems eating food.
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Sherri,
Oh, this makes our hearts so happy to hear. Thank you! We’re thrilled to hear that you loved this recipe and that you’ve found our website and recipes to be so helpful.