One of my family’s favorite soup recipes is this warm and comforting, creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, made with carrots, celery, onion, chicken, and wild rice in a creamy and flavorful broth.  This delicious soup can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker!

During long and cold winter months, there is nothing that tastes quite as good as homemade soup.  Some of my favorites include; roasted tomato basil soup, chicken enchilada soup, and taco soup.  Make sure to check out all my other soup recipes to find the one you like best!

Chicken and wild rice soup in a white soup bowl with a spoon, served on a wood board with another bowl of soup in the background.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I love making soup for dinner because it’s a simple solution to give my family an all-in-one-meal with protein, grains, and veggies. I usually serve soup with some warm homemade rolls and a side of fresh winter fruit, like this citrus fruit salad.

I’m a total sucker for yummy soup recipes and when I saw this Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice soup from Cooking Classy , years ago, I knew I had to try it!

I’ve made it many, many times since, tweaking it a bit, and we never get sick of it!  I love anything with wild rice and this soup totally hits the spot on a cold day. It’s thick, creamy, loaded with veggies, and the wild rice blend gives it a great flavor that you just can’t find with white rice.

How to make Chicken and Wild Rice Soup:
  • Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion, carrots and celery and sauté until slightly tender. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
  • Stir in the chicken broth, thyme, sage, rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add the chicken breasts and bring the soup to a boil, cover and boil for about 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.   Remove chicken to a cutting board to rest and then chop it into small pieces.
  • In a separate medium saucepan create a roux by melting 5 Tbsp butter and then adding flour; whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes.
  • Slowly add the milk, whisking vigorously, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Remove it from the heat and stir in cream.
  • Pour roux mixture into the soup pot and stir until smooth. Cook for a few more minutes. Taste broth and add additional seasonings, if needed.
  • Reduce the heat to low and return chicken and add cooked rice to the soup. Serve warm.

Four process photos for making chicken and wild rice soup in a skillet, pouring the ingredients in.

Do you have to cook the rice before adding it to the soup?

The stove-top version of this soup does require the rice to be cooked first. If you don’t want to cook the rice first, try using the slow cooker method below!

Can you make chicken and wild rice soup in the slow cooker?

To adapt this recipe for the slow cooker, first do not cut the chicken breasts in half (leave them whole).  Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper and add them to the bottom of your slow cooker. Next, add the uncooked rice, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, chicken broth (add 6 cups of broth instead of the 4 ½ called for in the recipe), thyme, sage, rosemary, and cook on low for about 5 hours.  At this point, remove the chicken to a plate and shred it.

In a separate saucepan, make a roux by following steps 6-8 in the recipe card.  Once your roux has thickened, pour it into the soup pot along with the shredded chicken and serve warm!

You could also check out slow cooker chicken and wild rice soup by Damn Delicious.

Make Ahead Tips:

This chicken and wild rice soup recipe can easily be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.  If you want it to taste extra fresh, you could make the soup a few days ahead of time without adding the rice.  Then, on the day you want to serve it, cook the rice and mix it in.  This way the rice won’t taste soggy!

A wooden spoon lifting out a spoonful of chicken and wild rice soup from the saucepan.

I have so many great Soup recipes! Here are a few favorites:

Overhead photo of a bowl of chicken and wild rice soup with a spoon on the side.

 

You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!

 

Recipe

Chicken and wild rice soup in a white soup bowl with a spoon, served on a wood board with another bowl of soup in the background.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 40 minutes
Save Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups cooked rice , wild rice
  • 1 small yellow onion , chopped
  • 2 medium carrots , diced
  • 2 ribs celery , diced
  • 6 Tablespoons butter , divided
  • 1 clove garlic , minced
  • 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (appx. 3 (14.5 oz) cans)
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts , halved
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream ,or half & half

Instructions
 

  • Prepare rice according to package instructions.
  • Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. 
  • Add onion, carrots and celery and sauté until slightly tender. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. 
  • Stir in the chicken broth, thyme, sage, rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add chicken and bring mixture to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and allow mixture to boil for 10-12 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally to check on it.
  • Remove chicken to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes before chopping into small pieces.  
  • In a separate medium saucepan melt remaining 5 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk constantly for 1-2 minutes.
  • Slowly add the milk, whisking vigorously, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in cream. 
  • Pour roux mixture into the soup pot and stir until smooth. Cook for a few more minutes. Taste broth and add additional seasonings, if needed. 
  • Reduce the heat to low and return chicken and add cooked rice to the soup. Serve warm.

Notes

*You could use the Harvest Wild Rice Blend from Costco, Lundberg Wild Rice, or you could even use a Rice-a-Roni package of Wild Rice for $1!
 
Adapted from Cooking Classy

Nutrition

Calories: 354kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 25gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 259mgPotassium: 637mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 3175IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 1.3mg

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RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

 

*I originally shared this recipe February 2015. Updated February 2019.

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. Just to clarify…If I use the the box of rice-a-roni wild rice, do I prepare it with the seasoning packet? Or just the butter and water? Thanks.

  2. I have made this 2 times in the last 2 weeks. ! batch x 6 for 50 people at a family party, and again today for my wife’s quilt club. If I don’t eat a bowl before I serve it I may have to go with out.

  3. 5 stars
    You are my go to recipe stop now! This soup is phenomenal for cold Ohio days. My kids, girlfriend, and family loved it!

  4. 5 stars
    So delicious and relatively easy. The flavor reminds me of my mother’s chicken and dumplings. Apparently, the same spices are used. I had it fresh and it was delicious. I ate it the next day as leftovers and it was still delicious!

  5. 5 stars
    Crockpot with chicken, veggies and spices.
    Then at dinner time, I added wild Rice a Roni made with its packet of spice mix and the milk slurry. My spouse volunteered that he really like it! On our list

  6. 5 stars
    A deli near my work used to sell chicken and wild rice soup but no longer sells it. I have been on a search for a recipe close to that soup and Lauren’s recipe was spot on! This was the first time my family tried chicken with wild rice and they all said it was very delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe! Yummy!

  7. I was looking for a chicken wild rice recipe and thought “I bet she has one.” It did not disappoint! Even my 2 young kids loved it. I got a “delicious soup, mom” from the 3 year old. Thank you!

  8. 5 stars
    The best soup I’ve ever made and I’ve been cooking for 60 years by my mother who learned from her grandmother a French chief.

  9. 5 stars
    So delicious!! And honestly not as complicated as I thought it might be. Even my pickiest child ate it right up! This will definitely be a repeat

  10. 5 stars
    I’ve made a few times and my family loves it. I sometimes use a rotisserie chicken for the meat since the recipe doesn’t rely on the chicken to flavor the broth. I find that rotisserie is much more moist than when I poach chicken. It’s a hit here!

  11. 5 stars
    THis is fantastic I have made one before but it is way better as is not with canned creamed soup. Thank you So much my whole family loves it!!!

  12. I made today and it tasted great however it got really thick as time went on. Can you add a little more broth to thin somewhat??

  13. 3 stars
    I love chicken and wild rice soup, but I’d never made it at home, so I had high hopes for this recipe. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The soup looked pretty, but the overwhelming taste was the heavy cream. I will not make it again.

  14. Hi! I love your recipe and have made it and recommended it many times! I’ve added some ingredients. I add shallots, a splash of white wine and use fresh herbs instead of dried. Holy moly! 🤤

  15. 5 stars
    Delicious! I upped the rhyme and sage to 1/2 tsp, added 1/4 tsp marjoram, and increased the garlic to 2 cloves. Will definitely make it again!!

  16. Very easy & super delicious. Only thing I did different from the recipe was to add extra diced carrots and celery, and mushrooms. Definitely a keeper.

  17. 5 stars
    I made this soup in my instapot! It was great! I just left out the milk and roux until after it was cooked! Took ten minutes! Great easy recipe on a cold night!

  18. 5 stars
    I really liked this recipe. I made a slight change to reduce the amount of cream and roux and was still creamy and tasty, will definitely keep this in mind to make again.

    1. 5 stars
      Thank you! I had this exact question. I want to make it just a tad healthier because we absolutely love this recipe. I will try reducing the roux/milk next time.

  19. I have made this in a crock pot, and on the stove top and which ever way I make it it’s a huge delicious treat. I make this several times during the chilly months and have taken it to some shut ins. Always always an enormous hit. Easy to do and oh so good! We like it with some garlic toast too!

  20. 5 stars
    I used rotisserie chicken instead. A very unique, tasty soup for a cold day. I have bookmarked for future use. Thank you.

  21. Has anyone done this in a crockpot? I have precooked shredded chicken I will be using but would like to make everything in the crockpot prior to adding the chicen. Please let me know your suggestions!

    1. Yes, you could do that. Make the recipe up to step 5 (without the chicken) and slow cook for 3ish hours on high or 6-8 on low.

  22. Can almond milk be used in place of the milk in this recipe? Also, can I freeze the soup since it contains rice?

  23. 5 stars
    I am always looking for new recipes for soup. I made this but doubled the recipe and my daughter who is a picky teenager or should I say honest teenager told me this was “the best soup I’ve ever made “
    Definitely a keeper !!! Thank you!!!
    My family loves this!!! So flavorful & creamy!

  24. 5 stars
    I just found and made your chicken soup…in the middle of summer.i have a sick friend. The soup was delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Instead of using broccoli I added zucchini and fresh mushrooms. It was a hit with my family and sick friend. This recipe will be a keeper and used a lot.

  25. 5 stars
    My kids absolutely love this! It’s one of their favorite dishes that I make. I use rotisserie chicken instead. Super easy for a weekend night!

  26. 5 stars
    I LOVE this recipe!! I use 1 cup of 1/2 & 1/2 and 1 cup of 1% milk. It just makes the perfect blend of creaminess heaven. I wouldn’t change anything else. It’s a go-to for me and my husband now during those cold winter months.

  27. This is the best recipe for wild rice soup that I have come across! Its creamy, tasty ( even when you dont have all the spices) and its great after its been frozen. I did use the dollar rice box that was suggested.. still tastes amazing! Thank you for this recipe