Chicken Wild Rice Soup

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5 from 27 votes

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Creamy, rich soup full of herb spiced chicken, hearty wild rice, and tender veggies. The ultimate comfort food!

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Main Dish

Keyword: Easy Homemade Soup, Homemade Chicken Wild Rice Soup, Panera Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Servings: servings

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts
8 cups chicken broth
1 2/3 cups uncooked wild rice blend I use Rice Select's Royal Blend, which is not 100% all wild rice. I recommend this as I haven't tested the recipe with 100% pure wild rice.
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup salted butter
3 large stalks celery, diced
4 large carrots, diced
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp parsley
3/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage
salt & black pepper, to taste
2 cups heavy cream I often sub 1/2 to 1 and 1/2 cup of milk in for equal parts of the heavy cream to lighten this up a bit. If you do this, you may need to thicken the soup a bit more - see note below.

Instructions

Prepare the Chicken: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently lower in your chicken & cook for about 12-15 minutes, or until 165° F in the center. (The time will depend on the size of your chicken breasts - cut them into big chunks for faster cooking.) Once done, let rest for a few minutes then shred or cut into bite sized pieces.
Add to a large pot with the broth. Bring to a boil, then stir in the rice. Add salt + pepper to taste, then cover the pot and remove from heat.
Prepare the Veggies: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, onion, celery, carrots, and spices and cook until the vegetables start to soften, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the flour, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes - to cook out the raw flour taste. Slowly stir in the cream, and continue stirring until the mixture is smooth (it may not be super smooth - see photo above - it's fine if the butter separates some!).
Cook 3-4 more minutes, to thicken and to soften the vegetables a bit more.
Finish the Soup: Stir this mixture into the big pot with the broth, rice, and chicken. Let simmer over low heat until everything is warmed through and until the rice is done, about 10-15 more minutes. I usually leave the lid on here, but cracked open by leaving the spoon in the pot. Give it a stir occasionally during this last bit of cook time.
Taste, and add more seasoning as desired. (I usually end up adding a few more splashes of everything.)
Serve + Store: Serve with crusty bread - yum! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.

Notes

Note: If you prefer a slightly less thick soup, swap out some of the heavy cream for milk.

Thickening the Soup: If you swap out heavy cream for milk, you may want to make the soup a bit thicker. To do this, bring it to a rolling simmer, then mix 3 tbsp of the soup liquid with 1 and 1/2 tbsp flour. Stir together until well combined, then add back to the pot and stir to disperse. Continue cooking until the soup is thickened to your liking. You can do this a couple of times if needed. The soup will also thicken in the fridge as it cools, so the leftovers will always be thicker than what the soup looks like when you first make it.

To Make this in the Crock Pot - Add all ingredients EXCEPT the flour, butter, and heavy cream to the slow cooker. I like to rub the raw chicken breasts with a little extra of the spices called for in the recipe. Cook on low 5-8 hours. Check it at the 5-6 hour mark - the chicken will likely be done, but check that the veggies are tender enough for you and that the rice is done (taste it to see if it's cooked).

Once done, remove the chicken breasts and leave the crock pot on warm. Let the chicken breasts rest before you slice them so they don't completely shred to pieces. (I prefer chunks not shredded chicken). While the chicken rests, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until totally combined - let cook (it will be bubbling quite a bit) for 1 minute. Stir in the heavy cream slowly, whisking constantly to keep the mixture smooth. Add to the crock pot and stir it in. Cut up the chicken and return it to the crock pot. Taste and add more seasoning if desired. To thicken the soup up more (if desired) stir together 2 TBSP flour with 2 TBSP of the soup liquid in a small bowl until the flour is dissolved. Add to the crockpot and stir in.

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