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A warm and cozy chicken wild rice soup made right in the slow cooker. This soup is loaded with carrots, celery, boneless chicken and of course, wild rice! It’s the perfect slow cooker meal for a chilly winter night! The best part is, you’ve probably got most of these ingredients at home already!
Hello Monday. You’ve managed to sneak up on me once again.
I think I need a redo on my weekend. Don’t you hate it when it’s Friday and you’re all like hip-hip hooray and before you know it, it’s Sunday evening and you’re asking yourself ‘where did the weekend go’?
Whose with me for scraping it all and doing it over?
I see a lot of virtual hands.Even though this weekend went by lightening fast, I did accomplish a few main goals:
The hubby and I spent most of Saturday scrubbing our entire apartment from top to bottom. It’s not that it was super messy or anything. I get on these crazy cleaning streaks where I.must.clean. And I must not clean by myself. And because I get cranky doing it all by myself, the husband gets wrangled into cleaning with me. I love how that worked out. 🙂 This weekend just happened to be one of those crazy cleaning weekends. After what seemed like 8 hours of cleaning (but it was probably more like 2), we invited our neighbors over for a little dessert and a movie night. It’s always fun with those two. We partied hard till 3am. HA. <— If playing cards in your pajamas counts as partying!
I spent all of Sunday being sick. And I mean really sick. Like theres-so-much-congestion-between-my-brain-and eyes-that-it’s-making-my-face-hurt, sick. You know the kind of sick where you go from laying in bed to laying in front of the TV to drinking soup for every meal of the day and still not being able to tell the taste difference between soup and oatmeal. And the kind where you run through a few boxes of Kleenex per hour.
Luckily for me, I had a big slow cooker full of this creamy chicken wild rice soup to slurp up all Sunday. My poor throat thanks me times a million. But there went a whole day from my weekend, stolen right from under my nose!
This. Is. Magnificent. I’m eating leftovers right now. Next day soup is my favorite. So good!
How to make Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Like most of my slow cooker soup recipes, this one is a breeze to whip up.
We start by tossing a pound of boneless, skinless chicken into the crockpot with some carrots, onions, and celery. I chopped up my own veggies but if you’re in a pinch you can always just substitute store bought mirepoix mix. You’re also going to need a couple of bay leaves, some garlic, and of course one must use wild rice in chicken and wild rice soup. Make sure to use regular wild rice, you don’t want to use the parboiled wild rice as they will get really mushy.
Also, my recipe calls for a seasoning blend. Make sure to use one that’s salt-free. We’re using a whole 2 tablespoons (yes, you read that right) so we want our seasoning to be free of salt. I used the 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joe’s for my chicken and wild rice soup. Any kind of herb you can think of is in this baby and it makes this soup taste fantastic!
In goes the chicken broth and a couple cups of water and this chicken wild rice soup will cook itself. I know I’ve said this before, but meals that cook themselves are always my favorite kind of meals. You can cook this soup in the crockpot on the low or the high setting. I’ve done it both ways and both work just fine.
30 minutes before the cooking time is up, pull out the chicken breast and allow it to cool before shredding with 2 forks. In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter. Add the flour and allow the flour to cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and allow it to get all nice and thick. This is the ‘creamy’ part of the creamy chicken wild rice soup. Add this along with the chicken back into the slow cooker. Give it a good stir until it thickens.
That’s it!
This cozy, creamy, stick-to-your-ribs chicken wild rice soup will keep you nice and warm on a chilly winter night. I love the fact that it makes my sore throat feel all better too. Plus the fact that I didn’t have to do much to make the soup 😉
A big bowl of soup, with lots of crusty bread to dip is all you need. Did I mention all the time you’ll save not having to cook dinner?
Love how my slow cooker friend is there to get me through my sore throats and sniffles. What a good friend.
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup (Slow Cooker)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice blend rinsed
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 cup onions chopped
- 3/4 cup celery chopped
- 3/4 cup carrots chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups chicken stock low sodium
- 2 cups water or additional chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons salt-free seasoning blend such as Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute OR Mrs. Dash's Original Blend
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or substitute more butter
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the rice under running water. Place the uncooked rice, chicken breast, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, chicken broth, water, and the seasoning blend in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on the high setting for 3-4 hours or on the low setting for 7-8. In the last 1/2 hour of cooking, remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Allow to cool slightly before shredding using two forks.
- When the rice is done cooking, add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker. Melt the butter and 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 this creamy mixture to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Add additional water or milk to your preference if the consistency is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- To make the soup richer and creamier, replace some or all of the milk with half and half.
- Keep in mind the soup will thicken as it sits. Leftovers should be placed in a Tupperware container and refrigerated. Additional milk or water may be added to adjust the consistency of the soup when reheating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
Have you tried using coconut milk instead of regular milk? I’m curious to know how that might work out.
Unfortunately, I’ve only tried it with regular cows milk.
I’m wondering if anyone skipped the milk and flour and just made it as a brothy soup? I’m anxious to make this.
I had some of mine before adding the milk/flour mixture and it was ok but I wouldn’t put as much of the trader joe seasoning in it. I also prefer a broth based soup.
Nancy, if you’re making this into a broth based soup that is definitely going to be too much seasoning. Since the soup will lack creaminess, it will make the seasonings too prominent. But the recipe is a cream based soup and requires milk and flour therefore that amount of seasoning is required for the flavor to carry through.
We loved this recipe. Made it yesterday with canned coconut milk and LOVE IT.
can you use the wild rice my husband harvested last fall
Hi Linda, I purchased mine from a bulk bin type of store and the brand wasn’t specified unfortunately, but Lundberg (brand) sells a ‘Wild Blend’ that would be perfect for this. And sometimes they call it ‘royal blend. I’ll pop a link for it below if you’d like to purchase off of Amazon!
Royal Blend
Yum! This is a beautifully simple, hearty meal.
I must avoid gluten, so I did a bit of research, then went with my gut and used Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose flour. Perfect! I think the key is that this flour blend does not include xanthan or gums of any kind. I stock up on the stuff when we visit the big city…and beg others to shop for me when I can’t get out of town.
Next time, I’ll pick up some of TJ’s 21 spice mix, but today I used 50% ground poultry seasoning from the spice rack and 50% Mrs. Dash original. Love that you recommend salt and pepper at the end. It’s the best way to keep sodium under control.
Hubby said the soup reminded him of a hearty chicken and dumplings. I agree!
Totally saving this recipe for a cold, busy day…if I can wait that long.
That’s perfect DeAnne! Great tip on using the poultry seasoning + Mrs. Dash mix. I find the poultry seasoning to be a little too fine ground for me so the Mrs. Dash is a great way to balance it out. It does kind of remind me of chicken and dumplings too! Thanks! 🙂
I don’t live anywhere near a Trader Joe’s or Costco to purchase these specified seasoning. Is there an alternative. I do have the really finely ground poultry seasoning in my cupboard if that’s what you meant in the recipe?
Sandy, you definitely don’t need to use the TJs or Costco seasonings exclusively. Just any poultry seasoning that contains onions, celery seed, and herbs such as marjoram, parsley, thyme etc. It’s best if you choose one that’s salt-free or low sodium.
I am making this with long grain brown rice instead and it’s been on high 4 hours and the rice is nowhere near done. Did I mess up? Or should I just keep letting it cool away? Ugh, I never seem to get rice right. ????
I’d allow it to cook a little longer, Kathleen. Checking every 20 minutes or so until it’s done.
I am not sure what kind of wild rice to use. Are you talking about a box and leaving out the seasoning packet with it? I could not find wild rice on its own like packages of brown and white. Not sure if it is my store or you are thinking something different??
Hi Lisa! No, it’s not the kind of wild rice you’d find with a seasoning packet. It’s a ‘wild rice blend’ that usually contains Texmati white, brown, wild, and red rice. Usually sold in bags (like regular rice) or in plastic jars. I know that Lundberg makes one called a ‘Wild Blend’. Other brands may label it as a ‘Royal Blend’. Here is a link if you’d like to purchase off of Amazon. Hope that helps!
Glad to clear this up. The picture looked like a blend, but the ingredients called for wild rice. Using the blend will cut down on the cost considerably.
I just finished making it to the exact recipe. I found it bland but it tasted ok. I feel like it is missing something from making it taste amazing. Idk if that would be a cheese or some other seasoning. Anyone have an idea what to add?
Try boneless skinless chicken thighs for more chicken flavor
I use Weber’s Kickin’ Chicken seasoning for a little more spice.
I just made this recipe last night too! I thought it was easy enough to put together, but I also thought it was a little bland. I was hoping for it to taste more like Panera’s Chicken Wild Rice soup. Both my husband and I ended up adding our own spices to our individual bowls to kick up the flavor a bit….but I’d like to figure out how to make the whole dish a bit zippier!
Any suggestions?
I added 2T of lemon juice and some zest…yum!
This was SO good! I made it according to the recipe and it was perfect! I’m not really a recipe saver, but I will be saving this one to make again! I used a whole container of chopped celery, onion and carrot from Trader Joe’s so this soup was a cinch to make! Thanks! 🙂
I use 2% milk. didn’t come out creamy. I guess 2% milk may be the reason why. Type wasn’t specified though. Still good.
Glad you liked the soup, Courtney. For next time, you could replace some (or all) of the milk with half and half as suggested in the notes to make it creamier. 🙂
Marzia,
Where can I find the amounts of the ingredients? I really want to make this soup soon…sounds so delicious!
pamurray46@aol.com
Pat, the recipe ingredients and quantities are listed above the comments section.
What size slow cooker is this recipe made for? 🙂
I typically use a 7-8 quart slow cooker.
Thank you!
I added chopped mushrooms and some green peas and it’s delicious. This recipe lends itself to some very nice variations.
How do you think adding mushrooms would work? I love chicken wild rice mushroom soup but I’ve never made it.
I think mushrooms would be delicious along with all the other goodness in this soup 🙂
I didn’t have poultry seasoning so I substituted Cajun seasoning on a whim. I had no idea what to expect but I love how it turned out! Creamy and slightly spicy. Will definitely make again
Do you think this would freeze well???
Not too sure about freezing as the rice may become too mushy. Please use your best judgement.
I freeze it and it’s just fine. I love that I can make a big batch and freeze some for lunches, or a quick supper when I’m short on time.
What’s the best way to reheat after freezing?
I thought this said it was gluten free, but it has all purpose flour???
I am unsure as to why you thought this soup was gluten-free. I do not mention it being gluten-free anywhere here on the post. Perhaps you’ve visited here by clicking on a link from a different website that promotes gluten-free living? If that is the case, the website you were on unfortunately didn’t check to make sure whether this recipe fits the criteria.
FYI…the ingredients list is missing the two bay leaves. I was also wondering if you did anything additional to get the creamy texture? I followed the recipe exactly and it tastes yummy but it didn’t turn out creamy.
Hi Shala,
Thanks for catching that! I’ve added it in. Nope, I’ve posted the recipe exactly how I make it. I did add a note at the bottom where you can replace some of the milk with half and half to make it creamier. Perhaps start with 1/2 cup half and half and 1 1/2 cups of milk next time? You can always replace more of the milk with half and half too.
did you use the Trader Joe 21 Seasoning Salute in place of the poultry seasoning? if you used both how much of the Trader Joe did you use with the poultry seasoning?
Yes, i’ve stated in the notes section that I used the 21 seasoning salute for my poultry seasoning. You can use either one, just don’t use both. 🙂
Any Idea if this could be done with almond flour or coconut flour? Thats all i have on hand 🙂 I’m going to give it a try tomorrow! (probably with less flour to start since a little usually goes a long way with almond or coconut)
No unfortunately haven’t tried with almond/coconut flour. I’d love to hear how it went though, Megan!
Almond/coconut flour didn’t work. It apparently lacks thickening agents. I was able to dig in my cupboard and find regular flour and then the recipe was great!!
if your trying for gluten free – tapioca starch/flour works really well in this soup
What about corn starch for a thickener?…mix w/cold water and add at the end…and let it cook until it thickens..
If you want to replace the flour with a non-gluten substitute, you can use corn starch. I tried it and it worked: https://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreecookingtips/qt/Corn-Starch-Tips.htm
No, but “Gluten Free” flour will work to thicken things. You can also sub any of the thickening starches like corn, tapioca, rice flour, etc, but don’t follow the recipe for those, thicken the milk by using those starches as you normally would.
How many servings does it make?
The recipe states 8-10.
Just wanted to let you know that I made this last night for a big family dinner and it was awesome. Even my notoriously picky 12 year old daughter LOVED it. I used the Organic 21 Salt Free Seasoning Blend from Costco and finished it with a sprinkle of Poultry Magic (which does have a salt) and there isn’t a a bowl leftover! I totally forgot to take a picture but it was every bit as lovely as your photos but I won’t forget next time. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it, Debbie! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment! 🙂