This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is the perfect bowl of comfort during the long, cold fall and winter months! This hearty and satisfying soup is made with carrots, onions, celery, wild rice, mushrooms, kale, and chicken in a creamy, flavorful broth that is perfect for dipping your bread into.

CREAMY CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP

Any time the cool weather months start to set in, the one thing I can always count on my husband to request is soup. He’s not picky on the type of soup, if its loaded with vegetables, or if it doesn’t contain any meat whatsoever. He simply loves a warm, comforting bowl of soup after a chilly day spent outside. But who doesn’t love a bowl of heartiness that warms you to your toes? Some of his favorite soups are my Thai Red Curry Chicken Zoodle Soup, Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup, and the super simple and savory Easy Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup! Perfect for all of you taco lovers out there.

This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is packed full of vegetables, wild rice, and chicken – all in a creamy, hearty broth making it the perfect soup for dipping garlic toast in. Everything comes together easily and makes for great lunch leftovers the next day.

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INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS CREAMY CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP RECIPE

• Unsalted butter
• Baby bella mushrooms (or cremini)
• Yellow onion
• Carrots
• Celery
• Minced garlic
• Chicken broth/stock
• Wild rice blend  – I use Lundberg Wild Blend Rice
• Chicken breast
• Whole milk
• Half and half (sub milk or heavy cream)
• Kale
• Cornstarch
• Seasonings: salt, pepper, dried thyme, sage, and rosemary
• Garnishments: freshly shredded parmesan cheese, freshly chopped parsley

HOW TO MAKE CREAMY CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP:

1. Halfway through the rice cooking, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Once melted and bubbling, add the sliced mushrooms and cook 6-7 minutes, until tender and golden. And all moisture has cooked off. Remove to a plate.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pot and add the chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté 5-6 minutes, or until slightly tender, stirring often. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
3. Pour in the chicken broth and add the seasonings: sage, rosemary, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir to thoroughly combine.
4. Raise the temperature to medium-high, add the chicken to the pot and bring it to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and allow the soup to boil for 10-12 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through. If the chicken breast is on the thicker side, time may increase. I suggest not only flipping each breast halfway through, but also checking the internal temperature with a digital meat thermometer to ensure the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees F.
5. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board to cool for a few moments. Shred into bite-size pieces using two forks.
6. While the chicken is cooling, place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of flour. Cook for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes, whisking the entire time to combine.
7. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk to combine with the butter and flour mixture. Cook until the mixture has thickened.
8. Add the milk mixture to the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring until the soup has thickened. Taste test the broth and add additional seasonings, if needed for your taste preferences.
9. Add the cooked rice and mushrooms, as well as the chopped kale, to the pot and stir to combine.
10. Pour in the half and half, stirring to fully combine. Allow the kale to cook until it has just started to wilt.
11. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese and parsley.

COOKING TIPS AND SWAPS:

What I love about soup is that it is highly versatile. You can add, omit, or change up so many things. So do not feel as though you need to make this Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup as listed. Feel free to swap out any ingredients that do not bode well with your taste buds or diet!

• FREEZING – Dairy doesn’t freeze well unfortunately. It will separate itself from the stock and clump up. I would not recommend this as a freezer-friendly soup. It refrigerates well or up to 5 days.
• PREPPING AHEAD – As mentioned above, this soup refrigerates well up to 5 days. If you’re looking to prep this for the week, I recommend keeping the cooked rice separate from the soup when storing and adding it as you’re ready to reheat it. If left in the soup, the rice will continue to absorb the liquid in the soup, thickening it as it sits, as well as turning to mush by day 3 or 4.
• DISLIKE MUSHROOMS OR KALE? – Completely fine! Not everyone likes them. Simply omit or swap it out for broccoli, spinach, or your favorite veggie!
• GLUTEN-FREE – If you don’t have gluten-free flour on hand, swap out the APF with half the amount of cornstarch. You will no longer be making the roux with the butter, flour, and milk, though. I do recommend still melting the butter in a saucepan and adding it to the soup for some hearty flavor. If using cornstarch, mix it with a bit of the milk before adding it to the pot to thicken the soup.
• CHICKEN – If you would like to save a bit of time, you can use cooked chicken breast. Simply add at the end when you add the mushrooms back to re-warm both.
• SODIUM – I prefer to use unsalted butter and broth/stock that is low-sodium or not salt added. This way the sodium is more controlled in my diet. If using regular butter, as well as regular broth/stock, I recommend seasoning with any additional salt to your taste preference.

CROCK POT/SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted and bubbly, add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 6-7 minutes, or until the mushrooms are golden in color and the moisture has cooked out. Remove to a plate.
2. To the bottom of the crock pot, add the chicken breast.
3. Add in the uncooked rice, onion, celery, carrots, garlic and seasonings. 
4. Pour in the chicken stock and stir to mix with the rice and vegetables.
5. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. When ready, remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board. Once it has had a few minutes to cool, shred into bite-size pieces using two forks.
6. In a small pot over medium heat, add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add the 1/2 cup of flour, whisking constantly to combine, for 1 minute. Slowly pour a little of the milk into the pot at a time, whisky in between each pour to remove any clumps. Pour in the half and half. Cook, constantly stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the butter mixture has thickened.
7. To the crock pot, add the cooked mushrooms and chopped kale. Stir in the buttery milk mixture. Cook on HIGH for 5-8 minutes. The broth should be creamy and the kale wilted.
8. Serve garnished with freshly grated parmesan cheese, freshly chopped parsley and your favorite garlic or cheese toast!

GADGETS USED FOR THIS RECIPE:

• DUTCH OVEN – a wonderful enameled, cast iron pot. Le Creuset ovens are pricey, but well worth it! But Lodge makes a much more affordable and comparable pot.
• DIGITAL MEAT THERMOMETER – in case you don’t already have one, this one works easily and quickly.
• CROCK POT – one of our favorite kitchen gadgets – especially during the cold weather months!

CRAVING MORE SOUP?! HERE ARE A FEW MORE SAVORY RECIPES TO TRY:

• Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup
• Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Lemon Chicken Zoodle Soup
• Easy One Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Easy One Pot Lasagna Soup

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Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

4.78 from 9 votes

This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is the perfect bowl of comfort during the long, cold fall and winter months! This soup is hearty and satisfying soup is made with carrots, onions, celery, wild rice, mushrooms, and chicken in a creamy, flavorful broth that is perfect for dipping your bread into.

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Course: Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Creamy Chicken Soup, Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 414kcal

Author: Samantha Buckner

Ingredients:

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups wild blend rice (I use Lundberg - linked in post)
• ▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
• ▢ 1 pound baby bella mushrooms (or cremini, washed and sliced thin or thick)
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion (finley chopped)
• ▢ 3 medium carrots (sliced)
• ▢ 2 stalks celery (sliced)
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less, to taste *See notes below)
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (more or less, to taste)
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon each: dried thyme, dried sage, and dried rosemary
• ▢ 1/2 cup all purpose flour, (or sub with cornstarch or GF flour *See notes below)
• ▢ 4 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth (or stock)
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk
• ▢ 1 cup half-and-half (or heavy cream)
• ▢ 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
• ▢ 4 cups kale (chopped, can sub baby spinach)

Garnishments:

• ▢ freshly shredded parmesan cheese
• ▢ freshly chopped parsley
• ▢ your favorite garlic or cheese toast

Instructions:

• Cook rice according to the directions on the package.
• Halfway through the rice cooking, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Once melted and bubbling, add the sliced mushrooms and cook 6-7 minutes, until tender and golden. And all moisture has cooked off. Remove to a plate.
• Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pot and add the chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté 5-6 minutes, or until slightly tender, stirring often. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
• Pour in the chicken broth and add the seasonings: sage, rosemary, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon, stir to combine making sure to scrape any of the bits on the pan from sauteeing.
• Raise the temperature to medium-high, add the chicken breast to the pot and bring it to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and allow the soup to boil for 10-12 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through.

  If the chicken breast is on the thicker side, cooking time may increase. I suggest not only flipping each breast halfway through, but also checking the internal temperature with a digital meat thermometer to ensure the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees F.
• Reduce the heat to a simmer. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board to cool for a few moments. Shred into bite-size pieces using two forks.
• While the chicken is cooling, place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of flour. Cook for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes, whisking the entire time to combine.
• While whisking, slowly pour in the milk to combine with the butter and flour mixture. Cook until the mixture has thickened.
• Add the milk mixture to the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring until the soup has thickened. Taste test the broth and add additional seasonings, if needed for your taste preferences.
• Add the cooked rice and mushrooms, as well as the chopped kale, to the pot and stir to combine.
• Pour in the half and half, stirring to fully combine. Allow the kale to cook until it has just started to wilt.
• Serve garnished with freshly shredded parmesan cheese, freshly chopped parsley, and your favorite garlic bread or cheesy toast!

Notes:

 

Salt:  If using regular butter and broth/stock, rather than unsalted or low-sodium, I recommend adjusting the amount of salt used to meet your taste preference.

All-purpose flour: If you don't have have flour on hand, you can use cornstarch in its place. Simply use half the amount of cornstarch as you would APF. Rather than make a roux with the butter, flour, and milk, I recommend combining the milk with the cornstarch in a small mixing bowl and adding it directly to the pot to thicken. For additional flavor, melt the butter in the pan and pour into the soup along with the cornstarch slurry.

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NUTRITION:

Serving:1serving || Calories:414kcal || Carbohydrates:43g || Protein:29g || Fat:14g || Saturated Fat:8g || Polyunsaturated Fat:1g || Monounsaturated Fat:0g || Trans Fat:0g || Cholesterol:90mg || Sodium:445mg || Potassium:738mg || Fiber:3g || Sugar:5g || Vitamin A:4389IU || Vitamin C:23mg || Calcium:128mg || Iron:2mg

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