Soups are definitely my specialty! I love that I can make a whole bunch at one time that will last for quick & tasty lunches and dinners throughout the week. I love they are healthy & hearty, even when you add a little bit of cream. Soups are just a win all-around for me. One of my favorite soups is creamy chicken & wild rice and this is the recipe I’ve used and tweaked over the years…
I don’t even know how many pots of this creamy chicken & wild rice soup I’ve made! I just know that we’ve eaten it a lot over the past decade and it’s always a crowd-pleaser. The creamy broth makes it heartier and more flavorful than a chicken noodle soup, but the flavors are definitely nostalgic and perfect for snowy and sick days.
( I use.)
When cooking this creamy chicken & wild rice soup, I use a few shortcuts to make the process a little quicker without sacrificing the quality of ingredients. I use shredded carrots and pre-minced garlic. I’ll usually use rotisserie chicken as well, but I didn’t have any on hand today. Those are little things, but they do shave off some prep time when you’re in a hurry.
And, of course, once we’ve had the soup for lunch or dinner, I’ll put the leftovers in jars. I find these are easier to dump out into a pan and heat up than putting it all in one large storage container. It’s also preportioned so Jeff can grab and jar and take it to work for lunch. The is one good-sized serving and the serves 2-3.
I like to use the with white plastic lids.
One tip for this particular creamy chicken & wild rice soup recipe – the rice absorbs quite a bit of the liquid, so the soup can get very thick when it’s left to simmer or when it’s stored. When I reheat it, I just add a little bit of water to loosen it up. The rice doesn’t ever get mushy, though, which is nice. It keeps a good toothy texture.
Here is the printable recipe for my Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup. If you make it, let me know what you think!
Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Equipment
- dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3 T butter
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3 chicken breasts
- salt & pepper
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 T chopped garlic
- 1 small vidalia onion, chopped
- 1 cup carrots (chopped or shredded)
- 2 ribs celery (chopped)
- 64 ounces unsalted chicken stock
- 2 boxes near east original wild rice (save 1 spice packet)
- 1 cup whole or 2 % milk
- 1 cup cream
- 1/4 cup flour
- splash of white wine (optional)
- salt & pepper to taste
- fresh chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- Preheat dutch oven to medium-high heat with drizzle of olive oil and 2 T butter.
- Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Salt and pepper chicken. Brown in dutch oven on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Add chopped onions, carrots, celery, thyme, garlic, and 1T butter to the dutch oven. Cook on medium heat until soft.
- Add two boxes of wild rice, one spice packet, and 31 ounces unsalted chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Once soup is boiling, turn heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- Mix 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream with 1/4 cup flour to make a slurry. Set aside.
- After 20 minutes, remove lid and stir. The broth will be mostly absorbed into the rice. Add slurry of milk, cream, flour, and remaining 32 ounces of chicken broth. Stir and bring back to a boil over medium-high heat. Once soup reaches a boil, turn down to medium low heat until thickened. Add a splash of white wine for flavor (optional.) Shred chicken with a fork and stir into soup. Salt & pepper to taste. Top with fresh chopped parsley.
You can find more of my favorite soup recipes HERE.
And, you can see a quick Instagram Reel of the soup-making process HERE. You can see that I’m more of an eye-baller when I’m making soup!
38 Responses
Love the shape of the sharing jars. Bought them couple years ago and then Ball stopped making them. But nice to see they brought them back this summer, and now in 32oz size! I replaced my lids with the grey ones. In addition to using them for soup, I use them to store dried nuts and leftovers.
That soup looks delicious. I’m not a milk person so my creamy soups are made with pureed garbanzo beans.
Can I say, FIVE more days!!!!!
Yes! Five more days!! I’m so excited about that. 🙂
And yes, I love those sharing jars, too. They are just such a pretty shape.
You can get leak proof jar lids which are a lifesaver for lunches
This is great. I finally get to read and I feel cosy and snuggly. And the soup helps to give that homely feeling.
Hi do you chop up the chicken and include it in the soup?
Sorry about that! I just added it to the recipe. I shred the chicken with a fork and stir it in at the end, just long enough so it warms through again.
When do you add the chicken into the soup?
Sorry about that! I just added it to the recipe. I shred the chicken with a fork and stir it in at the end, just long enough so it warms through again.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Also wondering when you add back in the chicken? Did you chop it or shred it? Looks Delicious!
Thank you for pointing out that I missed that step! I added it to the recipe. I shred the chicken with a fork and stir it back in at the last minute, just long enough to let it warm through.
This looks delicious! I’m going to try it – thanks for the recipe! I also wanted to say that I really love those plastic lids for the mason jars. They are easier to clean and don’t get rusty. Those are a good share.
yes! I love those lids, too!
Marian, what can I sub for the rice you recommend? I live in rural Iowa and cannot find it!
Uncle Ben’s has a long grain and wild rice mix that would work. You can also buy the Near East rice mix on Amazon.
It looks very good except that you are not using real Wild Rice from Minnesota. It looks like there is quite a bit of long grain rice and very little actual wild rice. We make Wild Rice Soup quite often and use strictly Wild Rice, grown in the wild and harvested by Chippewa Indians in Northern Minnesota. Most Wild Rice at the grocery store is grown on farms and is a very dark color. True wild rice is brown and not as thin as the farm grown rice and is really delicious. The rice is cooked separately and added to the soup with the chicken. You should try it. It’s great.
Mary Jane, Would you recommend a brand of rice that meets all these descriptors that you included? I am very interested in supporting the work of native Americans. Thanks.
I am also in Minnesota, and I order wild rice from Moose Lake Wild Rice. (35653 Johnson Road, Deer River, MN 56636. 218/246-2159.) http://www.mooselakewildrice.com
I also like to make a bunch in the InstantPot, and freeze what I don’t use. It freezes great and it is always handy that way.
Does this rice have the spice packet?
I just add one of the spice packets, but it’s optional. It’s just dried herbs.
I got my last order from HEIGHT-OF-LAND WILD RICE CO.
Strictly wild rice grown in the wild and harvested by Chippewa Indians, parched with wood for flavor.
11248 Chilton Rd, Frazee. MN 56544-9112
(218)334-2351
Thank you both for responding. I will be buying some Minnesota Wild Rice!
Soup looks great. I make something similar. The jars are a great idea for leftovers too. Just an FYI regarding your recipe…you shouldn’t rinse chicken, it becomes a source of spreading salmonella on surfaces like your sink, etc. It’s best to simply pat the chicken dry and then use.
Yum it looks delicious ! But I would substitute the cream and milk with a plant based milk for a healthier version.
Can’t wait to make this. Looks absolutely delicious
This looks delicious Marian! I too enjoy making big pots of soup so I’m happy to have a new recipe!
I usually just buy wild rice in bulk. Can you give the amount needed for the recipe? Also, Costco sells their rotisserie chicken breast meat chopped up. Approximately how many cups of meat is three chicken breasts (I’m guessing 3?). Sounds like a wonderful recipe!
My book is at the bookstore! I’m picking it up tomorrow. Can’t wait!
I am so excited to make this! When you put the leftovers in jars do you refrigerate or freeze? I love the idea of soup recipe that can be frozen. Also, what is the shelf life on the soup if put in the fridge or freezer? Thanks!!
I put them in the fridge and we eat it for quick lunches and dinners. I haven’t tried freezing it, but our soups don’t sit for that long!
Made this tonight. One of the best soups I’ve ever had.
Oh, I’m so glad! I ate leftovers last night, too! 🙂
I also use only Moose Lake Wild Rice. For a conversion, how many cups of rice are in two boxes of Near East? Will the soup suffer for lack of the spike packet you mentioned came with the Near East rice?
I’m always about 1 pot meals!
Hello Marian. Greetings from Australia. Just made your chicken and wild rice soup. Absolutely delicious and even looked like your photo. Had trouble getting wild rice – mine came from Thailand !!!!! Had only a percentage of black rice a percentage of brown rice. So I don’t know where the word ‘wild” came from. I still have your previous soup recipes which I will try one by one.
Good luck with your book launch. Wendy
I made this for dinner tonight. It was absolutely delicious! My picky sister asked me to add it to our winter soup rotation. She even had seconds. Thank you for this delicious recipe. I’ll have to try some of your other soup recipes.
I made this for lunch today and it was delicious. I added some bay leaves and saffron.
Can this recipe be converted to a crock pot recipe? In other words, can I just throw all these ingredients into my crock pot and set it to cook?