Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Cozy up with a hearty bowl of this Creamy Wild Rice Soup that’s made right on the stovetop in an hour! This homemade soup is loaded with tender shredded chicken, a wild rice blend, and fresh vegetables, leaving bellies full and satisfied!
Chicken & Wild Rice Soup Is Pure Comfort Food!
Don’t let soup season pass by without making a pot of this Creamy Wild Rice Soup! The perfect homemade soup that’s overflowing with comfort food vibes yet is hearty enough to make a filling meal in one bowl.
With this Wild Rice Soup Recipe, I knew I wanted it to have a thick and creamy base with a velvet-like texture. To create this dreamy soup base, I used a combination of chicken broth and heavy cream to perfect the foundation while also giving it a rich, mouthwatering flavor.
The result is a creamy satisfying texture that pairs deliciously with the rich, seasoned flavor and tender chunks of chicken and vegetables. All of this deliciousness is combined into one pot to deliver the ultimate bowl of soup that will have you making it long after soup season has passed!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: Cozy herbs, earth vegetables, lean chicken, and nutty wild rice swim in a creamy broth.
Texture: A hearty soup loaded with shredded chicken, rice, and vegetables.
Ease: 4/10
Would I Make This Again? Yes, I love this for meal prep in the winter!
Ingredients For Creamy Wild Rice Soup
The foundation of this soup is a rich, thick base made with chicken broth and heavy cream. The soup is then built up with all-purpose flour and loaded with flavor from ingredients such as garlic paste, mustard powder, Herbes de Provence, bay leaf, salt, ground black pepper, and fresh parsley.
The creamy base is then filled with a wild rice blend, shredded chicken, and yellow onion, carrots, and celery that have been sauteed in salted butter. For the shredded chicken you can cook and shred chicken breast or use the meat from chicken thighs.
When I want to make this soup as easy as possible, I just pluck the meat off of a rotisserie chicken that I grab from the grocery store!
How To Make Creamy Wild Rice Soup
- Cook the wild rice blend according to the instructions on the package.
- Melt salted butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot while the rice is cooking.
- Chop up the yellow onion, carrots, and celery and then add them to the pot of melted butter. Cook the vegetables until the onions and celery become translucent and soft.
- Add in garlic paste and continue cooking while stirring constantly.
- Sprinkle in all-purpose flour and mustard powder over the vegetables. Then stir the mixture up to coat the vegetables.
- Add in Herbes de Provence, a bay leaf, salt, and ground black pepper. Cook for an additional few minutes while stirring constantly to avoid burning.
- Stir in the chicken broth and then allow the soup to simmer.
- Add in the shredded cooked chicken breasts, heavy cream, and the cooked wild rice. Stir the soup to combine all of the ingredients and then allow the soup to simmer again.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf. Lastly, add more cream, salt, and pepper to taste.
- The consistency of this soup is thick and creamy. However, if you prefer a thinner soup, you can simply increase the chicken broth.
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine can be used in place of chicken broth. To do so, add the white wine as the first liquid after the flour and then let it simmer for a minute before adding the broth.
- Herbes de Provence can be replaced with an equal amount of poultry seasoning or 3/4 teaspoon of dried thyme, rosemary, and marjoram.
- For a vegan-friendly soup, you can replace the salted butter with a plant-based butter or oil and the heavy cream with fresh cashew cream.
- If you’d like you can use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
How To Serve Creamy Wild Rice Soup
Serve this cozy creamy soup all throughout the chilly seasons for a big bowl of comfort food! You can also easily double the recipe for a simple one-pot meal to accommodate a big crowd.
This soup is hearty enough to be filling on its own or you can pair it with homemade bread! For a quick recipe try my 15-minute Easy Bannock Bread or if you have the extra time then I would highly recommend a loaf of Sourdough Bread.
You can also make a batch of homemade croutons from Challah Bread to serve alongside this soup. You can also keep it simple by skipping homemade bread altogether and just enjoying a bowl of soup with some good old saltine crackers.
How To Freeze Creamy Wild Rice Soup
This soup freezes and re-heats great, making it a wonderful recipe for meal prepping or to make ahead for a new mother!
To freeze the soup, first, allow it to cool and then transfer the soup into a freezer-safe airtight container. You can also use large freezer-safe Ziploc bags, but you’ll want to be extra sure that you seal them up securely so that the soup doesn’t accidentally leak in your freezer!
The soup can then be stored in the freezer to enjoy for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve and enjoy the creamy soup simply thaw it in the fridge and then reheat it on the stovetop.
Storage Instructions For Creamy Wild Rice Soup
Transfer the cooled Creamy Wild Rice Soup into a large airtight container or portion it into mason jars. Then store the soup in the fridge to enjoy for 3 to 4 days.
More Soup Recipes to Try
- The Best Lobster Bisque Recipe – Homemade soup loaded with tender chunks of lobster meat that’s ready in an hour!
- Creamy Crockpot Potato Soup – Hearty, thick soup made with hash browns, bacon, cheeses, and heavy cream!
- Incredible Lasagna Soup – Grab your favorite jar of pasta sauce and prep this soup in just 10 minutes!
- Easy Roasted Tomato Soup – Trade canned store-bought soup for a pot of this delicious homemade tomato soup!
- Classic Irish Beef Stew – Rich stew with a deep depth of flavor, made with simple ingredients!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let leave a review in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos, or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there.
This recipe was originally published in October 2017 and was updated in January 2025 with fresh photos and improved recipe.
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice blend 180g
- 5 tablespoons salted butter 70g
- 1 yellow onion diced, 125g
- 1 cup carrots diced, 130g, about 2 medium
- 1 cup celery diced, 115g, about 3
- 1 tablespooon garlic paste 18g
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour 33g
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence see notes
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 6 cups chicken broth or more
- 1¼ pound chicken breasts cooked and shredded, or meat from 1 rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup heavy cream 240mL
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley minced, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the 1 cup wild rice blend according to the directions on the packaging.
- While the rice cooks, melt 5 tablespoons salted butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot.
- Prep 1 yellow onion, 1 cup carrots, 1 cup celery and add to the pot and cook for 5 minutes until the onions and celery are soft and translucent.
- Add 1 tablespooon garlic paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.
- Sprinkle ¼ cup all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon mustard powder over the vegetables and stir to coat.
- Add 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence, 1 bay leaf, 2 teaspoons salt , and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper and cook for two additional minutes, constantly stirring so they don't burn.
- Add a little of the 6 cups chicken broth and stir with the vegetables, then add in the rest. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add in the shredded 1¼ pound chicken breasts, 1 cup heavy cream, and the cooked rice and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
- Discard bay leaf before serving. Add more cream, salt, and pepper to taste. Increase chicken broth for a thinner soup.
Video
Notes
- 1 cup of diced baby bella mushrooms or spinach would make a great addition to this soup.
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine can be used in place of chicken broth, Add it as the first liquid after the flour and let it simmer for a minute before adding the broth.
- If you don’t have Herbes de Provence, you can use an equal amount of poultry seasoning or 3/4 teaspoon of each: dried thyme, rosemary, and marjoram.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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very flavorful, excellent. it was satisfying.
One of my favorite soup recipes. I have made this multiple times and it always comes out great. I usually make half a recipe and add a chicken breast which I cook right in the soup, take out after five – six hours and shred. Super yummy!
I usually have to be in the mood for soup, but I am totally feeling this right now! The weather is perfect for it!
Wild rice soup is a staple here in Minnesota, but would you believe I’ve never tried to make it myself? Ha ha ha! My mom and Granny would always make huge batches for everyone in winter, but that’s about to land on me now. I guess I better get cooking!
I know, it’s such a comforting classic and so perfect for this time of year!