This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice soup consists of a mirepoix of carrots, celery, and onion simmered in chicken broth and thyme. So satisfying and the perfect comfort food for a chilly day!
It’s cozy season which means I’m here for all the soups and stews!
When I was little, my grandma often made cream of chicken soup, and this Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup reminds me of that. I’ve made it several times now, perfecting it little by little. It’s a simple, humble recipe that somehow manages to feel soulful.
What makes this recipe simple
- This recipe uses milk, not heavy cream.
- Easy to find ingredients like wild rice blend.
- Simple spice cabinet staples like salt, pepper, garlic, and dried thyme.
- You can buy fresh produce like onion and celery pre-chopped to save time.
- Baby carrots from a bag, so you don’t have to peel a bunch of carrots.
- Swap out the raw chicken breast for rotisserie chicken (pick your favorite flavor).
- No fancy equipment is needed, just a pot, saucepan, and a whisk.
Ingredients for Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- wild rice blend (see note below)
- baby carrots
- yellow onion
- celery
- butter
- garlic
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- chicken broth
- boneless, skinless chicken breast (substitute with pre-cooked rotisserie chicken)
- thyme
- all purpose flour (substitute with rice flour for a gluten free alternative)
- milk
- granulated garlic
What is wild rice blend?
This recipe uses a wild rice blend, which is a mixture of wild rice plus other rice varieties. For example, long grain, brown rice, and red rice.
I prefer wild rice blend over plain wild rice because it’s accessible, it’s less expensive, and it takes way less time to cook.
Using pre-cooked chicken
Rotisserie chicken makes is a great substitute if you don’t want to fool with raw chicken. Shred the meat of the chicken (breast, thighs, leg) and simmer in the broth for at least 10 minutes to soak up more flavor. You can even pick a rotisserie flavor like lemon pepper. We got this idea from Platter Talk’s Lipton Noodle Soup cooking hack with rotisserie chicken!
How to freeze cream-based soup
This recipe was recently featured on SELF’s Freezable Soup Recipes That Will Keep You Warm All Winter Long!
You’re probably wondering if this recipe is really freezer-friendly. The reality is, cream-based soups never freeze and reheat well. On top of that, grains lose all of their toothy texture through the freezing and unthawing process. Thankfully, we’ve worked it out so you can convert this to a make-ahead freezer meal:
- Prepare the soup, following steps 1-10.
- Once you add the cooked diced chicken to the soup, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool down completely.
- Once the soup has completely cooled, pour it into Tupperware containers (preferably glass), leaving 1″ of space at the top so the soup has room to expand.
- Label and date the container and pop it in the freezer (no more than two to three months).
When you’re ready to unthaw:
- Defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight (preferred).
- You can also defrost it in the microwave if it’s in a glass container, or in a large bowl of warm water.
When you’re ready to reheat:
- Transfer the soup to a pot over medium-low heat. Cover with a lid and reheat it for 10 to 15 minutes (for a small batch). Longer if you’re reheating a large batch.
- Cook the rice according to the recipe instructions.
- Follow steps 11-15 (prepare the roux and milk mixture).
- Add the cooked rice to the pot.
- Stir in the roux and milk mixture.
- Enjoy!
More Soup Recipes
Check out our delicious collection of soup recipes. From butternut squash and carrot soup to decadent cream of crab. These cozy recipes are perfect for soup season.
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice blend
- 1 12- ounce bag of baby carrots about 2 cups
- 1 small yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks diced (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter divided
- 2 large cloves garlic minced (or 3 small garlic cloves)
- 1 tablespoon PLUS 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt divided
- 1 teaspoon PLUS 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper divided
- 5 cups chicken broth plus more to thin out to desired consistency, if preferred
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
Instructions
Cook the rice:
- Bring water to a boil. Stir in wild rice blend. Cover with lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let stand (covered) for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside until ready to use.
Prepare the soup:
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add carrots, onions, and celery and sauté until onions are slightly tender, about 4 minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
- Season the mixture with 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- Add chicken broth, chicken breasts, and dried thyme to the pot.
- Increase the heat to medium-high to bring to a boil.
- Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Carefully remove the chicken and set it aside on the cutting board to cool for 5 minutes.
- Once the chicken has cooled, dice it into bite-size pieces.
- Reduce heat to low and add cooked rice and diced chicken to the pot.
- In a separate saucepan, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
- Add flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking vigorously, to make a roux.
- Slowly pour milk into the flour and butter roux and continue stirring until the mixture thickens.
- Season the mixture with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic.
- Add the mixture to the soup and stir to fully incorporate.
- Cover the pot and continue cooking on low heat for 5 minutes, or until the soup has thickened. If using, stir in heavy cream.
- Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
Yum! I’m going to make this tonight, but use dairy free milk / coconut cream instead.
Just delightfully creamy, even though I actually skipped the heavy cream entirely. And the flavors totally shined through the buttery roux. Thank you for sharing.