Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup is a simple, broth based soup recipe full of chicken, wild rice, vegetables and cream. This hearty and delicious soup is a family favorite!
I absolutely love soup. I could probably eat soup for every meal between September and March and be completely happy. I got this recipe from a friend years ago, and it quickly became one of my favorites. It is simple, doesn’t take long to put together, and is basic enough that even my picky kids will eat it. My favorite way to eat this soup is in a bread bowl, but it’s delicious in a regular bowl too.
What vegetables are in Creamy Chicken Wild Rice soup?
This soup recipe calls for onions, celery and carrots, but you could definitely add more veggies or swap those out if you prefer. My kids don’t love celery but if I dice it small enough, sometimes they can’t really tell it’s in there! Mushrooms and peas are wonderful in this soup as well.
Time saving tips when making wild rice soup
This soup recipe is pretty simple and doesn’t take too long to make, but there are a few shortcuts that I use to speed up the process even more. Many of these time saving tips are ones that I use in a lot of different recipes that I make.
-Use a rotisserie chicken. I always grab a couple of rotisserie chickens every time I go to Costco and then pull the chickens apart and save them in freezer bags. If I know I will be using the chicken within a few days, I’ll just keep the shredded chicken in the refrigerator, but I usually freeze at least a couple of bags. I can usually get 3-4 meals out of 2 rotisserie chickens and I absolutely love the consistency and flavor of rotisserie chicken too.
-If rotisserie chicken isn’t an option, you can still keep cooked/shredded chicken in your freezer to use when you need it. There are a couple of ways to cook chicken. My favorite way to cook chicken is to bake it in the oven. Just place the chicken breasts in a 9X13 and add a little salt and pepper. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165°. At this point, the chicken should fall apart and be easily shredded with two forks.
Another easy way to cook chicken is in the crock pot. Place the chicken breasts in a crock pot with a can of chicken broth and cook on low for about 5-6 hours. The chicken will fall apart very easily at this point and you can portion it out and place in freezer bags for future use.
-Use frozen veggies! I ALWAYS keep frozen chopped onions on hand. They are cheap to buy at the grocery store and you will never have to chop up an onion again! No more tears! I use a food chopper like this one to chop other vegetables – it only takes a couple of minutes to chop up all the vegetables this way. You can also chop up carrots and celery in big batches and store them in freezer bags in the freezer to use when needed.
-Use quick or instant wild rice. There are a lot of varieties of instant wild rice that can be prepared within 1-2 minutes in the microwave.
Ingredients in Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
-1/2 cup butter
-2 carrots, chopped small
-2 celery stalks (diced small)
-1 large onion, diced
-1 cup flour
-salt and pepper (to taste)
-8 cups chicken broth
-1 cup diced/shredded chicken
-1 cup half and half
-3 cups cooked wild rice (about 1 cup uncooked)
How to make Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Start cooking the rice before you begin working on the rest of the soup. I usually get the “quick cook” kind, but if you get regular wild rice, it will take a while before it is ready!
Chop up carrots, onions and celery.
In a medium saucepan, saute carrots, celery and onion in butter over medium heat until tender. Add flour and stir.
Add the chicken broth, salt and pepper (I just put a pinch of each in – you probably don’t even really need salt). Bring to a boil and then turn heat to low.
Next, add the chicken and half and half and reheat, but don’t boil again. Just mix the rice in right before serving (if you put it in a long time before serving, the rice will keep cooking).
CREAMY CHICKEN WILD RICE SOUP
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup is a simple broth based soup recipe full of chicken, wild rice, vegetables and cream. This hearty and delicious soup is a family favorite!
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Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 carrots chopped small
- 2 celery stalks diced small
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 cup flour-salt and pepper to taste
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup diced/shredded chicken
- 1 cup half and half
- 3 cups cooked wild rice about 1 cup uncooked
Instructions
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Start cooking the rice before you begin working on the rest of the soup.
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Chop up carrots, onions and celery.
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In a medium saucepan, saute carrots, celery and onion in butter over medium heat until tender. Add flour and mix.
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Add broth, salt and pepper (I just put a pinch of each in – you probably don’t even really need salt). Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to low.
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Add chicken and half and half and reheat, but don’t boil again. Add rice right before serving (if you put it in a long time before serving, the rice will keep cooking and get mushy).
What type of wild rice to use in wild rice soup?
You can use any type of wild rice in this soup recipe. I use regular wild rice about half of the time and sometimes I use a “quick” variety like Uncle Ben’s. There are a lot of types of wild rice that can be prepared by putting them in the microwave for just a minute or two and then they are ready to go. These “instant” wild rice options work great in this soup and save a lot of time!
What type of cream is best in soup?
The recipe calls for half and half cream, but I have used regular 2% milk before and the soup still turns out well, just a little runnier. If you have a milk allergy or intolerance, you can leave the cream out and the soup is still delicious – just not quite as creamy!
