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    Home » Recipes » Soups and Stews

    Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

    Published: May 12, 2018 · Modified: Jul 12, 2021 by Elizabeth · Leave a Comment

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    Two images of the soup served in a white bowl with a black rim and set on a beige linen. The pictures are separated by a white graphic with the title in black letters.

    This creamy chicken and wild rice soup is comfort food at its best. With pieces of chicken breast, vegetables and a wild rice mix this soup is more than a soup, it’s a meal. Pair it with a generous piece of crusty bread for a satisfying dinner the whole family will enjoy.​

    An image of the chicken and wild rice soup served in a white bowl with a black rim. The plate is set on a beige linen on a white table with a soup spoon and a piece of bread on the side.

    This soup is a wonderful way to use up leftover chicken and rice. If you don’t have a wild rice mix but do have leftover white rice, then make about a quarter cup of plain wild rice and combine it with the white after it’s cooked. Try this creamy chicken and rice casserole and this chicken and rice soup to put those leftovers to good use.

    This site contains affiliate links to products. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Ingredients

    • Butter – Regular salted butter works well, unsalted works too.
    • Produce – Onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme add wonderful flavor to the soup.
    • Flour – The flour is used to give the soup body. Use all-purpose flour.
    • Broth – Use your favorite chicken broth. If you are sensitive to salt use low sodium broth, then adjust the salt at the end.
    • Cream – We use half and half instead of heavy cream to make the chicken and wild rice soup. It’s lighter but still creamy enough to give us the flavor we need.
    • Cooked Wild Rice Mix – We used a mix of wild rice, whole grain brown rice, black, and red rice. Use your favorite wild rice mix and cook to package directions.
    • Cooked Chicken Breast – Best to use skinless, boneless chicken. For this recipe we used poached chicken breast because it’s quick and easy to make. Leftover roasted chicken will also work great.
    The ingredients for the chicken and wild rice soup prepped and arranged in glass bowls on a white table. Each ingredient is labeled with small letters.

    Recipe tips

    • Start the wild rice mix first because it typically takes a long time to cook. For example, the mix we used took an hour to make.
    • Things move quickly in the beginning for this soup. It’s best to have everything prepped and ready to go before you start cooking (except maybe the rice, but make sure it’s well on its way).
    • Keep prepped ingredients in nesting bowls so everything will be at your fingertips when you need it.
    • Tie the thyme sprigs together with a piece of kitchen twine to make it easier to find and remove the stems when done.
    • The easiest and quickest way to cook chicken is to poach it. Try this poached chicken if you need a recipe. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and is great for soups and salads.
    • If you are poaching the chicken, don’t discard the chicken broth you used for cooking. Strain it and use it for the soup. That’s some concentrated chicken broth goodness you have there.

    Instructions

    1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
    2. Add the garlic to the pot, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
    3. Add the flour stirring constantly until well incorporated. Cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to cook out the flour taste a bit.
    4. Slowly add in the chicken broth while stirring until it is incorporated. Use a whisk to make sure to dissolve the flour. If you don’t have one, stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Add the thyme bundle to the soup.
    5. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Lower the heat to medium-low, half-cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    6. Use tongs to remove the thyme. Add the cooked chicken and wild rice, half cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Lastly, take the pot off the heat and add the half and half and black pepper, stir to combine. Return the pot to low heat and warm through.
    Three images showing the steps to making the base for the soup up to adding in the flour. The ingredients are in a large, blue pot.
    Three images showing the steps to finishing the soup starting with adding the broth and finishing with adding the cream. The soup is in a large, blue pot.

    Taste the chicken and wild rice soup and add salt, if needed. As a reference we did not add extra salt to ours.

    Storing and reheating

    Store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze the soup, store it in an airtight container. Remember to leave enough room to allow for expansion when freezing, an inch or two should do it. Freeze the soup for 2-3 months.

    Gently, reheat the soup in a covered saucepan over medium-low to low heat until it reaches at least 165°F, stir occasionally – or reheat in the microwave. Avoid letting the soup come to a full boil as the cream could separate.

    An image of the creamy chicken and wild rice soup served in a white bowl with a black rim. The plate is set on a beige linen with a soup spoon and a piece of bread on the side.

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    An image of the chicken and wild rice soup served in a white bowl with a black rim. The plate is set on a beige linen on a white table with a soup spoon and a piece of bread on the side.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

    This creamy chicken and wild rice soup is comfort food at its best. With pieces of chicken breast, vegetables and a wild rice mix this soup is more than a soup, it’s a meal.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time45 minutes mins
    Total Time55 minutes mins
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: chicken, chicken and rice
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 330kcal
    Author: Elizabeth

    Ingredients

    • 6 tablespoons Butter
    • 1 Medium Onion finely diced
    • 2 Medium Carrots diced (about ¾ – 1 cup diced)
    • 1 Celery Rib diced (about ¼ cup diced)
    • ½ cup All Purpose Flour
    • 8 cups Chicken Broth
    • 3-4 Thyme Sprigs tied together with kitchen twine
    • 2 cups Cooked Wild Rice Mix we used a mix of wild, whole grain brown, red and black rice prepared to package directions.
    • 2 cups Cooked Chicken diced or shredded (about ¾-1 pound chicken breast)
    • ½ cup Half and Half
    • ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
    • Salt if needed at the end

    Instructions

    • Cook the wild rice mix according to package directions or use leftover rice.
    • Dice or shred the cooked chicken. To cook the chicken, see how to poach chicken breast instructions.
    • Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. When the butter has melted and starts to foam, add the onions, carrots and celery.
    • Cook the vegetables gently for 5 minutes until the onions become translucent and start to soften, stir frequently.
    • Add the garlic to the pot, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
    • Add the flour while stirring constantly until well incorporated. Cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes, stirring almost constantly to cook out the flour taste a bit.
    • Slowly add in the chicken broth while stirring until it is incorporated. Use a whisk to make it easier to dissolve the flour. If you don’t have one, stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.
    • Add the thyme bundle to the soup.
    • Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a gentle simmer (it will take about 3-5 minutes).
    • Lower the heat to medium-low, half-cover the pot and continue simmering for 20 minutes, stir occasionally. Keep the soup at a simmer if it starts boiling too vigorously lower the heat a bit.
    • Use tongs to remove the thyme bundle.
    • Add the cooked chicken and wild rice. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to medium low, half cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the rice is not sticking to the bottom.
    • Take the pot off the heat and add the half and half, stir to combine.
    • Add the black pepper, stir.
    • Return the pot to low heat and warm through, do not let it come to a boil. Taste the chicken and wild rice soup and add salt, if needed. As a reference we did not add extra to ours.

    Notes

    The soup will thicken as it cools.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 1312mg | Potassium: 580mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3898IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2mg
    The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate.This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.

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    Hi, I’m Elizabeth! welcome to Cook2eatwell. Food is my favorite subject; I like to cook food, talk about food, write about food, and most importantly, eat food. Lucky for me, my husband Eddie feels the same way. 

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