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About This Recipe
This Crockpot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is the kind of recipe you make once and immediately add to your regular rotation. It’s loaded with tender chicken and hearty wild rice, and full of classic comfort-food flavors. The best part is that everything comes together right in the slow cooker with minimal prep. It’s perfect for busy days, cold winter nights, or meal prep for the week ahead.
Serve this creamy chicken soup with some crusty bread on the side, or if you really want to take it up a notch, serve this crock pot chicken wild rice soup in bread bowls!
For more delicious soup recipes, try my Chicken and Stars Soup, Marry Me Chicken Soup, Easy Tomato Soup, Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, Crockpot Lasagna Soup, or Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup.
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Minimal prep: Only 15 minutes of prep, then the Crockpot does the rest of the work!
- Hearty and filling: Packed with protein, veggies, and fiber-rich wild rice.
- Great for meal prep: Easy to make and tastes even better the next day.
- Family-friendly: Full of cozy, classic flavors everyone will love.
- Easy to customize: You can easily make this soup lighter, dairy-free, or extra creamy.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breast. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs for a slightly richer flavor.
- Wild rice: Be sure to use true wild rice or a wild rice blend that cooks in 6–8 hours.
- Chicken broth: I prefer to use low-sodium chicken broth so I can control the salt level. However, feel free to just adjust or omit the additional salt if needed.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic adds the best flavor, but garlic cubes also work great!
- Veggies: Carrots, celery, onion, baby bella mushrooms. Feel free to swap mushrooms for more carrots or celery if you’re not a mushroom fan.
- Butter: Adds richness and classic soup flavor. You can reduce or omit for a lighter version.
- Seasonings & herbs: Dried rosemary, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Tip: Crushing the rosemary helps release more flavor into the soup.
- Whole milk & heavy cream: This combo makes the soup creamy without being overly thick.
- Lighter version: Use all whole milk or half-and-half and reduce the butter.
- Extra creamy: Alternatively, if you like things extra creamy, you can add an additional splash of heavy cream at the end.
- Dairy-free: Use unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk and use dairy-free butter.
- More veggies: Add in spinach, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, etc. for more volume (and fiber!).
- Thicker soup: Smash some of the cooked rice against the side of the crockpot before serving.
How To Make
The full printable recipe is below, but let me walk you through the process so you know what to expect when you’re making it!
1. Season the chicken all over with 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper (or to taste).
2. Then, place it in the bottom of the Crockpot.
3. Add the wild rice, chicken broth, minced garlic, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, and butter. Rub/crush the dried rosemary between your fingers to break and wake up the flavor, then add it with the poultry seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir.
4. Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is super tender and easy to shred.
5. Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred it with two forks.
6. Add it back to the crockpot.
7. Stir in the milk and heavy cream. Turn off. Cover and let it heat through for 15–30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
8. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve and enjoy!
- To store: Store leftover crockpot chicken and wild rice soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To reheat: Gently heat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through. The soup will thicken as it sits, so I like to add a splash of broth or milk when reheating.
- To freeze, follow instructions as directed, but don’t add the milk and cream. Let the soup cool completely, then freeze for 3-4 months. You can add dairy when reheating.
Helpful Tips
🥕Vegetable chopper: I love using this vegetable chopper to quickly chop the carrots, celery and onion (or basically anything that ever needs chopping!).
🍚Uncooked rice: Make sure your wild rice is uncooked before adding it to the slow cooker. If using cooked rice, just add it in the end when you add the dairy.
🌿Crush the rosemary: Crushing the dried rosemary really makes a difference in flavor, don’t skip it!
💦Thin it out: If your soup thickens too much during cooking or as you store it, you just can thin it with extra broth instead of water.
🥣Meal prep: This creamy soup is perfect for meal prep and freezes well without the cream added.
Can I use frozen chicken?
Yes, you can add frozen chicken breasts directly to the crockpot. However, just note the cooking time may increase slightly.
Can I make this on the stovetop?
Yes, to make on the stovetop, just let everything simmer (except milk and cream) for about 45–60 minutes of cook time, then shred the chicken and finish with dairy as instructed in the recipe.
Why is my crockpot chicken and wild rice soup too thick?
The wild rice absorbs liquid as it cooks and continues to do so after. Just stir in more broth or milk to loosen it up.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!
Crockpot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb. boneless chicken breast
- 1/2 tsp. salt & pepper for chicken
- 1 cup wild rice (180g) uncooked
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 large carrots (160g) peeled and diced, ~1.5 cups
- 3 large celery stalks (100g) diced, ~1 cup
- 1 small yellow onion (170g) chopped
- 5 oz. baby bella mushrooms diced
- 2 Tbsp. butter (28g)
- 2 tsp. dried rosemary crushed
- 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 cup whole milk (240g)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (80g)
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Instructions
- Season the chicken all over with 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper (or to taste) then place in the bottom of the Crockpot.
- Add the wild rice, chicken broth, minced garlic, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms and butter. Rub/crush the dried rosemary between your fingers to break and wake up the flavor then add with the poultry seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is super tender and easy to shred.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate, shred it with two forks, then add back to the crockpot.
- Stir in the milk and heavy cream. Turn off. Cover and let it heat through for 15–30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through. The soup will thicken as it sits, so I like to add a splash of broth or milk when reheating.
- To freeze, follow instructions as directed, but don’t add the milk and cream. Let the soup cool completely, then freeze for 3-4 months. You can add dairy when reheating.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
