Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (VIDEO)
This Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup will be the star of your winter cuisine! Perfect for chilly days.
You guys. Fall has officially arrived.
I’m no longer rolling up my skinny jeans.
I wore a scarf.
We turned on our heat.
I got out my slippers.
I haven’t worn a real coat yet, but it won’t be long.
I’ve been using my slow cooker more than I care to admit. But I use that baby all year. In the winter, it creates irresistible comfort foods. In the summer, it cooks dinner without heating up your house. Winner, winner, chicken slow cooker dinner.
Speaking of chicken slow cooker dinners (see what I did there?), I’m excited to share another recipe with you that’s part of my partnership with Just BARE® Chicken.
This slow cooker soup really couldn’t be easier to make. You just throw all the ingredients (except the cream) into the slow cooker and let it work its magic. Six to eight hours later, you have creamy delicious soup. The rice is tender and the chicken is ready to be shredded.
All you need to do is sit and take in the great smells of this cooking all day in your house. Perfect for football Saturdays, Sunday night dinners or busy weeknight meals when you want to come home to a hot meal already made. It’s basically the perfect soup.
I like Just BARE’s boneless skinless chicken thighs in this creamy chicken and wild rice soup because they have a lot of really great flavor – but if you’re not a dark meat fan, feel free to use boneless skinless chicken breasts in this recipe.
Enjoy – and stay warm!
Watch the short video to see step-by-step directions for making this creamy chicken and wild rice soup!
Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
This Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup will be the star of your winter cuisine! Perfect for chilly days.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked wild and brown rice blend (see important notes)
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 large onion, diced (a heaping cup)
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups no salt added chicken stock
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- milk or water as necessary to thin soup
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients except cream in a large slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove bay leaves and discard. Remove chicken thighs, shred and return to slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, place 1/2 cup heavy cream. Slowly whisk 1-2 cups of hot soup into cream. Then, slowly pour that mixture back into the slow cooker while whisking.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed before serving.
Note: I always use the inside stalks of celery with the leaves for soup – they have great flavor.
Note: This turns out very stew-like. If you want it more soupy, I’d recommend using only 3/4 cup of rice rather than 1 1/2 cups. We love our soup stewy! DO NOT use quick-cooking or instant rice.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 6-8 servings, Serving Size: 1 of 8
- Amount Per Serving:
- Calories: 325 Calories
- Total Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
- Sodium: 330mg
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 3g
- Sugar: 3g
- Protein: 25g
Verdict: Warm, comforting, delicious. And insanely easy to make. What’s better than that?
Husband’s take: He really loved this creamy chicken and wild rice soup! I think even more than I did. He ate leftovers for lunch for a few days.
Changes I would make: None!
Difficulty: So easy.
Looking for more recipes using boneless skinless chicken thighs? Try: Chicken Barley Soup with Butternut Squash and Kale, Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken Thighs, Honey Balsamic Chicken Thighs, Chicken Burger with Bacon, Leeks and Gouda, or Barley and Greens with Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs.
Disclaimer: I have been compensated by Just BARE chicken for the time required to develop and share this recipe but all thoughts are my own, as always. Thanks for supporting my blog by reading about brands and products I use and love in my own kitchen.
Hi, I'm Rachel! This site features a wide variety of recipes with one common thread: easy preparations. I love creating accessible and delicious food that will please the whole family. Hope you enjoy! (
I made this as posted, just subbed 2% milk for the heavy cream. It was delicious and hearty. It reminds me of the turkey soup we always make with the turkey carcass after Thanksgiving…but this is way easier! :)
So glad you liked it! That’s a great substitution!
My mom gave me a rotisserie chicken so I used the whole thing to make this soup. It was a nasty winter day and my celery was bad so I used celery seed instead but I had everything else on hand. I watched the soup cook through out the day and added 7 cups of chicken broth in total (no water). I used wheat and white rice that I had in the pantry (VERY IMPORTANT TIP: do not use instant rice). It certainly out very well and made quite alot. My variation : use a rotisserie chicken, I added some pot herb as well for seasoning). Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you liked this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Absolutely horrible, after 6 hours on low the rice had disintegrated into a pasty mess. It was awful and I had to throw out the whole pot. Such a complete waste e of food. I wish I had read the bad reviews before I made it.
Sorry to hear that – did you happen to buy/use instant rice by accident?
I made this soup and it turned out great! I put the chicken broth & chicken in the crockpot before work. When I returned, I added the remaining ingredients. The rice & veggies were not overdone. I would have added all the spices with the chicken-I was just in a hurry. Thx for posting!
So happy to hear you liked this soup! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Hi. I made this today, I love thick, stew like, soups. I thought it was going to have too much sage and thyme (which I’m not a big fan of) but it was delicious. Rice was probably a little over cooked, but still delicious. Next time, and there will be a next time, I will add the rice later.
I’m so glad you liked this recipe, Donna! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
I made this soup for the second time today. I absolutely love it! Reheats wonderfully.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
If I want to make this and omit the rice and cook the rice on the stovetop because all I have is quick rice, do I need to cut back the liquid at all?
Thanks
Yes! The rice soaks up a lot of the liquid. I’d cut back to 2 cups, keeping in mind that you can always add more water or milk at the end if you want it a little thinner.
Just made this for the second time! So good even the kids like it. This time I waited and added rice when there was 3 hours left.
I”m so glad to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Made this today and after reading some of the reviews, I stopped the cooking time at 5 hours and added more salt and also some chicken base (better than bouillon) for extra flavor. I also substituted a can of coconut milk for the cream and it is really good!
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave your feedback!
This sounds incredible!
I made it just like recipe but I’m the end I added some Tony Chacheres seasoning and “BAM” it was delicious!
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know!
This soup looks amazing!!
can I just use wild rice.
wild rice does take a while to cook
That should work!
Followed this completely and was very very mushy and bland. Pretty disappointed. Should not be a crockpot receipe
Sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this one!
This is SO good! I made it a while back & just came across the recipe again yesterday. This morning I bought all the ingredients. Can’t wait to make it again! Thanks so much for sharing!
So glad you like this recipe! Thank you for taking them time to come back and leave a comment!
Can I use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs? I’m not a big fan of thighs for some reason
Absolutely!
Hello, should I rinse my rice before adding it?
I don’t usually but if you’re worried about it bubbling up too much, rinsing may help. :)
Although this soup tastes delicious, I had the same issues as other readers – it turned out thick and mushy. I had checked mine at the 4 hour mark and good thing I did as it was almost completely dry. I ended up adding 6 cups of chicken broth to give it more of a souplike consistency. Next time I would only cook it for 2-2 1/2 hours.
I made this for the first time today. After I saw all the comments about mushy rice, I decided to wait and add it in about 2 1/2 hours before the soup was done. It turned out perfectly! Also, I couldn’t find a brown and wild rice blend, so I got 3 boxes of Rice-a-Roni long grain and wild rice mix (99 cents each) and left out the flavor packets. It worked well! Soup is delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your adaptations!
I made this soup again tonight, and after a few former attempts, I think I’ve finally perfected it! Tonight it came out soooo good!! Here are the minor changes I made. First, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs because I prefer white meat. Next, I added more amounts of the spices, especially salt, to give it extra flavor. I also used chicken broth (with salt added) and it tasted the same as the chicken stock. Lastly, since I have a newer slow cooker that cooks fast, I only cooked it for 5 hours on low before shredding the chicken and whisking in the heavy cream. Last time I made it, the rice practically disintegrated, but this time it was intact and the veggies even had a slight crisp to them. I always whisk in milk at the end to make it a more soupy consistency. It came out perfect! All three of my children enjoy this soup, which is rare. It’s definitely on the rotation. Thanks for the easy and super yummy recipe!
So glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment with your adaptations!
My children don’t like the “look” of wild rice (anything dark in their food makes them skeptical of trying new things lol!) so would I be fine to use just plain brown rice or will that affect the consistency of the soup? Would I need to up the liquid for this change? Thanks!
Plain brown rice should work fine in this recipe. :)
Soup is doing it’s thing in the slow cooker as I type this. A little over three hours in, and the smell is amazing already. I can’t wait to try it.
I hope you loved it!
Can you tecommend which rice to use (brand)?
Thank you
Any kind that isn’t quick cooking will work! I like Bob’s Red Mill products and they have a brown and wild rice blend.
After reading the comments about it being too think I’m so confused!! Mine is isn’t like stew at all and that’s what I was hoping for. I even used 1 cup less liquid than called for in the recipe. I can’t imagine what I did wrong :(
Strange! Did you buy regular rice or quick cooking? Quick cooking won’t absorb as much liquid.
This looks delicious! But I also just adore the dishes :)
Thanks!
This looks great. Just a quick question … I know I have some long grain rice in my panty, but I’m not sure from the recipie whether I should use the seasoning packets that come in the box or just the rice itself.
Just the rice itself and the seasonings indicated in this recipe. You might want to read the box though, if it’s quick cooking rice it may get very mushy in this recipe.
Where can I find this brand of chicken?
You can find out using their product finder: https://www.justbarechicken.com/where-to-buy
I love this chicken recommendation and used their search tool for my area. Luckily, in Chicago, I have several purchasing options right near me. Thank you for the info!
You’re welcome! Enjoy!
Can this be done as a freezer meal?
Not sure, I haven’t tested the recipe that way.
Made this today. Turned out great. Delicious and perfect consistency. Did 2 things different. I had a can of condensed chicken and mushroom soup in my cupboard so I put a little dollop on the chicken at the beginning. Then at the end I threw in 1/2 a bag of frozen corn I had. Yummy
So glad you liked it! I love the addition of corn.
Soup is great, just not sure why mine didn’t come out thicker.
Strange! Most people say it’s too thick!
Made this soup today and both my husband and I loved it! I didn’t have heavy cream so substituted 4 oz cream cheese. It added that little bit of creaminess so I would make that substitution again if necessary. I also added about a cup of yellow kernel corn because I thought it would just add to the deliciousness. It did! Thank you for sharing your recipes.
So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Just made this soup and it was a terrible mess! Not sure where I went wrong, but it was so thick and complete mush – not like soup at all. I followed the recipe exactly, but if I were to ever try this one again I would cook the rice separately then add it in toward the end.
Sorry to hear that! It’s definitely a close call between soup and stew on this one. :)
hi I was wondering would this soup work without the cream, or would coconut cream work? we have dairy allergies in the house :) it looks so delicious!
I think it would still taste great! It’s a very thick soup and because the rice cooks in the slow cooker, it’s almost creamy in nature before you add the dairy. I think you’ll love it!
I have made this a few times and have loved it! It needed salt before eating, but how great to have control over how much you individually put on.
So glad you liked it! And you’re right – many of my recipes tend to be shy on salt because that’s how we eat and it’s easier to add salt than it is to take it out! :) Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
This soup is delicious! You don’t have to wait for fall to make it:)
So glad you like it!
This slow cooker creamy chicken and wild rice soup sounds very good! However, my husband can’t tolerate onion. Will this recipe still taste good without the onion? Any other ideas? Thank you.
I think it would taste okay without onion. Won’t be exactly the same, but still good. You could maybe increase a few of your favorite herbs to compensate.
Hey terri…my husband always picks out onion. I’ve started using dried onion flakes in recipes like this one and it goes over MUCH better! It’s a little more subtle, but the flavor is still there and he doesn’t even notice. Also, I put the rice in halfway through the day and it came out less soggy.
I made this tonight and was disappointed. This soup was flavorless and I wondered if NO salt chicken stock was correct. I thought this recipe would taste similar to Panera’s chicken and wild rice soup, but it was very bland.
So sorry to hear that! We like to keep things pretty low in salt around here, which is why I write my recipes that way. It’s easy to add more salt to taste, but difficult to take it out once it is there. I would encourage you to add salt to achieve your desired taste.
im going to make this but in recipe it says 1/2 salt. How much? You left out. 1/2 of what? Looks good.
Ha, whoops! Thank you for letting me know. 1/2 teaspoon of salt, more to taste as desired. Enjoy!
Made this soup tonite. It is delicious but way too much rice. Next time I will use 1/2 to 3/4 cup uncooked. The rice also absorbed most of the broth which would not happen with less rice. But still yummy!
We personally love it more like a stew but absolutely, feel free to decrease rice for a thinner soup-like consistency.
I just made the chicken and wild rice soup the bomb it will go fast in our house wow
So glad you like it!
Must you put ingredients in like the picture or can they just be randomly mixed (with chicken on the bottom).
You can mix them all together however you’d like – just make sure the rice is covered with liquid. I just did it like that because it looked pretty. ;)
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Can I cook this on high for 4-5 hours and it still come out alright?
I haven’t tested it that way so I can’t make any promises, but it should work. :)
this was like oatmeal before it was done and a complete waste of money and time.
Sorry to hear that! We do like our soup on the thick side (more like stew), but you can easily thin it out with additional milk or water.
I agree. Just made it today, and the rice is so over cooked no one wants to eat it. I’ve made a similar recipe on the stove top and it was amazing. Live and learn I guess. Not trying to be insulting, just had to put that out there. And I cooked it for an hour less than recommended.
Ahh yeah for sure, it’s more of a stew type consistency. Slow cookers don’t always make the perfect food, but they are an easy shortcut! We loved the way this tasted but everyone is different. Thanks for your feedback! :)
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We had a long summer in San Diego, and my slow cooker is ready for the winter cooking. I’m itching to start baking and cooking cold weather food. This recipe looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it.
Looks like a great soup. I’ll have to look for the Bare Chicken. How nice to have chicken thighs that are already trimmed.
This slow cooker is the best invention! This is such warm and cozy comfort food, I love it!
I wish I could relate to your fall just a bit! It sounds gloriousl :) I’ve been craving soup lately, this looks incredible. My slow cooker is my BFF but I’ve been neglecting it lately (and paying for it). I think I’ve seen that chicken at Target? Need to start picking it up. Great recipe Rachel!
It finally feel like fall here too! Or could it be the 15 bags of leaves I raked today? ;-)
Boy oh Boy does that look delicious or what! Great recipe that I can’t wait to try :)
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
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Oh, I’d love coming home to this spectacular soup in my crockpot! LOVE that it has chicken AND wild rice—double yum!
It got chilly here over the weekend too and soup is all I’ve been craving. Love that you made this in the slow cooker, it looks so comforting and delicious!
I want it for lunch right now!
I’m obsessed with slow cooker meals and this one just looks so cozy and delicious! Making this soon!!
Mmmm love my slow cooker and yes it’s a necessity all year long for sanity mostly! Can’t wait to warm up to a big bowl of this delicious soup!
I’m loving the slow cooker meals and this is on my list to try soon!
This is my kind of dinner and yay for fall! I just need to pick up some chicken and we can have this for dinner this week.
I KNOW RIGHT? I put on a scarf the other day and was like WHAT?!!
I am totally needing a bowl of this comfort food goodness tonight, love that you added rice! Pinned!