Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
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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’ve been using my slow cooker more than I care to admit. But actually I use that baby all year round. 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.
About this Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
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 creamy chicken and wild rice soup 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. Or try this slow cooker chicken kale soup recipe, with chicken breasts, cannellini beans, and lots of veggies.
Enjoy – and stay warm!
Boneless skinless chicken thighs are so versatile.
I love the flavor that boneless skinless chicken thighs add to soups and main dishes. Here’s a few more recipes for you:
- Chicken Barley Soup with Butternut Squash and Kale
- Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken Thighs
- Honey Balsamic Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Thighs Sheet Pan Dinner with Smashed Potatoes and Green Beans (Whole30 compliant)
- Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken (with cranberry sherry BBQ sauce)
- Crispy Chicken Thighs with Dijon and Dill (sheet pan dinner)
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked wild and brown rice blend (see 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
Instructions
- 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 stirring.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed before serving.
Notes
- I always use the inside stalks of celery with the leaves for soup – they have great flavor.
- 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
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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.
Anette says
Can this be done as a freezer meal?
Rachel Gurk says
Not sure, I haven’t tested the recipe that way.
Jessica says
My experience is not to freeze when there is milk or cream in it. But you should be able to freeze BEFORE adding the cream?
Rachel Gurk says
I think so! It will probably get a little thicker as the rice absorbs liquid, too.
Brett says
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
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! I love the addition of corn.
Pettee says
Soup is great, just not sure why mine didn’t come out thicker.
Rachel Gurk says
Strange! Most people say it’s too thick!
Linda W says
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.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Susan says
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.
Rachel Gurk says
Sorry to hear that! It’s definitely a close call between soup and stew on this one. :)
Rachel McCoy says
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!
Rachel Gurk says
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!
Allison says
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.
Rachel Gurk says
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!
Jennifer says
This soup is delicious! You don’t have to wait for fall to make it:)
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you like it!
Terri Montgomery says
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.
Rachel Gurk says
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.
Allie says
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.
Cammi says
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.
Rachel Gurk says
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.
Rebecca Chambers says
im going to make this but in recipe it says 1/2 salt. How much? You left out. 1/2 of what? Looks good.
Rachel Gurk says
Ha, whoops! Thank you for letting me know. 1/2 teaspoon of salt, more to taste as desired. Enjoy!
Judi says
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!
Rachel Gurk says
We personally love it more like a stew but absolutely, feel free to decrease rice for a thinner soup-like consistency.
Michelle says
I just made the chicken and wild rice soup the bomb it will go fast in our house wow
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you like it!
Laurie Story says
Must you put ingredients in like the picture or can they just be randomly mixed (with chicken on the bottom).
Rachel Gurk says
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. ;)
Jessie says
Can I cook this on high for 4-5 hours and it still come out alright?
Rachel Gurk says
I haven’t tested it that way so I can’t make any promises, but it should work. :)