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.
michelle says
can I just use wild rice.
wild rice does take a while to cook
Rachel Gurk says
That should work!
Alaina says
Followed this completely and was very very mushy and bland. Pretty disappointed. Should not be a crockpot receipe
Rachel Gurk says
Sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this one!
J9 says
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!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you like this recipe! Thank you for taking them time to come back and leave a comment!
Brittany Lee says
Can I use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs? I’m not a big fan of thighs for some reason
Rachel Gurk says
Absolutely!
Marina says
Hello, should I rinse my rice before adding it?
Rachel Gurk says
I don’t usually but if you’re worried about it bubbling up too much, rinsing may help. :)
Daphne says
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.
Laurie S. says
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!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your adaptations!
Sasha says
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!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment with your adaptations!
Jnet says
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!
Rachel Gurk says
Plain brown rice should work fine in this recipe. :)
Michael says
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.
Rachel Gurk says
I hope you loved it!
Steff says
Can you tecommend which rice to use (brand)?
Thank you
Rachel Gurk says
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.
Sara says
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 :(
Rachel Gurk says
Strange! Did you buy regular rice or quick cooking? Quick cooking won’t absorb as much liquid.
Mrs Major Hoff says
This looks delicious! But I also just adore the dishes :)
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks!
Heather says
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.
Rachel Gurk says
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.
Sue says
Where can I find this brand of chicken?
Rachel Gurk says
You can find out using their product finder: https://www.justbarechicken.com/where-to-buy
Brin says
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!
Rachel Gurk says
You’re welcome! Enjoy!