Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
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Pure creamy comfort food made right in your crockpot! So quick, easy, and hearty with veggies, rice and chicken!
So first things first. Has anyone else finished Gilmore Girls on Netflix?
Because I just did. And I’m speechless.
Are there more episodes? Or are we supposed to use our imagination for the ending?
I’m just so confused but I digress.
Let’s talk about this soup instead. This crockpot chicken mushroom wild rice soup. Which is basically like chicken noodle soup.
Except way creamier with extra mushrooms. Just because. And because it’s super cold.
And also because I’m still confused about Gilmore Girls.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup wild rice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup half and half*
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker.
- Stir in chicken stock, wild rice, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Add mushrooms during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
- Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and half and half, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir chicken and milk mixture into the slow cooker. If the soup is too thick, add more half and half as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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This soup was delicious! However, I think it was too much chicken and not enough rice. The rice got lost in all the chicken and I just really wanted the rice!
Next time, I am going to do 1 pound of chicken and then double (maybe even triple) the amount of rice. Also, I did cook the rice separately because I didn’t want it to soak up any of the chicken broth in the crockpot.
What type of slow cooker is that? It’s beautiful!
Outstanding recipe– my entire picky family was pleased. I did find I needed to increase the chicken stock– probably used 3 to four extra cups as the soup was simply too dense without it. Next time I’ll also increase the milk and half and half. I diced onion and carrots in the food processor which made preparation very quick. In response to those commenters who said the soup was bland, that is because you have to taste as it cooks in order to season to taste. I ended up using quite a lot of salt and pepper to bring out the flavor, especially after adding extra chicken stock. I also sauteed mushrooms to add at the end for the grown-ups (after removing about half the soup for the teenagers). I used rotisserie chicken and added that near the end at the same time I added the milk mixture. We will add this to our regular meal rotation.
Great recipe. I used 1/2 cremini and 1/2 shitake mushrooms and the flavor was spectacular. Also use corn starch vs flour to eliminate gluten but it was perfect. Will use more chicken next time; love the tenderness after cooking all day.
It was very delicious. Everyone in my family loved it and definitely going to do it again .
Can you use this recipe in an instapot?
Actually found the recipe as is really bland. Had to add extra thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and poultry seasoning into the milk roue for it to have proper flavour. There was just no depth. That being said, once doctored up with extra seasoning it was quite tasty.
I love some Damn Delicious recipes enough to want to frame and hang them on the wall. ha!
This soup, however, is not one!
After searching far and wide, I found some ridiculously high-priced Minnesota Wild Rice, and excitedly gathered the other ingredients.
I followed the recipe to the letter, and cooked it on low for 6 hours.
When I added the mushrooms, I found the soup had turned into a gelatinous mess. The celery/carrots and rice were nowhere to be seen. It CERTAINLY did not look like the posted picture!
It’s not my slow cooker because I use it all the time with no problem.. The only good thing was the mushrooms. I was so disappointed, not to mention frustrated at the money I dropped on the ingredients.
I don’t think I will try it again, even with a far-shorter cooking time.
Ooops… I may have messed this up. I didn’t read all the way through and put it all in together at once. I guess we will see how this comes out.
How did it turn out?
Can you freeze leftovers?
The first time made this soup, my husband and I were in absolute aww with how delicious this soup is.
Family favorite now. I have made it with leftover rice, chicken from other meals we had previously, just as good. I added the cooked leftovers toward the end of the cooking process, so not to overcook.
Thank for such a delicious soup!
I couldn’t wait 6-8 hours so I bought the thin chicken. It was done in about 3-1/2 hours. I took the chicken out of the crock and turned the stock on high until the veggies were cooked which took about a half hour. I added the mushrooms or another 20 minutes. It was scrumptious!
A good hardy soup! Love the combo (I also added potatoes cause I wanted to use them up).
Don’t believe the :15 of prep, LOL. Chopping and measuring of course and then there is finish work on the stove for the cream stock and shredding the chicken.
I didn’t have wild rice so I cooked it separately and added after the rest of the soup was done. Very delicious! I will definitely make this again.
What type of slow cooker is that?
I’m having a tea and want to include this recipe to the menu. I’m not a fan of wild rice so would jasmine be ok to substitute? I’ll park cook it and add maybe the last hour. I Can’t wait to make it.
No- jasmine rice would be awful
So yummy and comforting!!
I used pure wild rice and it cooked within 3 hours on low (maybe my crockpot is broken and on high)? Anyways, I will add the rice later next time.
I agree – my soup kinda came out mushy next I will add it last- Atilla have to add mushrooms- good taste tho
Another great slow cooker recipe. I doubled the vegies and cut the chicken breasts in 1/2 inch cubs then placed into slow cooker. It does make lots for leftovers.
Do you have a calorie count
Do you cook the chicken before putting it in the crockpot?
No, put it in raw.
Just made this today….DELICIOUS
Made this on a snowy winter day recently… divine and so, so comforting! Not a fan of mushrooms so I left that out, still AMAZINGLY good. Had enough to feed the entire family again the next day. Highly recommend! Thank you so much or this recipe!!!
This soup is amazing and so easy to make. I didn’t have any chicken breast on hand so I used boneless chicken thighs and they worked out very well.
Can you use leftover chicken?
To Kim, put leftover chicken in at end just to heat it.
Can I freeze the leftover soup?
So comforting and delicious ❤️
I made this last night and it was hands down one of the very best most flavorful soups I’ve ever tasted. Wonderful recipe 10 out of 10 I would recommend ❤️
I love this soup. When I know tomorrow is going to be crazy I’ve taken to prepping all the ingredients except the liquid into a gallon ziplock the night before. Then in the morning I dump it all in the slow cooker with the broth and I’m out the door winning! It’s delicious!
DAMN Delicious is the perfect description. Love this and makes more than enough for sharing!! Thank you.
Followed the recipe but mine came out more like a porridge than it did soup.
Any suggestions where I went wrong?
Do you use wild rice or some blend. Normally, wild rice takes some time to cook. Just making sure I Understand.
Followed just as written with exception of using gluten free flour and rotisserie chicken! Was amazing!!! Thank you for the yummy soup!!
Excellent soup! The one thing I changed was I substituted smoked turkey at the end instead of using chicken. The flavor was amazing.
Wow! Incredible taste and easy to make. Rave reviews from teens and adults.
Just making sure, you do NOT have to precook or presoak the wild rice? I made wild rice in my slow cooker once and it was still hard when it was supposed to be done!
Great recipe and made with a combo of leftover Thanksgiving( Canadian) turkey and chicken. Sautéed the mushrooms with the garlic and added some lemon zest- added this when adding the cream mixture. So good for a cold windy fall day!!
DEFINITELY sauté your veggies before adding up to crockpot. Tasty recipe, I added about two teaspoons of poultry seasoning and kinders garlic and herb Seasoning, and about an extra cup chicken broth.
Hi, Can i freeze this soup?
The flavor is outstanding and what I was seeking. It is very easy to make. Using similar recipes, I have tried to make it on the stovetop and in an instant pot. This recipe was the better one. I did have to use white mushrooms (*sigh*). However, that was only a slight reality change; my wife had just come home just when I added the sliced white mushrooms moments before she came into the kitchen. The aroma went from “that smells really good” [foyer] to “WOW! I can smell the mushrooms!” [kitchen]. The next day it was a little thick so I added some more chicken broth because I wanted it to be a little more soupy.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! It was a little too thick so I used the half of my chicken broth I had left over instead of the half and half and it was still super screw my and thick.
Smelled so good as it was cooking. Absolutely delicious! Will definitely make it again.
I madebthis for dinner today, and we all loved it. I did substitute brown rice for the wild rice, as neither of us are big fans of wild rice. I only had heavy cream and 1% milk on hand so I used a cup of each. It actually was creamy enough for us without adding the butter and flour mixture. The rice made it plenty thick and creamy. We also wanted a little more seasoning, so I added a couple teaspoons of poultry seasoning, as we don’t add salt, due to hypertension issues. I’ll definitely make this again, as it’s so easy, and very filling! Thank-you!
Very easy, yummy. Paired with a grilled cheese.
Good idea!
I made it in the instant pot and it was delicious! I used fresh thyme, Rosemary, and parsley from my garden! I used less chicken and added garbanzo beans. I added spinach at the end for some extra nutrition and color. Instead of the half and half/flour mixture I whisked a bit of whole wheat flour and hot broth together. I added heavy cream to taste.
It was kind of an experiment with the instant pot. If I were to do it again this is what I would do:
1. Cook rice with 1 cup broth for 15 mins.
2. Add chicken, rest of broth, carrots, celery, onion, and spices and cook for 15 more mins.
3. Shred chicken. Add mushrooms, parsley, and cream while still hot let sit for a minute or two.
4. Serve!
So yummy!
You didn’t make the same recipe at all!
Hello!
I have made this several times, and I give it absolute raves! This time I am using my own homemade broth, and leftover chicken. How long should I cook it?
This is like magic soup. We felt s0 good after eating it and can’t wait for lunch to have more! My all wild rice did break down but I’ll add it later next time. Did not affect taste negatively. Highly recommend!!!
Love this recipe! Can you share a instant pot version so I can make it even faster?!
So yummy and comforting! I omitted the mushrooms because we aren’t fans, added a bit more carrots, and did a combo of 1.5 cups 2% milk & 1/2 cup heavy cream for the milk mixture. Turned out delicious! Will be adding this to our comfort recipe list 🙂
excellent soup!
Made this but the rice had turned the whole thing into a gelatinous mess half way through. Not sure why the rice cooked so quickly but otherwise good!
Make sure you’re using pure wild rice and not a wild rice blend 🙂
Agree! I accidentally used a wild rice blend but added 2 extra cups of broth when done cooking and it fixed the consistency. Will def make sure I have pure wild rice next time and not a blend 🙂
A few alterations based on personal preference: use boneless thighs, add TBSP fresh lemon juice at end, skip the flour/butter all together to save calories – don’t think it needs it. If you don’t have bay leaf, it’s OK (didn’t realize I was out). For more nutrients/color, add chopped bite size kale when you add mushrooms. Used only cup of half and half and it was plenty IMO.
Was great with leftovers for another day. I used fresh rosemary and thyme. Very well balance of aromatics and veggies!
Super easy to make and delicious!!!
Mase this with chicken thighs and wild mushrooms and finished it off with fresh cilantro and fresh rosemary sprigs. Also just a dot of dehydrated ghost peppers. Wish I could add a pic. Enjoyed with a crusty roll and a wheat beer. Gumball head.
To answer those who have asked about freezing, if I’m freezing with soup that contains cream I only add the cream to the portions I am serving at the time. In other words, if you’re going to freeze portions don’t add cream to them until you’ve defrosted and reheated. Hope this helps!
can this be cooked faster at a higher setting? like high for 4 hours?
I love love love this soup but when I make it in the slow cooker all of my liquid cooks out halfway through. I’ve tried turning down the temp – still have this issue. Anyone else have this issue? What have you done to fix it?
There’s something wrong with your slow cooker then. Liquid doesn’t evaporate in a slow cooker. That’s the whole point
No, that is a legitimate comment. Mine cooked much of the liquid out as well- I actually added 3 more cups of water after it had cooked 4 hours. The mix is rather gelatinous. Better after the recipe is completed. Has a delicious taste when in the mood for soup!
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup! Yummmm! We like adding extra rice! Thanks for sharing this AMAZING dish! This is a must have in your recipe box!
need the serving size please to track food intake.
We make this at least three times a month, and it’s hands down our 1-year-old’s favorite food. We’ve never tried it with the mushrooms, somehow. Mama’s happy because it’s so nourishing, Papa’s happy because you pour gravy in at the end, and the baby shovels it in hand over fist.
This looks delicious! However, I can’t have dairy. Can this be made with Almond milk?
Hi Joy! We can’t have milk products either. We use coconut milk and coconut heavy cream in ours and it turns out delicious! The coconut milk gives it just a teeny bit of a sweet flavor, which makes it even more delicious we think. It gives it that down home comfort food flavor.
Love this recipe and have made it several times. Had trouble finding the wild rice in the stores in Rehoboth Beach DE so used regular brown rice. Taste was good but way to thick as the rice absorbed most of the broth. Waiting to find out if this is freezable? Seems several people have asked but I can’t find/see the answer!!
Never freeze a cream soup.
Cream soups CAN be frozen. The method used to thaw and cook is the issue for cream-based soups, so the cream does not curdle!
Can this be frozen? Would greatly appreciate if recipes have an indicator if they are freezer-friendly. Ty!
This is excellent! Great as a main course for dinner in a cold winter night. As a plant based family I substituted chicken for Tofurkey lightly seasoned chicken, Silk half and half and Ripple milk. Absolutely wonderful!
Hi Nancy. Can you tell me what the Silk half/half is made of please?
Just made this today, and it seems like it should be thinker. I used one cup of skim milk and one cup of half and half. Should I have used 2% or whole milk instead?
This would have to be the most satisfying soup ever . A meal and soup all in one , in winter you can turn the aircon down because this soup warms your heart . Super tasty .
One of the best soups I’ve ever made, I like rich and creamy in a soup and this didn’t disappoint me, or us, we all loved it.
OK, we made this for the first time tonight. It was the best for a cold winter nights dinner! Very impressed. The only changes I made were to add another small can (approx. 2 cups) of chicken stock, a little less thyme and fresh rosemary instead of dried rosemary. Try this….it’s very good and hearty!
Tasty very good, but this makes a HUGE batch of soup! Cutting the recipe in half would be better!
I am making this tomorrow and wondering if you use leftover or pre-cooked chicken how do you adjust the cooking time in slow cooker?
Unfortunately, I don’t know, but I can say without a doubt you have to reduce the time or you will end up with mush.
Thanks! I decided if I use already cooked chicken then yes, of course, way less cooking time. I prepared everything in a huge pot stovetop. We were eating it within a couple hours
And yes, it was damn delicious. One thing I changed was cooking the rice separately and adding to the soup mixture last.
Just add the cooked chicken at the end at the same time as the milk mixture instead of at the beginning. If you add already cooked chicken at the top of a slow cook recipe it will come out tough. I’ve made this before with fresh chicken and leftovers, and I love it. It might be my favorite fall/winter recipe. I’ll be making this tomorrow with the leftover breasts from yesterday’s roast chicken.
Amazing! Such a flavorful and hearty dish. I’ve made this recipe twice and it is spot on!
Excellent recipe. I can’t have dairy, so I just added extra chicken broth, but kept everything else the same. The family loved it and I will make it often!
I love this recipe but the ads are crazy!!! They are right over where I’m typing, some can be gotten rid of but some stay right where directions are!! Very aggravating!! But the soup is delicious!!!
We are so sorry that you are having trouble using the website, Marilyn. The crazy ads keep our recipes free of charge to amazing readers like yourself and our team of 4 women employed during a year where many have lost their jobs and healthcare.
We recommend clicking on “print recipe” for an ad-free view of the instructions and ingredients. Hope that helps!
Great recipe! I used fresh chopped rosemary and thyme, half the mushrooms and an extra cup or so of stock. Also added some dried sage which pairs nicely with the mushrooms! It’s snowing here and I can’t wait for a full bowl of this soup with some crusty warm bread (instead of the tastes I’ve been sneaking)!
Made this last night and thought it to be excellent. I paid attention to other reviewers and added an extra cup of broth (should have made it 2 extra cups) and doubled the rosemary and thyme suggestions. This was very warming and satisfying and I will be making this again soon to use up the rest of the ingredients I purchased in order to try this recipe. Delicious!
Can this recipe be frozen
Excellent
Wild rice often gets a bad name because it turns BLACK during commercial parching. Good Minnesota and Wisconsin wild rice is not black, it is GOLDEN BROWN. The Ojibwe Indians carefully gather, dry and hand parch raw wild rice to bring out its wonderful flavor and aroma. Make sure the wild rice you buy is BROWN and labeled HAND PARCHED. You will enjoy the difference! (And your soup won’t turn gray!)
That is probably the MOST helpful addition of information I have ever seen in the comment section of a recipe. Thank you for sharing that information!
Delicious. I added 7 cups broth just because I had more carrots, celery and onion in the soup than it called for. Probably used 1lb chicken. Thought the flavor was great. Salted as directed.
By far my favorite soup I’ve ever made. I did have to ADD about 16oz of broth after 5 hours on low. The rice had absorbed most of the broth. And it’s still a very thick, hearty consistency.
Thanks!
It was good. Used Royal mixed wild rice. Wished it had more punch of flavor. It needed a great deal of salt and pepper in the end. Would use more spice, more garlic next time.
Can this be frozen
Its so good! But I followed the instructions and I had NO soup! Help!!!
This happened to me once because I added more rice then the recipe called for!
This soup was absolutely delicious! I always make new recipes just like the instructions say, and then usually put my own little twist on them if I like them, the next time I make them! However, I’m not sure I’d change anything on this delicious recipe?!
Made this soup twice, first time was so good! Just made again today with a different kind of wild rice and it was awful, the rice broke down completely in the crockpot and gave it an awful flavor, I had to throw it out 🙁
What is the best kind of wild rice to use with this recipe?
If you look above your comment to a more recent comment posted you might find the answer you have been looking for (if you hadn’t already.) Comment/input from Roz Whalen. Hope this helps!
Made this today – perfect dinner for a cold, wet, gloomy day. Everyone loved it! It was so filling, and I loved how easy it was – no sautéing required before putting everything into the slow cooker. Thank you for the great recipe!!!
i have this in my slow cooker right now! let me tell you, i’m absolutely in love with this soup i just threw everything into the slow cooker instead of making the roux in a separate pan. with the amount of stuff i have in this soup, i’m not even sure if i want to thicken it! probably the best soup i’ve ever made!
I’m not a huge soup person but my doctor said eating more soup will help with one of my chronic conditions. I tried this recipe and it’s a great base recipe. I’d say the flavor is halfway between chicken soup and chicken pot pie filling. Very satisfying (my main gripe with soups is that I never feel like I ate anything substantial), and pretty tasty. I couldn’t find any rosemary so I added in some other spices that generally go well with thyme to compensate. I can’t have wild rice because of the high fiber content so I used white rice instead, if you add it in around 1-2hours before the end of cooking it should work just fine. This recipe makes a LOT so unless you have a large family or plan on freezing leftovers it is likely a good idea cut everything in half. Might try mixing in roasted potatoes at the end next time.
Made this last night for dinner!!! SOOOOO YUM! Only thing I did different was add some Old Bay seasoning and made it in the Instant Pot. Sauteed chicken, onion, garlic, carrots and cellary just to brown the chicken. Set on MEAT STEW mode for 22min. Fast release, shredded the chicken, then added the milk mixture. YOU BET I’ll be making this a ton this fall! The whole family LOVED it! ***Tip, when I do this again, I won’t put the mushrooms in until after I release the pressure. The soup is still plenty hot to soften them up while I make the milk mixture. They were a little too soft otherwise.
Thank you for sharing that. I also have an instant pot so that’s helpful.
I made half a recipe just like the recipe says and it was SO GOOD!! Next time I’ll be making a whole recipe because I ran out too soon. Thank you, Chungah!
This was really good. A bit to creamy, but I can add less 1\2 and 1\2 and more milk. I added about a cup and a half of water too. To thick. Delicious tho.
This is a great recipe. Only adjustments I made were to remove celery and mushrooms, add fresh rosemary and slivered almonds, and a little more rice and cream. Turned out fabulous, highly recommend this!
Has anyone made this using dairy substitutes? I am wondering about using lactose free 1/2 and 1/2 and soy milk. Or would you recommend a nut based milk like cashew?
I used coconut milk, and it turned out ok.
Making this soup tonight. Yes I was left longing more from Gilmore Girls too. Not a nice way to end it.
Disappointed…. I really wanted to like this recipe but it was
too bland for me….This was surprising considering all the
ingredients that were in it …. Maybe I did something wrong
I don’t know… Taking it to a church dinner so I’ll see how that goes.,.
If it was too bland hun, you didn’t add the right amount of spices. IT had SOOO much flavor. Remember to taste test as you go so that you can adjust seasoning. 🙂
agreed. I followed the recipe as written and am quite disappointed in the lack of flavour.
I couldn’t find wild rice separately so I just used a box of uncle Ben’s wild rice & threw in that seasoning packet instead of using the recipe’s seasonings and it was really good!
So good
I just made this today. It was so yummy. I did cook it on high for 4 hours because I got started late. I probably would check on the chicken after 3 hours on high. Mine was good but any longer it would be dried out. Everything was delicious. My rice was perfect.
We had it with Cuban bread and butter. We have lots left for the next few days. Yum yum. Thanks for the recipe.
This was the first of your recipes I made and led me to your website (I found the recipe on pinterest). My picky 8 year old liked it so much he asked me to make it the next night for dinner again-he never asks for a repeat meal! Super yummy and cozy, I made it just as the recipe states except of course just a splash of white wine.
I followed the recipe however I made the recipe as followed in the instapot and used GF King Arthur Flour. I combined all of the ingredients as instructed and cooked the recipe on the meat stew function for 22 minutes. I followed instructions and added the milk flour and half and half at the end. It turned out perfect!
Made this today and its ahhhmazing! …but I changed some things. I doubled the recipe, used left over shredded chicken (didn’t cook it with the vegetables), did half chicken and half vegetable broth, used fresh thyme (2 small bundles), fresh rosemary (1 bunch) and used a 4 oz can of diced mushrooms. I cooked everything for an hour before adding the rice so the vegetables would cook enough…then added the rice for 3 hours (I used Lundbergs mixed wild rice)…mushrooms and chicken added once the rice and veggies were cooked and then made the thickening cream to add. I ended up moving everything from the slow cooker to stove because there wasn’t enough room to add the thickening mixture.
Really good- but I skipped the rice and added sweet potatoes and more spices.
Good
Can you substitute whole fat coconut milk instead of cream? Trying to make this dairy free!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! Good luck! 🙂
Wonderful flavors! Will definitely be making again
Simply delicious
It is a great dish. 1 thing I recomend to anyone attempting to make this, do no add wild rice to slow cooker, the dark wild rice will cause the whole dish to become a redish grey color, even if you rinse wild rice several times. Boil wild rice seperate, and then add at the end. Or substitute with a white rice of your liking. I had to make this dish twice to get it right. Wasted 1st batch. This dish is very delicious though.
Any idea how to make this in the instant pot?
Hi Kim! That’s a great idea but without having tried this ourselves, we cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let us know how it turns out!
I made this on my Instant Pot. Sauteed the carrots, celery and onions for about 5 minutes, then added all ingredients except for milk products and flour. Cooked for 20 minutes, non-venting, using the manual button on high. Let natural release for 10 minutes, then quick released the rest of the pressure. Removed the chicken to shred it a bit and then returned it to the pot. Turned the IP onto saute and added the milk products. Mixed 1/4 cup cornstarch (as a gluten-free substitution for flour) with a bit of water and added it to the pot. I then stirred until the pot came up to a light simmer, allowing things to thicken. AWESOME flavor and gluten free…it doesn’t get any better than this on a cold, snowy day!
I don’t usually follow recipes… I use them to get ideas and do whatever I feel like! But for some reason, I was very close to following this one, except I used more chicken (almost 2 lbs.) and I cooked it on high for 4 hours before doing the rest of the recipe… I just started late and realized I had to rush it a little. My family ABSOLUTELY LOVED this soup. Everyone said it’s a keeper! It was delicious and made a huge batch, which I have frozen for left overs. Next time I’ll increase the carrots for both the color and flavor/texture, but other than that, it’s perfect. You are my favorite food blogger, always coming up with fantastic ideas. Thank you for this one, as my family said… “it’s a keeper”!
My slow cooker has never failed me before, but I had problems with my soup.
Per instructions, of “cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Add mushrooms during the last 30 minutes of cooking time,” I added the mushrooms at 5 1/2 hours.
The mushrooms came out perfectly cooked and delicious however: at 5 1\2 hours, the Minnesota Wild Rice had totally disintegrated. With the rice being black, that turned the soup a disgusting shade of grey and left the soup with an overpoweried by the distinctive taste of wild rice, rather than as an accent flavor had it stayed intact.
I was SO disappointed because I was really looking forward to loving this recipe.
Also…..I HATE “salt and pepper to taste.” Seasoning can make or break a recipe. If you are trying a recipe for the first time, you have no idea how much to add. It might be ever so helpful, Chungah, if you could said, for instance, “I used one teaspoon of salt. Adjust to your taste.” That would at least give a starting point to begin adjusting.
Thanks for listening!
I need to amend my comment.
Althought the soup was still a funky shade of grey, the leftovers a couple of days later were amazing!
The flavors had melded together and were absolutely DELICIOUS.
Super tasty but the broth was gone so I heated some more up in a saucepan with seasonings and added. I also bumped up the amount of seasonings listed as usually these recipes, tho delicious, are very shy about them. Overall it taste wonderful after I tightened up with a lil extra
Can this be cooked faster on High? How long?
Is there stovetop directions?
What a wonderful soup. The rosemary and thyme filled my home with autumnal smells and it absolutely tastes as good as it smells. Because I have high cholesterol, I did make a few changes; I used 2% milk only and omitted the flour as I didn’t have any. It lowered both saturated fat and calories as an end result. Not as thick, but delicious.
About how long would you think I should cook this using an instapot pressure cooker?
Hi!
Can I freeze this?
This sounds delicious but can you make substitutions for gluten and dairy free?
Suzanne, did you happen to try this with coconut milk? This recipe looks delicious and I’d love to make it allergy friendly for my kiddo.
This looks delicious! Would this work dairy free using canned coconut milk?
Thanks for all the wonderful Recipes!
Jenn, did you happen to try this with coconut milk? This recipe looks delicious and I’d love to make it allergy friendly for my kiddo.
I make this with unsweetened almond milk and unsweetened coconut coffee creamer, earth balance in place of real butter. Also, I do not use flour, the rice thickens the soup enough. So we make it dairy free and gluten free. It is still amazing!
This is the best darn chicken soup ever! I have made it for charity soup fest events, and it is always the first soup to disappear! I must admit to altering the recipe just a tad – I use full heavy cream instead of half and half – it adds a richness that has to be tasted to be believed.
I agree – it’s the best!
This is the best chicken wild rice soup recipe I’ve ever made. I’ve shared this recipe over and over again.
Do you cook the wild rice before adding to the crockpot? Wild rice takes a while to cook and needs plenty of liquid.
No, it does not need to be precooked. I’ve made this plenty of times myself and it actually cooks quicker than you think. Hope you’ll enjoy it!
Do you think adding asparugus towards the end would work? Have a bunch need to use?
Yes, that sounds amazing!
I followed the recipe exactly and it was nothing great. I wouldn’t make it again
Is it safe to use fresh (uncooked) wild rice? Got it from the bulk section of Central Market.
Thanks!
Hi!
I want to make this but didn’t realize it was 8 hours in the slow cooker. How would you suggest making it on the stove top?
If I were to halve this recipe, would I cook it for the same amount of time?
You would have to adjust the time, because you don’t have has much liquid. I would set it for shorter and then adjust if necessary. Please use your best judgement with modifications! I hope it goes well!
Hi! Do you happen to know what brand of wild rice you used? Thanks!
I believe it was Lundberg.
I always worry that skinless, boneless breasts will turn out dry and/or chewy. They work out pretty well consistently for everyone?
Yes I’ve used chicken breast and last time chicken thighs! Delish either way.
This is hands-down the best chicken wild rice soup recipe I found and is my go to when making this tasty dish. Thank you!!!
This looks amazing. If you were in a time crunch is this something that could be made using the instant pot?
Whoa. My husband just made me a mix cd last night that he titled, “Luke’s Diner”. It has some great GG tunes on there. And today, I’m looking at this recipe. Seems like fate.
Wow, this is one of the best soups I have ever cooked! Thank you so much for this recipe. I altered a few of things, though. I used nutty soy milk and replaced the celery with leek. And as I don’t have a slow cooker, I used a Dutch oven instead – the total cooking time was 1 hour – mushrooms (I used a selection of forest mushrooms) thrown in at the last quarter.
Just made this today!! I didn’t have any mushrooms on hand so those were omitted, but I cannot wait to go buy all the ingredients and try again with the mushrooms!! It was calling out for them! My rice was perfect, the consistency was perfect, and as to the flavor (addressing come comments above) I did add the package of seasoning from my boxed wild rice and seasoning mix at the end before adding the cream mixture, and loved it!! HOWEVER, I tasted it before adding that seasoning and it was still so good!!!! In fact, I plan to make it to the extact recipe next time. Thanks so much! Going for seconds now! 🙂
My family loved the soup and have already requested to have again. Had great flavor,
,melled wonderful, and was a tasteful dish….
The wild rice “pops” better and keeps its texture if you start the soup with just the rice and chicken for an hour, then add the chicken. I also add onions sliced very thin and caramelized in 3 to 4 TBLS butter, then cooked briefly with an equal amount of flour. Also helps to add green tobasco or hatch chili peppers (or the dried version).
These recipes look wonderful!
This recipe was disappointing, barely any flavor and the texture of the wild tice was lost (mushy). I am not sure what was lacking, I used premium ingredients. I had to add 3+ cups of broth in the end, it was all absorbed by the rice. Not a repeat recipe. I typically cannot get enough of your recipes 🙂
Any chance you used a “long grain and wild rice” mix instead of all wild rice ? I’m just asking because regular rice absorbs a lot more liquid than wild rice and probably would get mushy with the long cook time.
If I remember correctly, I believe I used wild rice. Hope that helps!
Chungah, I just love your recipes–I’m a longtime lover of your site, and typically make at least one Damn Delicious recipe a week. Thank you for sharing them!
I’m planning to make this for dinner tonight and have never cooked with wild rice; I just want to clarify…should I use wild rice only, as the recipe seems to indicate? Would a blend possibly change the doneness/cook time?
Hi Katie – thanks for being such an avid follower!
I recommend using wild rice only as any other type of rice can effect cooking time.
This was and will be delicious. It does freeze quite well.
I have just completed making this recipe and overall I followed the steps and I think it came out delicious. It makes a full crockpot. I did shred the chicken at 4 hours of low cooking, added the button mushrooms (didn’t have crimini) and after 30 minutes added the cream/milk. Spicewise, it’s a great start just as is. I might add a little more salt in my bowl, but we’ll play it by ear. By cutting off the cooking at 4.5 hours, the rice is fine.
This looks just crazy delicious !!!
I’m sad to say I made this last night and it was tasteless. I had to add way too much salt and pepper and some grated Parmesan for flavor. It defines needed more carrots too and as much as I love mushrooms I used under half of what the recipe said cuz there were a ton!
I have made this a couple of times now and as far as I can see the mushrooms are part of where the “yummy” comes from. The first time it seemed like I had far too many mushrooms (they were piled up high over the top of the pot) but I pushed them down into the hot liquid until they started to shrink down. Next time I used fewer mushrooms and it wasn’t as good. Third time I went back to the full amount of mushrooms and the taste came back.
I added 2tsp. Turmeric, 1/2 tsp. Curry and 1/2 tsp. Rosemary to add a little extra flavor. The results were great!
This looks delicious! Can I use the stovetop instead?
Yes, of course.
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
If I wanted to make the soup on the stove top how would I do that ?
This is basically making chicken soup with roux. You fry your chicken until browned and then shred it. With the chicken juices leftover in pot (I use a Dutch oven) fry your onions, garlic, add carrots then celery (fry each about 2 minutes). You can add a little chicken broth if it becomes a little dry as you’re frying. Once everything is a little soft, add the rest of the broth, seasoning, mushrooms and chicken and let it simmer for about an hour (I like to add a little bit of dried dill instead of using parsley, brings flavors together nicely and good for colds). For the wild rice… find out how long it takes for it to fully cook, mine was 30 minutes so i waited until the last 30 minutes in my hour simmer to add the wild rice. During the last 10 minutes or so, you make your roux- milk, heavy cream, butter and flour (pour milk/heavy cream in a bit slowly and continuously stir- if you pour too fast you will get clumps which isn’t so bad but a bit annoying).. add to your soup and you’re all done! What a delicious recipe and a great twist on chicken noodle soup! 🙂
I made this recipe today. It came out mushy. I think i will either add the rice towards the end or cook it separately then add it to the crockpot. But other than that this recipe is awesome! Great flavor!
I don’t have wild rice but have brown rice. Do you think that would be okay !
This was good albeit a bit bland. I used 3 bone in chicken thighs because that’s what I had on hand. I followed exactly but I added garlic salt toward the end, for more flavor. The rice was basically mush at the end of 6 hrs of cooking, as well as my chicken. Next time I’ll add the rice about an hour before it done, or cook it separately and add at the end. It was very comforting and my husband seemed to like it, but it just needs ‘something’ as far as more seasoning.
This was delicious…and sooo easy! I love the fact that your recipes have real ingredients instead of processed ones. I have a growing list of other recipes I must try!
This was SO delicious, everyone in the family loved it including my 18 month old and my 5 year old. We made it dairy free using unsweetened cashew milk and vegetable oil instead of butter. Will absolutely be making this again. Two thumbs up!!!
Hello
I’m just making this and I will have left overs wondered if it will freeze?
Thank you
Have you ever tried the recipients with brown or white rice? Also if I was planning on saving the soup for another day, would it be best to cook rice separately and add later
I actually haven’t – sorry! And yes, I recommend keeping the rice separate if you plan to serve later.
I made this over the weekend – good flavor, creamy and comforting. The only thing I would change – after cooking low and slow in the crockpot my wild rice pretty much disintegrated. It tasted good and I love the convenience of the crockpot (and it makes the chicken great), but in the future I would follow this exact recipe just on the stove instead so that the rice maintains it’s texture. It was also incredibly thick (probably just due to the dissolved rice) but that was easily fixed with a little more broth.
This looks delicious but for gluten/lactose free could I omit the flour and milks and use a can of coconut milk? Any one try this? I was thinking almond milk but i prefer the milkier consistency of he canned coconut (for full fat)
I’ve made this a few times and use almond milk without issue. I cook the mushrooms on the stove and add the mushrooms, milk and fresh parsley at the end to just heat through. I also find this is a soup that is better the next day. I’ve never had the discoloring issue with the rice though. I normally cook it on low for 6-8 hours, depending on time.
I made this last night and cooked it on low for 8 hours. All of my chicken broth was gone at the end so it wasn’t really a soup. How do I fix this
You can add additional chicken broth, as needed.
How long do you recommend cooking if the slow cooker is set to high? Can’t wait to try!
About 3-4 hours.
So bummed… cooked on low for 6 hours and my rice is way overcooked.
My Lundberg Wild Blend Rice was WAY overcooked. Next time I will cook rice separately and mix in at the end.
Also used Lundberg Wild Rice blend – did 3 – 3.5 hours on high and it came out great.
Finished it on the stove, though, because you definitely need a 6 quart crockpot! I made the dairy portion in a pot then added everything from the crockpot. Yummy, but will just do it on the stove next time.
I made this recipe and it is delicious!! I was wondering however what is the serving size in cups? I am counting my calories and want to add the most accurate info. Thank you so much!
About 1-2 cups.
I used a wild rice mix from World Market that turned the chicken and soup into an unholy shade of purple … quite a Bridget Jones moment … other than that, this was really good! Mushrooms added texture and flavor.
Could you please tell me what brand of slow cooker you used for your Chicken with Rice soup, I love the look of it?
All-Clad!
What can I sub for the milk and heavy cream to keep it non dairy? Would 2 cups if soy milk work??
I tried the recipe yesterday and really like it but did find the soup was too buttery after adding the creamy mix. I skimmed the butter off the top of the soup. I would definitely make it again though without the butter.
Do you think this would this be suitable to freeze? Thinking of making a batch & freezing portions for quick lunches. Thanks
Agreed, a great recipe. I used all half and half. Cremini mushrooms. Worked out fine. Very little effort and a wonderful result.
What cooker did you use? I can’t quite make out the label. And this does look fantastic!
Thanks!
All-Clad!
This is a fantastic recipe, Thank you! My guests loved it.
After 4 hours my wild rice was nowhere near cooked. I ended up moving it to another pan and cooking ontoo if the stove. I’m using real wild rice not boxed precooked. Maybe that’s the difference. Otherwise it was great!
Can jasmine white rice be used instead of wild rice?
Yes!
Can I use long grain white rice?
Yes, of course, but please be mindful that cooking time can change with substitutions.
I used coconut milk and added a little spice…it was amazing! Thank you for this recipe!
Gilmore Girls !!! You must listen to Gilmore Guys podcast or watch their YouTube channel …. awesome.
Stars Holla !!
There seems to be an error in the nutritional information. It shows the total calories as 375 and that 675 of them are from fat…
Do you know how long this would take to cook if I do not have a slow cooker and used a pressure cooker instead? Thanks so much 🙂
I cooked it for 2.5 hours on the stove in a Dutch oven and it turned out great!
This looks delicious! The 1 cup of wild rice is the dry amount and that is added uncooked to the slow cooker, correct? Thank you.
Yes!
Made this tonight and found it to be tasty, although even after cooking for 7 hours, the carrots and celery seemed a bit crunchy. Next time, I’ll saute the carrots, celery, and onion in a little butter before adding to the crock pot.
Hi, next time try a small dice on the veggies, i did and I had no problem. The neat part of this recipe is that it is shred, dice, measure, slice and turn the crock pot on. I also did not add the 1/2 & 1/2 or milk but I added 2 more cups of broth (low sodium). Turned out creamy as well.
Easy recipe to follow and turned out fantastic! Prepped it while putting up the Christmas tree and enjoying it for dinner.
Do you have to fry the chicken afterwards, or can it be eaten as is at that point?
What do you mean by “fry”?
In step 4, when you use the butter in the sauce pan? Is that step necessary in order for the soup to be creamy, or can you just eat it as is at the end of step 3?
Yes, the step is necessary for creaminess! 🙂
Yumm! looks gorgeous! I love wild rice.
What can I sub for the milk and heavy cream to keep it non dairy? Would 2 cups if soy milk work??
Hi, I made this soup last night and I did NOT add the milk or 1/2 & half but I used 8 cups of broth (2 cartons) and a little more if needed.. My soup still was thick and creamy. Next time I will use other seasonings to our taste. I used a Rotisserie Chicken shredding it before I put it in the pot. I also served the soup with some graded par cheese. This recipe makes a lot and would serve at least 6 – 8 bowls
JOANNA, Was the chicken overdone? I have leftover chicken but I didn’t know when I could add it.
Joanna, you could just put the leftover chicken in after cooking, as it only needs to be warmed up. That way it doesn’t dry out. 🙂
Canned coconut milk.
I have substituted unsweetened almond milk very successfully for milk in crock pot recipes. Soy or cashew milke will work well too. Just make sure that it is unsweetened.
I’m making this next week! It looks so good! I have a feeling there will be more Gilmore Girls. I have to say, I was a little disappointed in the new series. The characters just didn’t feel quite right.
This looks amazing but my kids do not like mushrooms. Would it still taste good if I left them out? Or, what other veges may I substitute?
Thank you!
Yes, you can omit!
It’s FREEZING here (we’re under an extreme cold weather warning, it’s -21C without windchill) and I have some leftover rotisserie chicken to use up so this is timely!
Can evaporated ever be substituted for the cream? I always have a can on hand and have wondered. Not that I’m against the heavy cream! But some days call for soup and I rarely have heavy cream.
I have used skim milk, evaporated milk (regular, low fat and fat free) very successfully in crock pot recipes calling for cream. I have also used unsweetened almond milk successfully if I’ve needed it to be dairy free. Obviously it’s not as thick and creamy as using heavy cream, but it definitely works. I have also added a few Tbsp of Tapioca starch to help thicken it when I don’t use cream.
Oh that looks yummy. I’ve been wanting to make more soups.
And yeah, that ending!! I don’t know. I hope they do more episodes.
On my way to the grocery store! Making this tonight. And as for Gilmore Girls? I am still in shock!!
You just made my 83 year old mother very happy! Thank you.
When do you add the noodles which are pictured in the final soup?
There are no noodles in this recipe.
That Gilmore Girls ending! It was perfect in a full circle type of way, but I want more…
And this soup looks so warm and comforting!!
This looks so good. Could you please supply nutritional info? I can’t use the word diet any more. It implies that there is a beginning and an end to weight loss. I now use the words “Lifestyle change”. I’ve lost 25 pounds and I would love to try this soup.
The nutritional information is listed below the recipe.
Thank you for posting the nutritional value – makes cooking and watching calories easier! What is a serving size?
About 1-2 cups.
Ed, I did not use the milk or cream for our lifestyle change as well, I just used two 32 oz cartons of chic broth OR 4 1/2 cans of low sodium broth. My soup turned out creamy as the rice will help with the consistency. Add more broth at the end if needed. NO flour, no milk or 1/2 & 1/2 will bring the soup to a much lighter level and it’s creamy. Try it!
Thanks SO MUCH for this info, Joanna! Super helpful!!!!
Thanks a lot for the info; I was a little discouraged do to allergies of some ingredients.
Thank you for the dairy-free version, Joanna! I’m making this soup to help fight a cold/flu, so avoiding dairy is key. Bring on the chicken broth!
Yum! We’ve already got two snows here in Ohio so we need this!
This looks so comforting!