Oh, how I love hearty real food slow cooker recipes, especially when it requires no advanced cooking! My kids especially loved when I packed this chicken and wild rice soup in their school lunch. This Chicken and Wild Rice Slow Cooker Soup is packed with vegetables, perfect for the colder months.
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So here’s another one to add to your repertoire. Be sure to freeze the leftovers in individual portions, making it easy for you to pull out for lunches.
Also, this recipe is one of those that is rather flexible, so here are some variations to meet your needs:
- Don’t like celery? Substitute carrots.
- Don’t like mushrooms? Omit them from the recipe.
- On a tight budget? Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts.
- Short on time? Buy pre-sliced mushrooms.
- Like being thrifty? Make and use homemade stock.
- Try this Pressure Cooked Brown Rice.
- Too busy to cook during the week? Make this over the weekend and you can count on leftovers.
Enjoy!
Chicken and Wild Rice Slow Cooker Soup
Oh, how I love hearty real food slow cooker recipes, especially when it requires no advanced cooking! My kids especially loved when I packed this chicken and wild rice soup in their school lunch. This Chicken and Wild Rice Slow Cooker Soup is packed with vegetables, perfect for the colder months.
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Servings: 8 people
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Ingredients
- 1/2 onion (medium, diced)
- 3 ribs celery (diced)
- 6 ounces mushrooms (fresh, sliced or diced)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup whole grain wild rice
- 1 pound chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 8 cups chicken broth (homemade recommended*)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- almonds (toasted (optional topping))
Instructions
- In a slow cooker, place the onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic, rice, raw chicken, salt, and pepper. Pour the broth over top. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
- Chop or shred chicken. Stir in the heavy cream, ladle into soup bowls and top with toasted almonds (if using). Put the leftovers in the fridge or freezer (in individual portions).
Notes
- *Overnight Chicken Stock in the Crockpot
- Omit optional almonds to make nut-free.
- We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Chicken and Wild Rice Slow Cooker Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 141
Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 57mg19%
Sodium 1236mg54%
Potassium 533mg15%
Carbohydrates 4g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 14g28%
Vitamin A 305IU6%
Vitamin C 19.1mg23%
Calcium 38mg4%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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This was very good. I didn’t have wild rice on hand so made it with regular white rice which meant the texture was a little off. The rice sort of dissolved and turned a bit gelatinous and mushy but — it was still delicious! I will try it with wild rice next time, and cook it while I am at work. I added celery and carrots as the recipe suggested. I only did 2 cloves of garlic because my hubby doesn’t like garlic much. I will do this recipe again!
I’m glad it still turned out tasty for you. – Nicole
First, let me say I normally love all your recipes. I have both your cookbooks, and this site is my go-to for recipes. However, this soup was a huge fail at our house.
The soup was not at all creamy like we had hoped, it was just runny. I’m going to try to thicken up the leftovers.
And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but there was too much garlic. We adore garlic and usually put extra garlic in things, but the five cloves here made it so that garlic was just about the only thing we tasted in the soup.
There needed to be some other flavor, too. I’m going to add some sage to the leftovers and see if that doesn’t help.
This is not something I would make again, though.
Hi Bonnie,
I’m sorry to hear that this recipe wasn’t a hit for you. Hopefully, the added sage (sounds like a good idea!) helped turn this around for your tastebuds. – Nicole
I feel like there is a step or two missing. There are no steps for what to do with the chicken. Cut in to chunks before placing in the crock pot? Pull out and shred?
Hi there. Chop the chicken into small peices. I’ll be sure to get that added to the recipe.
I made this soup tonight and it turned out great! It was so easy to put together. 4 hours on low was the perfect amount of time for me, the chicken was cooked all the way through and the rice was just done. Unfortunately, the grocery store I bought the ingredients in didn’t carry pure wild rice– they only sold a wild rice mixed with white rice, so I had to settle for that :/
Made with ingredients exactly as written, except used frozen chicken breast, light coconut milk instead of heavy cream, and cooked on low for 8 hours. Came out perfect!
Made this tonight and it turns out perfect. We all loved it!
I made this soup on the stovetop and added my leftover shredded chicken and it was great! I brought it to a boil and let it simmer for a couple of hours!
I will try this and substitute Greek yogurt for the cream. Do you know if plain brown rice works well? Thanks!
Hi. I’ve used brown rice in this recipe and it worked but prefer the texture of the wild rice.
Hi! I love making soups from your website. I have a bunch of leftover shredded chicken and wanted to make this recipe on the stovetop and add the chicken in at the end. What is your recommendation for not using a crock pot but cooking it on the stove? Thank you!
Alicia, we have not tried this recipe on the stovetop yet. Sorry!
I also had issues with the cooking time. After 4 1/2 hours on low, the rice was not cooked at all. I then read everyone’s comments about experiencing the same issue. I put it on high for about 2 hours after that and then the rice was completely mush and fell apart and you would never know there was rice in there. I decided to add chopped/diced roasted red potatoes to the soup (roasted with olive oil, pepper, garlic salt @ 450 for 30 min) and it was amazing. I know that takes away from the “chicken and wild rice soup” but it was delicious. I now know that I can’t put it on low but this is still a great recipe!
Hi Mariel, I am sorry you had a problem with the cooking setting. It does sound like your slow cooked might not get hot enough on the low setting. I have two slow cookers and one gets to0 hot on low setting. I think every brand is different and unfortunately sometimes it takes a trial and error. I get so frustrated when a meal doesn’t turn out, so I love that you reinvented the dish to make something delicious.
I used high quality organic ingredients and followed the recipe to a T and the result is somewhere between bland and downright unappetizing. Not thin enough to be a broth based soup, not thick enough to be a cream-based soup and the dominant flavors are onion and garlic. And not in a good way. (Doesn’t help that the onions are still crunchy — I saw earlier reviews that it needs to be cooked longer, but everything else is fine. Just the onions are an issue). Definitely won’t make again and sorry to say I will probably throw out the giant batch of soup it made :*(
I don’t have wild rice. Can I use brown rice as a substitute? Or a wild and white rice mix? Other ideas?
Hi Laura. Yes, both of those would work just fine.
This soup was delicious, but I was surprised to have the same difficulty with cooking time that others have had. Other recipes from 100 Days have worked just fine in my slow cooker, so I thought this one would as well. To avoid the issue, I used High for the first hour, then Low for 4 1/2 hours. Rice and celery were still pretty crunchy. I then alternated between high/low for another 1 1/2 hours, and the end result was great. Would there be a down side to cooking this on High instead? This time I made it exactly as written, next time I think I would add some grated carrot. I made the whole chicken in the slow cooker recipe, then made the broth overnight and this soup the next day!
Hi Barbara. Cooking it on high should be fine but you may need to shorten the cooking time.
What containers do you use to freeze individual portions? And do you use any general guidelines to freeze whole make-ahead meals?
Hi. We use small freezer safe mason jars for soup: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/my-kitchen-essentials/?sShop=&shopcats%5B%5D=461. Here is more info on freezer meals: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2015/03/23/freezer-meals-why-you-should-make-your-own/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/02/18/slow-cooker-freezer-recipes/.
This turned out so much better than I imagined. Very good and super easy! I cooked on high hoping to shorten the cooking time, but wild rice takes a long time to cook, so it still took 4 hours. But it was worth the wait!
Can this be made without dairy?
Hi. Yes, you can leave it out or use an alternative.
Hi! I made this soup last night. I looked at all the comments and decided to cook it on high for 4 hours. It was perfect!
Wild rice always seems to have a tiny crunch because of the husk, so everything was cooked all the way through. I would definitely marinade the chicken in spices next time to give it more flavor, but still 5 stars. Thank you!
I had the same problem others apparently had…5 hours on low heat meant I just tried to serve uncooked soup to my family. I’m sure it’ll be great when the vegetables and rice aren’t hard, but a low setting for this soup does NOT work. Very disappointing.
I made this soup last night and I think it’s delicious, and so easy! However, the heavy cream base was thinner than I would like. (I typically enjoy thicker soups.) Is there any way to thicken the soup slightly? Thank you for the new recipe.
Hi Andrea. You could go heavier on the cream. Here are a few other options, though we would avoid the cornstarch route: http://www.thekitchn.com/soups-on-7-ways-to-make-any-so-106057. :)
My veggies & rice were still hard after 5 hours. Very disappointing! I’m wondering if this should have been cooked on high instead?
Hi Donna. It does sound like your slow cooked might not get hot enough on the low setting.
Oh, and a frozen diced onion, carrot, & Carney mix
Celery. And apparently half veggie broth….
Why is my rice still hard pellets after 6 hours? What did I do wrong?
My rice was hard after 5 hours too. I then cooked it on the stove for another hour. Don’t think that the crock pot got hot enough on the low setting.
We’ve all been sick for days and working with what i have on hand. Frozen chicken I’ll shred art the end, canned mushroom, and brown rice. Hoping for the best!
Hello,
What do recommend as the best substitution for the cream (due to lactose intolerance) and in what quantity? I prefer not to use coconut based as high in saturated fat and I am not coconut fan. Will Lactaid make it too sweet and of thin consistency? Thanks!
Hi Donna. You can use Lactaid. It will not have the same consistency but should work fine. You can also leave it out all together. ~Amy
Made this yesterday and it was a total hit with my husband and kids! My husband devoured it happily whe my 4 yr. old daughter kept telling me she “LOVED it”! I am a beginning cook and this was easy even for me to make. We’ll definitely make it again.
This was supper tonight. I used chicken and broth that I had made in the crockpot yesterday and added some carrots. The taste was just what I wanted it to be
Second time making my whole family loves it :)
Has anyone made this and not added the cream at the end? Or added lactose free milk instead? I want to try this but my husband is lactose intolerant.
Hi Judy. You can definitely make this without the cream!
I love cream soups but can’t do cream or milk. I use canned coconut milk/cream. It doesn’t have a coconuty flavor just lots of creaminess.
Can I substitute bone in chicken pieces in this recipe?
And then pull the chicken off the bone or precook the chicken and add it in at the last little bit.
Hello. Sure, you could do that. It won’t be as flavor infused with the chicken, however.
Loved this soup! So delicious!!
Made this today and my husband and I really enjoyed it! (My picky toddler had a few bites, and as with all new recipes I will serve it to him several more times to try and get him used to it!) I used chicken thighs instead of breasts, substituted julienned carrots for the celery, and cooked on low for 6.5 hours. I did find it to be a tiny bit bland, so next time I will plan to use homemade chicken stock instead of cheap grocery store broth. Looking forward to enjoying leftovers tomorrow and to adding this recipe to my regular rotation as the weather gets cooler in the coming months!
I’ve made this several times and it’s so delicious! I want to make some for a friend who can’t have dairy – any suggestions for a cream substitute (dairy free of course) that will taste as good and give it that same creamy texture? Or has anyone tried it without the cream and found it to be as tasty? Thanks! :)
Just wondering what I can substitute the mushrooms with. Thanks!!
Used boneless skinless chicken thighs and full fat plain yogurt instead of the cream and it turned out delicious. Will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe!
Love the recipe! My husband desires a creamier version or thicker version. What could I add next time to make the soup a little thcker? Thanks
We had this for dinner tonight–everyone at the table loved it! I used your slow cooker homemade stock recipe for the soup. This was so easy and so flavorful. I used 1.5 lbs. of chicken thighs. I added two carrots. I used half a cup of basmati rice and half a cup of wild rice. I topped the soup with some fresh parsley. We will be having this again in our home. And thank you to those who recommended different temperatures and cooking times; I cooked this on HIGH for 4 hours, and it was perfectly cooked.
Made this yesterday in the crock pot. I put the chicken breasts in whole and shredded them when cooked. I was out of heavy cream, so I served mine with a dollop of sour cream. It was delicious. Thanks for the recipe, it was nice to have a crock pot recipe with all fresh ingredients!
Would omitting the raw chicken be an option? I made the whole chicken (crock pot version) and have left over cooked chicken from that dinner. Could I cook the recipe as is without the raw chicken and throw in my chopped cooked chicken at the end?
Hi Rachel. While that is not something we’ve tried, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. ~Amy
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, the flavor combinations do sound good, but the comments from people cooking it for 4 hours and it not being done… I’ve been wondering why some things don’t seem to cook as quickly, and one thing I’ve found says to not uncover the slow cooker unnecessarily. Doing so can lower the temperature 10-15 degrees and in turn increase the cooking time by as much as 30 minutes.
I usually prefer to toast rice and cook it on the side for soup (like pilaf) which makes it cook quicker. I think most recipes I’ve seen are either a rice dish mainly in which case the rice is added raw, or if a stew or soup with meat and rice, the rice is added already cooked.
Also, instead of the cream, I was thinking I’ll try coconut milk instead, and maybe a squeeze of lime.
My 18 month old daughter just gobbled down two bowls of this soup! Mushrooms & all! Thanks for a great recipe.
I have this in the crock pot right now, however I am doing it more like chicken breast over rice by only adding 2 cups of broth. For those having trouble with it not being done,I would suggest cooking 6-8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. 4 hours on low will not cut it! Easy weeknight meal!