Description
This Creamy Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup is a comforting, hearty dish perfect for warming up on a chilly day. Made with tender chicken breasts, aromatic vegetables, and nutritious wild rice, simmered slowly in a flavorful broth and finished with a creamy blend of milk, half-and-half, and a touch of flour to create a luscious texture. Easy to prepare and perfect for a weeknight family meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Proteins
- 1 ½ lb chicken breasts
Vegetables
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
Liquids and Dairy
- 7-9 cups chicken broth (low sodium preferred)
- ½ cup half and half
- ½ cup whole milk
Grains and Thickening Agents
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed (not a boxed mix)
- ¼ cup flour (gluten-free flour works as well)
Herbs and Seasonings
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-1½ Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ – 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare Vegetables: Dice the onion, slice the carrots, chop the celery, and mince the garlic cloves thoroughly to ensure even cooking and flavor distribution.
- Layer Chicken and Seasonings: Place the chicken breasts at the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with minced garlic, Italian seasoning, dried thyme, dried parsley, sea salt, and cracked pepper evenly. Add the diced onion, sliced carrots, and chopped celery on top of the chicken and seasonings.
- Add Broth, Rice, and Bay Leaf: Pour 7 to 8 cups of low sodium chicken broth over the layered ingredients. Add the rinsed uncooked wild rice and the bay leaf. Cover the slow cooker with its lid to retain moisture and heat.
- Slow Cook: Cook the soup on LOW heat for 6 to 8 hours if using only wild rice, or 4 to 6 hours if using a wild rice blend, until the rice is tender and fully cooked. The chicken can be shredded once it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, generally after about 3 hours, but shredding after the rice is fully cooked is recommended for best texture.
- Shred Chicken and Prepare Creamy Mixture: Remove the chicken breasts and shred them with forks. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, half and half, and whole milk until the flour is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
- Combine and Finish Soup: Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker. Slowly pour the milk-flour mixture into the soup, stirring continuously to combine and thicken the soup into a creamy consistency. If the soup gets too thick, add additional chicken broth to adjust the texture to your preference.
- Serve: Ladle the creamy chicken wild rice soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired and serve alongside a crusty loaf of bread for a complete, comforting meal.
Notes
- Rinsing the wild rice thoroughly before adding it to the soup removes excess starch and prevents gumminess.
- If you prefer a thicker soup, increase the flour slightly, and for thinner soup, add more broth as needed.
- You can swap half and half with heavy cream for a richer flavor or with whole milk for a lighter option.
- Use low sodium broth to better control the salt content in your soup.
- The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months; reheat gently on the stovetop or in a slow cooker, adding extra broth to loosen if needed.
- Shredding the chicken earlier is acceptable; however, cooking it with the rice allows more flavor to develop throughout the slow cooking process.
