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This cold-weather, comfort-food, one-pot soup is loaded with tender shredded chicken (rotisserie works!), wild rice, carrots, celery, and fresh herbs. I've never met a cozier weeknight dinner-and it's so easy to make ahead!
Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup (One Pot!)
My Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is about to shake up your cozy-night-in dinner routine. A handful of everyday staples-onion, celery, carrots, garlic, fresh thyme, rosemary-turn shredded chicken and nutty wild rice into a creamy pot of comfort food. The second those ingredients hit the hot Dutch oven, the kitchen smells unreal-just like when I simmer my Hungarian mushroom soup, light lemon chicken orzo soup, or sausage potato soup. It's definitely one of my family's Fall and winter favorite soups!
Why You'll Love It
It's truly one-pot and low effort, but the wild rice brings that chewy, toasty texture you don't get from regular rice. I thicken it just enough with a quick cornstarch slurry and a splash of cream, so the soup is creamy without being heavy. This chicken and wild rice soup is weeknight-dinner friendly, freezer-friendly, and great for meal prep.
I used a rotisserie chicken and Lundberg's Wild Blend® (both easy to find at most grocery stores) to keep things simple-I'm all about shortcuts that still taste restaurant-quality. I also add a pinch of cayenne and finish with lemon. It's the kind of fall-and-winter soup that feels both nostalgic and fresh-very much in the spirit of my Beef Bourguignon or creamy sausage tortellini soup and pairs perfectly with my butter garlic dinner rolls.
The Ingredients & Substitutions
- Olive Oil: Any neutral cooking oil works-avocado, grapeseed, or vegetable.
- Onion, Celery, Carrots: It's a classic soup base. You can swap onion for leeks, celery for fennel, or add parsnips for extra cozy vibes.
- Garlic: I always use fresh, but garlic powder works, too!
- Thyme & Rosemary: I use fresh herbs to make it restaurant-quality. You can even swap in sage for a Thanksgiving twist.
- Salt, Black Pepper, Cayenne: Use these seasonings to taste and don't be afraid to be generous with them. Salt really brings out the flavor. You can skip the cayenne or replace it with red pepper flakes or smoked paprika for gentle heat.
- Chicken Stock/Broth: I recommend using low-sodium to control the salt. Vegetable broth works too; add a splash of soy sauce for flavor.
- Wild Rice Blend: I LOVE Lundberg's Wild Blend®! You can also use 100% wild rice in which case, cook it separately, not in the same pot. You can also use brown rice, farro, or quinoa.
- Cooked Shredded Chicken: Rotisserie chicken is my shortcut. Leftover roast chicken or cooked turkey works just as well.
- Cornstarch: This is an easy way to thicken the soup without using too much heavy cream. Alternatively, you can use a flour-and-butter roux, arrowroot, or tapioca starch instead.
- Heavy Cream: I use only ¼ cup for the entire pot of the chicken and wild rice soup! You can also use lighter alternatives like half-and-half or evaporated milk instead. To make it dairy-free, use full-fat coconut milk.
- Lemon Juice: I use only 1 tablespoon at the end, but it makes a huge difference. Feel free to use more, to taste. I only use freshly squeezed. Alternatively, you can use white wine (add earlier with the stock) or a splash of apple cider vinegar.
How to Make Chicken & Wild Rice Soup in 3 Easy Steps!
- Sauté the Base: Cook onion, celery, and carrots with olive oil for 5 minutes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, thyme, and rosemary; cook 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne (if using).
- Simmer with Rice & Chicken: Pour in chicken stock, reserving a splash for the slurry. Add wild rice and shredded chicken. Bring to a boil, then simmer 40-45 minutes until rice is tender-chewy.
- Thicken & Serve: Whisk cornstarch with reserved stock; stir in with cream and simmer 3-5 minutes to thicken. Off heat, add lemon juice; taste and adjust seasoning.
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup onion diced
- ½ cup celery stalk diced
- ½ cup carrots thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 5 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup wild rice mix I recommend Lundberg's Wild Blend®
- 1 ½ cups cooked and shredded chicken like rotisserie
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high until shimmering.
- Add onion, celery, and carrots; sauté about 5 minutes until slightly softened.
- Stir in garlic, thyme, and rosemary; cook 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne if using.
- Pour in the stock, reserving a splash for the slurry; scrape up any browned bits.
- Add wild rice and shredded chicken. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender-chewy.
- Whisk the reserved stock with cornstarch; stir it in with the cream. Simmer 3-5 minutes until lightly thickened and glossy (add slurry gradually-stop when it just coats the spoon).
- Off heat, stir in lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and lemon.
- Serve warm with crusty bread; if it thickens as it sits, loosen with a splash of warm stock. (Make-ahead tip: for the best texture, add the slurry and cream after reheating.)
Notes
- Can I use uncooked chicken instead of cooked? Yes. Nestle 2 boneless thighs or breasts into the simmering stock after the cooking onion, celery, and carrots. Cook the chicken until 165°F (about 12-18 minutes depending on size), remove to shred, then return. I still add the rice early so it gets its full simmer time.
- My soup got too thick-how do I fix it? No panic-add warm stock or water, ¼ cup at a time, until it's the consistency you like. I re-check salt and lemon after thinning.
- Can I make it dairy-free or gluten-free? Dairy-free: use olive oil + coconut milk or skip cream and lean on the slurry. Gluten-free: the base recipe is GF as long as your stock is certified GF and you use cornstarch (not flour).
- Why is my wild rice still firm? Wild rice is naturally chewy and can take 40-55 minutes. Keep a gentle simmer and ensure your pot maintains heat. If it's still too firm for you, simmer 5-10 minutes longer, adding a splash of stock if needed. Also keep in mind that I used wild rice blend (not 100% wild rice) that cooks faster and easier. If you use 100% real wild rice, cook it separately from the soup (in a different pot) and then add it to the soup, or it will absorb all the liquid.
- Will it freeze well? Best practice: freeze before adding the slurry and cream. If it's already creamy, you can freeze it, but whisk well when reheating and add a splash of cream to restore the silky texture.
Storage, reheating, freezing, make-ahead
- Storage: Refrigerate in airtight containers up to 4 days. Wild rice continues to absorb liquid; expect thicker soup the next day.
- Reheating: Warm gently on the stove over medium-low, adding splashes of chicken stock or water to loosen. Microwave in 60-second bursts, stirring between.
- Freezing: For best texture, freeze before adding cream and cornstarch. Cool, portion, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight, reheat, then add the slurry + cream and simmer 5 minutes to finish.
- Make-ahead: Cook the soup without the cream/slurry, slightly undercook the rice (it'll finish when reheated), cool, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, reheat, then add the slurry + cream and simmer to thicken. Alternatively, cook rice separately and stir it in when serving to prevent over-thickening in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Hi Julia. Which of the Lindbergh’s mixes did you use. There appear to be several different types and flavors.
followed the recipe exactly, delicious! *****
This was delicious! Because the rice soaked up the liquid in what was left over, I added broth as suggested, and got leftovers twice! I didn’t have wild rice, but wanted to make it so bad, so I used regular rice. No problem. Definitely a keeper.
So good and easy!
This is so good and easy!
This was delicious. My husband liked having the cream in it because my other soups don’t use cream, so it was different for us.
I would cut cayenne pepper in half.
Soup was delicious. However, we tasted before adding the cream and then after and my husband liked it better before adding the cream.
Thanks, Colleen, for your feedback and review! 🙂 This soup is definitely delicious with or without the cream!
Can I make this in a crock pot?
Hi Brenda! Yes, you can make it in a slow cooker, you just have to modify a few steps for best results.
1) Start by sautéing the onions, carrots and celery (as the recipe calls) on the stove.
2) Then transfer everything (stock, wild rice, shredded chicken, herbs) into the crockpot, and cook on low for about 4‑5 hours or on high for 2‑3 hours, until the rice is tender.
3) Wait to add the cream and cornstarch slurry (used for thickening) until the final 30 minutes of cooking so it doesn’t break down or curdle.
Let me know if you do try it! 🙂
Made today for a family luncheon.
I used a mix of brown rice and farro and split the soup into 2 pans. Serving 1 pot creamy and 1 pot with only broth. Both were a hit!!
Hi Shelly! Love that you did both a creamy AND a brothy version—such a genius way to please everyone!! And using brown rice with farro sounds so hearty and delish!! 🙂 So happy it was a hit at your luncheon!! 🙂
Made it for lunch today and the whole family loved it! Perfect as is.
Thank you so much, Sue, for your 5-star review! 🙂
This was delicious! I used full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream and increased it to 1/2 cup to make it dairy-free. I also roasted some wild mushrooms, including oyster, shiitake, and enoki, that I purchased at my local Asian store and had to use before the expiration date. Figured they'd go well in a soup like that and they did!
Hi David! Thanks for sharing—coconut milk is a great dairy-free swap. The mushrooms will only make this soup better - glad you added them! 🙂