This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is the definition of comfort food! Full of delicious, rich, earthy flavors and easy to make, it is filling and perfect for your next dinner recipe!
The thing I cook more of than probably anything else is soup.
Probably at least once a week from early fall to late spring our family gathers together for family dinner around steaming bowls of soup and fresh from the oven bread.
It is so easy to make up a big pot of soup and have it include all of the major food groups. You can make it full of delicious flavors, and the possibilities are endless.
Not only that, but my kids will eat it.
This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is no exception. It is creamy, delicious, full of earthy flavors, and it is so hearty. A big bowl of this for lunch and I am totally full all evening.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS CREAMY CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP?
This recipe comes together with only a few simple ingredients. I opted to use skim milk instead of cream, making this a healthy chicken and wild rice soup – or at least healthier!
- Chicken – I like to slice mine thin for this soup recipe.
- Mushrooms – If you can’t find a mixture of fresh mushrooms, frozen mushrooms work great in this recipe.
- Flour and Butter – These two combine to create a roux which makes the creamy base of this soup.
- Chicken Stock – I love using chicken stock base that I keep in my pantry because a little of it makes for a lot of chicken stock.
- Milk – This takes the place of cream you’d normally find in this type of soup. The soup is still very rich, but you save some calories!
- Cooked Wild Rice – See how to cook it below.
HOW TO COOK WILD RICE
I really think the heartiness of this recipe comes from the wild rice in this soup. If cooking wild rice sounds intimidating, you can buy it pre-cooked and just throw it in this soup, but it’s really so easy to make.
Cook it up the night before you are going to make this soup for a jump start the next day.
- In a medium stock pot, combine three cups of water and 1 cup of wild rice.
- Bring to a boil, covered, then reduce to a simmer (the heat should be as low as possible while still seeing some decent sized bubbles here and there) and cook, uncovered for 45 minutes.
- Stir regularly.
- This will yield about 2 1/2 cups wild rice.
MAKING A ROUX
As mentioned above, the roux is what makes this soup so creamy and delicious.
A roux is the combination of fat and flour. It is the start of so many delicious and creamy things, like my Bacon Jalapeño Cream Corn or my Turkey Dumpling Soup.
The most important part about making a roux is adding the liquid slowly. In this recipe you cook the chicken and the mushrooms before adding the butter (our fat) and then the flour.
After you combine the butter and flour, slowly whisk in the chicken stock. I go very slowly, adding about 2 tablespoons at a time, and whisking it in to fully combine before adding more. You will be able to go more quickly at the end.
Finally, slowly whisk in the milk.
Doing it this way will make for the very creamy soup you see here.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS SOUP
Most of the time we only have bread with our soup recipes. You might like these fast dinner rolls or this beer bread.
But a salad is always great with soup. Here are a few that would be great next to this soup recipe:
OTHER CREAMY SOUPS
You will be sure to love some of my other cream based soups:
If you make this delicious soup (or any of my other recipes) for your family, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound chicken sliced thin
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 16 oz mushrooms shiitake and baby portabellas mixed, sliced
- 1 tsp oregano
- 4 TBSPs butter
- 4 TBSPs flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups milk I used 2%
- 2 cups wild rice cooked, depending on how thick you want your soup (see note)
Instructions
- Place a large soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Once you have heated up the olive oil, add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sauté the chicken until it is cooked on the outside (it doesn't need to be cooked all the way through).
- Add the garlic, mushrooms, and oregano. Cook until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the butter to the pan, and melt. Then whisk in the flour. Very slowly whisk in the chicken stock. When I start adding it, I add in about two tablespoons at a time, whisking it in to the flour butter mixture so it is fully combined before adding more.
- Slowly add in the milk. Then add in the rice and bring the whole pot to a boil before reducing to a simmer and cooking for 20 more minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Shanda says
I love this recipe so much! My husband, who is extremely picky, said this is the best soup I ever made????. One question though. Can I simmer the broth for a couple of hours before I add the milk?
Oh Shanda, thank you so much for coming back to tell me that you loved this! I have never simmered a soup for hours after making my roux (that is the butter plus the flour). I did a little research and it looks like it is done in some recipes, but it will greatly change the flavor of the soup. So! If you give it a go, know that I haven’t done it with this recipe so I can’t tell you how it will turn out, and I would love if you came back and let me know how it went.
Melissa Vinson says
I haven’t made this yet, but I was wondering if this is something that could be done in an instant pot? My son just got me one for Christmas and this seems like something that would work well in it. I don’t like to cook, so I have found I like my instant pot, because I can put everything in it and let it do it’s thing.
I haven’t tried this in the instant pot! I am sure it could be done but I would need to play with it a little to give you exact times and measurements.
Katrina says
I haven’t made this yet but was wondering if this can be frozen in batches?
Yes, just be really careful reheating it. You will want to reheat it over a low flame on the stovetop, stirring often so it doesn’t speerate.
Janine says
It turned out delicious
I stiffed the flour in bit by bit to ensure no lumps 😊 and it was perfect
Thank you
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Avi says
This sounds delicious. Do you have any thoughts on using a milk substitute liKe almond milk?
Yes! That will work here. Just make sure it is unsweetened.
Maggie says
I often see recipes using wild rice that the rice is not properly cooked. Wild rice is a 4 parts water to 1 part rice generally. The rice should be cooked so that it fully “blows up.” People think that wild rice, not the patty rice sold in bulk in grocery stores, is so expensive. But 1 cup rice yields 4 cups after cooking.
Teresa Legler says
Hi Lisa, haven’t tried yet, but absolutely love Wild Rice Soup. First experienced this wonderful soup when visiting Minnesota.
Can I substitute Almond are Coconut milk for the milk? I’m lactose intolerant. Thanks again for sharing this wonderful recipe. I know it will be better than the Progresso Wild Rice Soup MIX which has more white than Wild Rice.
I haven’t tried this with a milk substitute, but I have had readers use coconut milk in creamy soups with great results.
Teresa Legler says
Thanks for your response se to my my question about non dairy verses plant based milk for Wild Rice Soup. You indicated Coconut milk. Canned or refrigerated carton milk.
Hopefully, not to open dumb a question. Thanks again.
I haven’t tried this method, but if I were going to I would used canned unsweetened coconut milk.
Teresa Legler says
Hi Lisa,
Just saw your recipe for Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup. My Husband was from Minnesota, we’ve had lots of varieties of Wild Rice Soups. I will give your recipe a try Will substitute Almond Milk for milk due to Lactose Intolerance. Have done so previously with similar recipes. Will give you a shout out after trying. Thanks again for your range of tasty recipes. Teresa
I hope you both enjoy it!