Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Easy One-Pot Recipe)

Why We Love This Recipe

• Smart Use of Leftover Chicken: Rotisserie or leftover roast chicken goes in at the end, so it stays tender instead of turning stringy from a long simmer.
• Creamy Without Being Heavy: Two tablespoons of flour and a modest splash of cream give the broth body, so it coats a spoon but still eats like soup, not chowder.
• Satisfying Texture: The wild rice blend keeps a pleasant chew after 45 minutes, which gives every spoonful something to bite into.
• Easy to Adjust: If the soup thickens more than you like, a splash of extra broth or water at the end loosens it right up, whether you like it brothy or closer to a stew.

Key Ingredients

• Lundberg Wild Blend Rice: This blend mixes wild rice with brown and red rices, so it cooks evenly in the same pot without turning to mush. Rinse it first to wash off loose starch. Expect the grains to keep a slight chew even when fully cooked, which is exactly what you want.
• Onion, Carrots, and Celery: Dice them to roughly the same size so they soften at the same rate. Sweat them gently over medium heat rather than browning them. Fully softened vegetables give the broth a sweet, rounded base without any long simmering.
• All-Purpose Flour: Just two tablespoons thickens the whole pot. Stir it into the butter and vegetables for a full minute so the raw flour taste cooks out. Adding the first cup of broth slowly is what keeps it lump-free.
• Chicken Broth: Broth is most of the soup, so use one you'd happily sip on its own. A low-sodium broth lets you control the salt, since rotisserie chicken is already seasoned.
• Cooked Shredded Chicken: Rotisserie chicken is our shortcut and adds a roasted flavor plain poached chicken can't match. Shred it into bite-size pieces. Stirring it in at the end keeps it moist.
• Heavy Cream: Add the cream off the boil and keep the soup at a gentle simmer afterward. Hard boiling can make the cream separate. Three-quarters of a cup is enough to turn the broth silky without masking the herbs.
• Herbes de Provence and Bay Leaves: This herb blend brings thyme, rosemary, and savory in one jar, which suits chicken perfectly. The bay leaves add a quiet background note. Take them out before adding the cream so nobody bites into one.

A full ingredient list with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Substitutions & Variations

• Lundberg Wild Blend Rice: Any wild rice blend works, but check the package time. Pure wild rice can take longer and may need extra broth.
• Cooked Chicken: Leftover turkey works well, especially after Thanksgiving.
• Heavy Cream: Half-and-half makes a lighter soup. Keep it at a bare simmer so it doesn't curdle.
• Herbes de Provence: Use ½ teaspoon dried thyme plus a pinch of dried rosemary.
• Flavor: Add 8 ounces of sliced cremini mushrooms with the vegetables for an earthier, Minnesota-style bowl.
• Slow Cooker: Sweat the vegetables and make the flour base on the stove, then cook everything but the chicken and cream on low for 6 to 7 hours.

How To Make Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Step One: Prepare the Vegetable Base

Melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt. The salt pulls moisture out of the vegetables, which helps them soften instead of brown.

Stir every minute or so for 5 to 7 minutes. They're ready when the onion turns translucent, and a carrot piece gives easily under your spoon.

Add the garlic for just 30 seconds, until you can smell it, so it doesn't scorch.

Step Two: Prepare the Creamy Broth

Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and keep stirring for 1 to 2 minutes. The flour will coat everything and smell lightly toasty.

Pour in 1 cup of broth slowly while you stir, scraping the bottom of the pot. It will look thick and paste-like at first, and that's normal. Once it's smooth, add the remaining cups gradually.

Step Three: Prepare the Wild Rice

Stir in the rinsed rice, Herbes de Provence, remaining salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring it to a gentle boil, then drop the heat to low and cover.

Check and stir every 10 to 15 minutes, because the rice settles to the bottom and can stick. After 40 to 45 minutes, taste a few grains. They should be tender with a slight chew, and some of the wild rice grains will have split open.

In our testing, the soup looked almost too brothy at this point. Don't add more flour. The rice keeps thickening the soup in the next step and as it sits.

Step Four: Prepare the Finished Soup

Pull out the bay leaves first. Stir in the shredded chicken and the heavy cream, then simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes.

Keep it at a gentle bubble rather than a rolling boil. The chicken only needs to heat through, so longer cooking just dries it out.

Taste and add salt last, since the broth, chicken, and reduction all affect it.

Storage

Store leftover chicken and wild rice soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. It thickens as the rice absorbs broth. If you plan to freeze it, cook the rice separately and add it to each bowl. Freeze cooled soup for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight. Reheat gently with a splash of broth.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Recipe FAQs

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📖 Recipe

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Jami Powell

This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is an easy, one-pot recipe made with tender shredded chicken, Lundberg Wild Blend rice, carrots, celery, and onion in a savory, lightly creamy broth. Herbes de Provence, garlic, and bay leaves add flavor, while a little flour and heavy cream give the soup body without making it overly thick. It's a cozy weeknight dinner for chilly evenings and a great way to use up leftover chicken.

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VIDEO

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

1x2x3x

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 357 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Large Dutch oven or soup pot
• ▢
  Wooden spoon
• ▢
  Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
• ▢ 2 medium carrots diced (about 1 cup)
• ▢ 2 to 3 medium celery stalks diced (about 1 cup)
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided, or to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
• ▢ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 7 cups chicken broth divided
• ▢ 1 cup Lundberg Wild Blend rice uncooked, rinsed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 2 cups cooked chicken shredded
• ▢ ¾ cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped, optional, for garnish

Instructions

 

• Heat the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and a pinch of kosher salt. Sweat the vegetables for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
• Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in 1 cup of chicken broth, stirring until smooth. Gradually add another 6 cups of broth.
• Stir in the rinsed Lundberg Wild Blend rice, Herbes de Provence, remaining kosher salt, black pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes, lifting the lid occasionally to stir and check the liquid level, until the rice is tender but still pleasantly chewy.
• Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the shredded chicken and heavy cream. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes, until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

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Notes

Cooking Notes

Cook the flour into the vegetables for a full minute, then add the broth slowly so the soup stays smooth. The wild rice keeps thickening the soup as it cooks and rests, so thin it with a splash of broth if needed.

Tips for Best Results

• Sweat the vegetables over medium heat until soft and translucent, not browned.
• Stir the simmering rice every 10 to 15 minutes so it cooks evenly and doesn't stick.
• Add the chicken at the end to keep it moist and tender.
• Keep the soup at a gentle simmer after adding the cream so it stays silky and smooth.

How to Know It's Ready

The rice is tender with a slight chew, and some wild rice grains have split open. The broth should lightly coat the back of a spoon.

Nutrition

Calories: 357kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 19gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 1467mgPotassium: 410mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 3994IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 2mg

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