Chicken Wild Rice Soup is lightly creamy and brimming with tender chicken, nutty wild rice, and plenty of vegetables. Swap the chicken for turkey to make this soup with Thanksgiving leftovers!
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Chicken Wild Rice Soup is one of those quintessential Minnesota meals, like Tater Tot Hotdish and steaming bowls of Booyah. I first made this recipe after Blake and I were married, and I tweaked it for years until we both deemed it “perfect”. This was “our” chicken wild rice soup recipe!
This savory chicken and rice soup has a lightly creamy base, loaded with tender chicken, vegetables, and earthy, nutty wild rice. A sprinkling of fresh herbs brings the flavors together in the most beautiful way. We hope you like it as much as we do!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Wild Rice Soup Recipe
- Wholesome. The best chicken wild rice soup comes down to the flavors, level of creaminess, and kinds and quantities of vegetables. This recipe ticks all the boxes! The broth isn’t too rich, brimming with tender rice grains and juicy chicken pieces, with onion, carrots, and earthy mushrooms.
- One pot. This easy creamy wild rice soup comes together in (almost) one pot, if you don’t count the pot used to boil the rice. Pre-cooking the rice separately and thoroughly is the key to the perfect soup texture.
- Use up leftovers. This soup is the best way to use up leftover chicken breast or rotisserie chicken, and you can easily convert it to a turkey wild rice soup with Thanksgiving leftovers!
- Freezer-friendly. I often double the recipe and freeze half of it for an easy meal later on. It doesn’t take much extra effort to ensure another meal of our favorite soup.
Looking for more protein-packed soup recipes? Be sure to check out my coconut curry chicken soup, this flavorful Thai chicken soup, and my popular chicken tortilla soup!
What You’ll Need
Wild rice, chicken (or turkey), and vegetables are the stars of this hearty soup recipe. Here’s everything you’ll need. Scroll to the recipe card below the post for a printable ingredients list.
- Wild rice – I recommend authentic, Minnesota whole-grain wild rice for this recipe. ALL of the grains should be long, thin (not cracked), and very dark in color as pictured.
- Unsalted butter – Unsalted butter gives you more control over the soup’s salt content.
- Vegetables – Yellow onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms. You can switch things up with other vegetables as well.
- Garlic
- Chicken broth – I always use a low-sodium broth or stock. Vegetable broth is another option.
- Half and half – Adds the perfect touch of creaminess to the soup base. If you prefer a richer soup, use heavy cream instead.
- Soy sauce – I LOVE using umami-rich soy sauce as a flavor booster in soups. You can also use Worcestershire sauce.
- Salt and pepper
- Herbs – A bay leaf, plus fresh thyme and parsley perfectly flavor the soup. You could also use dried thyme and parsley.
- Shredded chicken – Either roast or grill some chicken breasts, or use leftover cooked chicken. Wild rice soup is also a great way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Smoked or grilled turkey is especially wonderful in this soup, a favorite at our house!
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice is added right at the end to give a little brightness!
What is Wild Rice?
Fun fact: Wild rice isn’t related to regular rice at all. It’s an aquatic grass native to North America, and the official state grain of Minnesota. In Minnesota, wild rice is hand-harvested in shallow lakes and rivers and then dried over fire. When cooked, the hard outer shell splits and curls. This gives the grain a tender, chewy texture. Combined with wild rice’s smoky, earthy, wonderfully nutty flavor, we can’t get enough!
How to Make Chicken Wild Rice Soup
There’s just nothing quite as comforting as a pot of soup simmering on the stovetop on a cold winter day. Here’s a quick step-by-step to show you how to make this easy chicken wild rice soup. Scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.
- Prepare the wild rice. Start by cooking the rice according to the package instructions. It usually takes 50 to 60 minutes for the grains to curl and split open. Don’t rush this step!
- Saute the vegetables. In a large pot, melt the butter and add the vegetables and garlic. Cook until the onion is transparent.