The Best Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced carrots
- ½ to 1 cup diced celery
- ½ cup diced onion
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
- 3 cups cooked wild rice or wild rice blend (see note)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (see note)
- 1 cup 2% milk or half-and-half
Instructions
- In a 6-quart pot set over medium heat, add the butter and cook until melted. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Stir to combine. Cover the pot, and continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and moderating heat as needed to prevent sticking, until the vegetables are crisp-tender.
- Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables evenly. Cook, stirring constantly, for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring or whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
- Stir in the rice, salt and pepper.
- Bring the soup to simmer over medium heat, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the soup is slightly thickened.
- NOTE: Before adding the milk/half-and-half, assess whether you would like the soup thicker. If so, whisk the milk/half-and-half with an additional 2 to 4 tablespoons flour before adding to the soup.
- Stir in the milk/half-and-half. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often and moderating the heat to prevent sticking.
- Add the chicken. Stir and heat through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve warm. The soup will thicken considerably as it cools.
Notes
Prepping ingredients: Plan ahead as the recipe calls for cooked rice and cooked chicken.
Wild Rice: Wild rice or a wild rice blend will work well in this recipe. Avoid using blends that have additional seasonings or excess salt.
How to cook wild rice: My go-to method for cooking wild rice is to use the Instant Pot. Add 1 cup wild rice and 1 1/4 cups water to the insert of an Instant Pot. Secure the lid. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release.
Chicken: This recipe works great with meat from a rotisserie chicken. You can also use canned chicken or leftover, cooked chicken. If you don't have cooked chicken, dice chicken breasts or chicken thighs into bite-size pieces, season with salt and pepper, and cook in olive oil or butter in the pot at the beginning of the recipe. Once cooked through, remove to a plate and set aside to add back to the soup at the end.
Gluten-free option: Don't add the flour in step #2. Proceed with the recipe. Before adding the milk/half-and-half, whisk 3 tablespoons cornstarch into the milk/half-and-half and stir the mixture into the soup. Simmer for a few minutes to thicken.