This delicious and easy to make Chicken and Wild Rice Soup in the crock pot is the perfect meal for cold winter months. All you need are ingredients for this Panera favorite can easily be found at your local grocery store.
Why you'll love this recipe
The slow cooker does all the work - whew! No worries about cooking time either- just put it in the crockpot and come home to dinner hours later!
This crockpot chicken and wild rice soup is simple to prepare, and it's loaded with flavor. You'll love the creamy texture of the wild rice, and the delicious chicken broth. It's basically like a cozy hug in a bowl, served up right in your own kitchen.
I thought, why not make a homemade version of my husband's favorite comfort food since he orders chicken soup every single time we go to Panera?
This version is made super easy in the slow cooker, and I've been told this creamy chicken wild rice soup tastes just as good (or better) than the other version.
For another cozy soup recipe check out my Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken Chili and you can see more slow cooker recipes, too!
Ingredients
- boneless chicken breasts - or other shredded chicken.
- chicken broth or chicken stock - homemade or store bought, your choice.
- wild rice - I use a wild rice blend. You can use the leftover wild rice in my rice pilaf with mushrooms.
- vegetables - sliced mushrooms, onion, celery and carrots
- spices - garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf
- butter, milk and flour - to make it rich and creamy and to thicken the soup
- Parmesan cheese
Substitutions
Substitution ideas for the chicken are chicken thighs, turkey breast or diced ham.
For the all-purpose flour, you can substitute a 1:1 gluten free flour or cornstarch in the slurry to keep this recipe gluten free.
For the fresh thyme and rosemary, you can substitute dried thyme and dried rosemary.
How to make crock pot chicken and wild rice soup
Step 1: Place the boneless, skinless chicken breast, chicken stock, wild rice, mushrooms, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in the crockpot.
Step 2: Set the crockpot to high for three to four hours or low for seven to eight hours.
Step 3: About 30 minutes before your soup is finished, melt your butter in a small saucepan.
Slowly whisk in flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to cook off the raw flour taste until it gives off a nutty aroma. Whisk the milk and Parmesan into the flour mixture.
Step 4: Stir the flour mixture into in allow the soup to finish cooking for the last 30 minutes.
Step 5: Remove the chicken breast from the pot and shred the chicken into bite-size pieces by using two forks.
Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot and enjoy.
Variations
I know who you are, you recipe tweakers!
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Herbaceous: Try adding various herbs and spices to adjust the flavor profile. Thyme, rosemary, sage, and fresh parsley work well.
Heat it up: Add a dash of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat.
Shortcut: You can also use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken if you add it to the slow cooker towards the end of the cooking time.
How do I store leftovers?
You can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days.
Can I freeze this?
Because this is a creamy soup and has a good amount of dairy, I don't recommend freezing this recipe. You can always ladle some into a wide mouth mason jar and gift it to a friend or neighbor!
FAQ
Yes, if you want to make the soup without chicken, you can do that. Then, add a pound of cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken during the last 30 minutes of cook time. You could also add a pound of leftover turkey around Thanksgiving time!
Yes, but it will have a softer texture after it's done cooking. The wild rice gives a more al dente texture and I feel like it holds up better as it cooks.
To get it back to the right texture, you will just need to thin it out with a little bit of chicken broth until you get your desired consistency. Reheat in the microwave, or on the stovetop over medium heat.
Serving suggestions
This hearty dish is filling enough to be considered a main dish. Ladle into your soup bowl and serve with crusty bread or even better, bread bowls!
The next time you make crockpot chicken and wild rice soup, leave a recipe review or comment below!
Other soup recipes you'll love
Crockpot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast boneless and skinless
- 7 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup wild rice or wild rice blend
- 8 ounces baby Bella mushrooms sliced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 celery stalks sliced
- 3 carrots sliced
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 springs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
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Instructions
- Place the chicken, broth, rice, mushrooms, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in the crockpot.
- Set the crockpot to high for three to four hours or low for seven to eight hours.
- About 30 minutes before your soup is done cooking, melt your butter in a small saucepan. Slowly whisk in flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to cook off the raw flour taste until it gives off a nutty aroma. Whisk the milk and Parmesan into the flour mixture.
- Stir the flour mixture into your soup and allow the soup to finish cooking for the last 30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken breast from the pot and shred the chicken into bite-size pieces with two forks. Stir the chicken back into the soup and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- This soup on its own is relatively low in salt. You may want to add a little salt to taste towards the end of the cooking time.
- A 1:1 gluten free flour may be substituted for the all purpose flour
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Stephanie says
Can you sub long grain brown rice for the wild rice?
Deanne Frieders says
Sure!