My Wild Rice Creamy Chicken Soup is an easy and tasty way to use leftover chicken or turkey. Made on the stovetop, it whips up in no time and is as comforting as it is delicious! Ready in under 1 hour!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love Chicken Wild Rice Creamy Soup
- Ingredient Information And Substitutions
- How To Make Creamy Chicken And Wild Rice Soup
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Tips For Making Chicken Cream Of Wild Rice Soup
- What To Serve With Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Other Delicious Soup Recipes To Try
- Wild Rice Creamy Chicken Soup Recipe
- Hosting Thanksgiving?
Why You'll Love Chicken Wild Rice Creamy Soup
You can never have enough chicken soup recipes, amirite?! I hate food waste, so I love dishes that allow you to repurpose leftovers. That's one of the reasons I was excited to put together this creamy chicken and wild rice soup. We eat a ton of chicken all year round, and since I host Thanksgiving each year, I always have a ton of turkey leftovers too. And then this turns into turkey wild rice soup!
The added heavy cream makes the whole thing super comforting, and the wild rice adds some fantastic texture. This is one of those soups I can make and enjoy for lunch or dinner for several days without getting sick of it. My whole family adored it! If you need more reasons to try it, creamy wild rice soup with chicken is also:
- Packed with flavor
- Hearty and satisfying
- A wonderful way to use up leftover poultry
- Perfect for cold and rainy weather
- Family-tested and approved!
Ingredient Information And Substitutions
- Cooked Chicken or Turkey- Remember that you can use this recipe to make chicken or turkey and wild rice soup! Leftovers work best as you need to start with cooked poultry. Rotisserie chicken is another option.
- Wild Rice- Also needs to be cooked. You could use a wild rice blend or even cooked white or brown rice if that's all you have.
- Vegetables & Aromatics- This soup is also packed with a ton: diced onion, carrot, and celery, plus a few minced garlic cloves for good measure.
- Butter- To soften the aromatics and veggies. I like butter for the added flavor and richness, but you could use oil if you'd like.
- Flour- Helps thicken the soup. You could also use GF flour if you're gluten-free.
- Chicken Broth- I add a mixture of broth and water to add the liquid here for more flavor! You could also use turkey broth or vegetable broth instead.
- Heavy Cream- You don't need much — only 2 tablespoons — so feel free to add more to make it even richer and creamier.
- Seasonings- I added a poultry seasoning blend, salt, and pepper to keep things simple.
How To Make Creamy Chicken And Wild Rice Soup
Step 1- Soften the veggies.
Add the butter to your Dutch oven over medium-high heat to melt. Introduce the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and sauté to soften. After about 5 minutes, add the garlic and poultry seasoning and cook for another minute.
Step 2- Thicken & simmer.
Stir in the flour until no lumps remain. After a minute, add the broth, water, and chicken or turkey and bring the mixture to a boil. reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer for 30 minutes.
Step 3- Assemble & serve.
Add the wild rice and heavy cream to the pot and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, serve immediately, and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sautéing the veggies and aromatics with butter like I do is a good start! The added flour becomes a roux when mixed with the other ingredients which also helps thicken the broth. The added heavy cream makes the whole thing a touch thicker too.
It's optional but it really is what makes this creamy chicken and wild rice soup, well, creamy. You could also use full fat coconut milk.
Yes! As mentioned, you can replace the flour with 2 tablespoons of GF flour
The key is to start with cooked rice or to cook it separately from the rest of the soup. You'll also note that I add the cooked rice at the very end of the cooking time — this helps keep it from getting too mushy!
Yes! Let it cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating gently on the stovetop.
Tips For Making Chicken Cream Of Wild Rice Soup
- Leftover turkey or chicken really is best for this soup. If you don't have any leftovers to work with, a rotisserie chicken is a great option. Otherwise, you could cook up some chicken or turkey breast from scratch and use that — just be sure to shred or chop it before adding it to your chicken or turkey wild rice soup.
- Prevent mushy results- It's super important to cook the wild rice separately from the soup and add it in at the end so that it doesn't suck up all the broth.
- Mix thoroughly- When you add the flour, keep stirring until there are no longer any lumps.
- Tasty extras- You can really go crazy with the seasonings here. Cayenne or red pepper flakes are great for spice lovers, while fresh herbs like chopped parsley or dill as a garnish would add a pop of herbaceous flavor. Get creative!
- Ingredients to prep ahead- To save time, dice the carrots, celery, and onion, peel the garlic, shred the chicken or turkey, and cook the wild rice as per the package instructions.
- Leftovers and storage- You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I like to reheat soup over medium on the stovetop, or you could use your microwave.
What To Serve With Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
I've often enjoyed this soup on its own (with some crusty bread on the side, of course) for a light lunch! If you'd like to serve it for dinner, or simply want to make more of a meal out of it, here are some ideas:
Other Delicious Soup Recipes To Try
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Wild Rice Creamy Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 cup diced celery
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 ½ cups cooked chicken or turkey, chopped
- 1 ½ cups cooked wild rice (or you can use white or brown cooked rice)
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Back pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat.
- Add onion, carrots and celery and saute to soften stirring periodically, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in minced garlic and poultry seasoning and saute 1 more minute.
- Add flour and stir until no more lumps remain. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add broth, water and chicken (or turkey) and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Stir in wild rice and heavy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
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- Leftover turkey or chicken really is best for this soup. If you don't have any leftovers to work with, a rotisserie chicken is a great option. Otherwise, you could cook up some chicken or turkey breast from scratch and use that — just be sure to shred or chop it before adding it to your chicken or turkey wild rice soup.
- Prevent mushy results- It's super important to cook the wild rice separately from the soup and add it in at the end so that it doesn't suck up all the broth.
- Mix thoroughly- When you add the flour, keep stirring until there are no longer any lumps.
- Tasty extras- You can really go crazy with the seasonings here. Cayenne or red pepper flakes are great for spice lovers, while fresh herbs like chopped parsley or dill as a garnish would add a pop of herbaceous flavor. Get creative!
- Ingredients to prep ahead- To save time, dice the carrots, celery, and onion, peel the garlic, shred the chicken or turkey, and cook the wild rice as per the package instructions.
- Leftovers and storage- You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I like to reheat soup over medium on the stovetop, or you could use your microwave.
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Nutrition
Hosting Thanksgiving?
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