Can I make this in a slow cooker?

Yes. Add everything except the chicken, roux and cream and cook on low for 6 hours. Stir in the chicken, then the roux and cream, and cook on high uncovered for 20 more minutes to thicken.

Why did my cream soup separate?

It boiled. Once the cream is in, keep the soup at a gentle simmer and never let it reach a rolling boil. Using heavy cream rather than milk or half-and-half also makes it far more stable.

Can I use regular rice instead of wild rice?

You can, but the character changes completely — white rice breaks down and thickens the soup into something closer to porridge. If you only have white rice, cook it separately and add it to each bowl.

How do I make this lighter?

Swap the heavy cream for evaporated milk, which is much lower in fat but resists curdling better than regular milk. You can also cut the roux butter in half and lean on the rice starch for body.

Home › Comfort Food › Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (One Pot, Under an Hour)

By Ami · September 11, 2026 · ★★★★★ 4.9 from 195 reviews · Jump to Recipe · Print

This creamy chicken and wild rice soup is the comfort food recipe I make the week the weather turns. It's thick and velvety without being heavy, the wild rice gives it a nutty chew, and the whole thing happens in one pot.

Creamy chicken and wild rice soup in a cream bowl with visible wild rice, chicken, carrots and parsley

Wild rice is what makes this different from every other cream soup.

It holds its texture. Where white rice dissolves into porridge, wild rice keeps a distinct nutty bite even after sitting in broth — which is why it's the only rice worth using here.
The roux goes in separately. Making it in a small pan and whisking it in at the end means you can control exactly how thick the soup gets.
It's cozy without being stodgy. Lighter on its feet than my slow cooker potato soup, but it scratches the same itch entirely.

Here's what you'll need.

Look for a wild rice blend rather than pure wild rice — the blend cooks more evenly and costs considerably less.

Ingredients for chicken and wild rice soup: wild rice blend, shredded chicken, carrot, celery, broth and cream

Here's how it all comes together.

Step 1 — Soften the vegetables

Cook the diced onion, carrot and celery in butter until softened and just starting to color. Take the full eight minutes — this is the flavor base.

Sauteing diced onion, carrot and celery in butter in a large Dutch oven

Step 2 — Add the rice

Stir in the uncooked wild rice blend and let it toast for a minute in the butter. It deepens the nuttiness noticeably.

Pouring uncooked wild rice blend into a Dutch oven of sauteed vegetables

Step 3 — Pour in the broth

Add the chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until the rice is tender — about 40 minutes for a blend.

Pouring chicken broth into a Dutch oven with wild rice and vegetables

Step 4 — Add the chicken

Stir in the cooked shredded chicken. It only needs to warm through, so this goes in near the end rather than at the start.

Stirring shredded cooked chicken into a simmering pot of wild rice soup

Step 5 — Make the roux

In a separate pan, whisk butter and flour together until pale gold and smooth. Cooking it a minute removes any raw flour taste.

Whisking a butter and flour roux in a saucepan until smooth and pale gold

Step 6 — Cream and thicken

Whisk the roux into the soup, then pour in the cream. Simmer gently for five minutes until it thickens — don't let it boil hard.

Pouring cream into a pot of chicken and wild rice soup and thickening it

Finished bowl of creamy chicken and wild rice soup with crusty bread and cracked pepper

Things I learned while testing this recipe.

Don't cook the rice in the cream. Rice needs a hard simmer to cook through, and dairy at a hard simmer separates. Broth first, cream last — always in that order.
Rinse the wild rice. It's dusty straight from the bag and that dust makes the finished soup cloudy and slightly gritty.
Wild rice blends vary wildly. Some are done in 25 minutes, some take 50. Start tasting early rather than trusting the clock.
A splash of white wine in with the vegetables adds a brightness that stops a cream soup tasting flat.

Why it's such a good use of leftover chicken.

Rotisserie chicken makes it a 50-minute dinner. No poaching, no cooling, no shredding raw meat.
It uses up the awkward bits. Thigh meat, wing meat and scraps all disappear beautifully into a creamy soup.
Make the base ahead. Cook everything up to the cream stage, refrigerate, then finish with cream the day you serve it.

Here's what I'd serve with this.

Crusty bread or a warm dinner roll for dipping — genuinely essential here.
Mediterranean chickpea salad for something cold and sharp on the side.
Roasted cauliflower if you want a second vegetable with browned edges.
Slow cooker potato soup — put both out and let people choose.
Apple crisp to finish a cold-weather meal properly.

Just in case you have leftovers.

Storing: Refrigerate for up to 4 days. The rice keeps drinking liquid, so it'll be much thicker the next day — loosen it with broth rather than water so you don't dilute the flavor.

Reheating: Warm gently over low heat, stirring often, and never let it come to a rolling boil or the cream may split. Freezing is possible but the cream can separate slightly on thawing.

More comfort food recipes...

Slow Cooker Potato Soup — loaded, thick and cozy

Chicken and Dumplings — the coziest pot on the site

Chicken Pot Pie — creamy filling under a golden crust

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole — cheesy and high protein

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

★★★★★ 4.9 from 195 reviews — Nutty wild rice, tender shredded chicken and soft vegetables in a rich, velvety cream broth. One pot, under an hour.

Prep 15 min · Cook 45 min · Total 60 min · Serves 6 · Category: Comfort Food · Cuisine: American

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup wild rice blend, rinsed
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt, black pepper and chopped parsley

Instructions

Soften the vegetables. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a Dutch oven and cook the onion, carrot and celery over medium heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic for the last minute.
Toast the rice. Stir in the rinsed wild rice blend and cook 1 minute.
Simmer. Add the broth and thyme, bring to a simmer, cover partially and cook 35 to 45 minutes until the rice is tender.
Add the chicken. Stir in the shredded chicken and heat through.
Make the roux. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute until pale gold.
Thicken. Whisk the roux into the soup until smooth.
Finish with cream. Pour in the heavy cream and simmer gently 5 minutes until thickened. Season well and finish with parsley.

Notes: Half-and-half works for a lighter soup but is more prone to splitting — keep the heat low. For a gluten-free version, thicken with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch slurry instead of the roux.

Nutrition (per serving, estimated): 487 calories · 31g protein · 34g carbs · 25g fat · 3g fiber

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Diet Cookbook cover

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The Ultimate Slow Cooker Mediterranean Diet Cookbook is built around this kind of cooking — a handful of honest ingredients, one pot, long slow flavor and almost no active work. Comfort-food dinners that happen to be good for you.

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FAQ

Can I make this in a slow cooker?: Yes. Add everything except the chicken, roux and cream and cook on low for 6 hours. Stir in the chicken, then the roux and cream, and cook on high uncovered for 20 more minutes to thicken.
Why did my cream soup separate?: It boiled. Once the cream is in, keep the soup at a gentle simmer and never let it reach a rolling boil. Using heavy cream rather than milk or half-and-half also makes it far more stable.
Can I use regular rice instead of wild rice?: You can, but the character changes completely — white rice breaks down and thickens the soup into something closer to porridge. If you only have white rice, cook it separately and add it to each bowl.
How do I make this lighter?: Swap the heavy cream for evaporated milk, which is much lower in fat but resists curdling better than regular milk. You can also cut the roux butter in half and lean on the rice starch for body.