Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is rich and creamy. It has an amazing texture and is filled with SO much flavor from the chicken, vegetables and wild rice. This soup is quick and easy to make, plus you can use rotisserie chicken to make it even easier.

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I appreciate simple recipes that use a limited amount of ingredients. No-fuss meals mean eating homemade is accessible to everyone and every schedule. I am also a self-proclaimed soup lover! And, if you love creamy, steamy goodness as much as I do, you are in for a treat. Simply put, I am thrilled for you to try this soup. All you need is a batch of soft dinner rolls and dinner is made!
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup:
Chicken and wild rice soup is literally a comfy sweater in a bowl. We love warming up to a bowl of steamy soup on a cold day.
This is also a great soup to make when you are meal-prepping for the week. Make a big batch and have it on hand when your days get a bit hectic. Bonus: This soup gets better as the flavors mellow so your leftovers will just get tastier as the week goes on!
Packed with chicken, veggies, a wild rice blend (I love the Trader Joe’s bag or get a similar one here) and a dash of cream, this soup hits all the spots. What I love most about this dish is that I can whip it up all in one pot in under an hour. Hello, weeknight dinner rotation!

Hot tip: Have a rotisserie chicken hanging out in the fridge? Use it! Skip adding the raw chicken and shred up your store-bought bird. Once your rice is cooked and your broth is properly seasoned, simply add the shredded chicken into your pot until it is warmed up.
How to Make Chicken Wild Rice Soup:
- In a soup pot or Dutch Oven, saute veggies in butter until golden brown.
- Add a little flour and cook until fully incorporated.
- Add cubed chicken, rice, and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth and simmer until rice is tender.
- Pour in heavy cream, continuously stirring to get a nice, smooth broth.
- Season to taste if needed and serve piping hot!

How to Store Chicken and Rice Soup:
Refrigerating is your best bet. The soup will stay fresh for up to a week when stored in an airtight container. Know that the soup will thicken as it cools. This is perfectly normal! Once you reheat it, it will loosen up again.
Can I Freeze Chicken Wild Rice Soup?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this soup. The cream will break up and separate as the soup freezes, making the reheating not so pretty.
How to Reheat Creamy Soups:
We recommend reheating only the portion you will use. Reheat on the Stove over low heat, stirring occasionally until hot and steaming and a safe 165˚F. Do not boil a creamy soup or it can separate. If you want the soup a little thinner, add a splash of water or chicken broth.
To microwave, place in a microwave-safe container, partially cover and heat on high heat, stirring every 20-30 seconds until soup reaches your desired temperature (at least 165˚F on an instant-read thermometer).

More Delicious Soup Recipes:
- Chicken Noodle Soup: A classic bowl of soup for a winter day or a pesky cold.
- Potato Soup: This is literally a loaded baked potato in soup form. So decadent and tasty.
- Taco Soup: Love tacos, but you’re living low-carb? This is the soup for you.
- Zuppa Toscana: Recreate this restaurant classic at home
- Cabbage Soup: I wouldn’t be Ukrainian if I didn’t suggest a cabbage soup. Healthy and hearty, this soup never disappoints.
- Minestrone Soup: A copycat recipe of Olive Garden’s famous soup.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup carrots, diced into small cubes
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced into small cubes
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 3/4 cup wild rice
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into small cubes
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat a soup pot or Dutch Oven to medium heat. Saute carrots, onions, and celery in butter until golden brown.
- Add flour and stir until the flour is fully incorporated and the raw flavor is cooked out (about 2 minutes).
- Add wild rice, chicken and season with salt and pepper. Pour 8 cups chicken broth over the ingredients and let everything simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked to your desired doneness.
- Slowly pour in heavy cream, continuously stirring to create an even texture.
- Cook the soup for about 5 more minutes on medium-low. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve the soup while it’s hot! When it cools down, it will thicken up. Reheat it to loosen up the broth.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
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Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home.
I made this soup for a potluck when I knew several people cannot eat tomato or spicy foods. It was simply amazing and people were complimenting me asking for the recipe. I made the soup exactly as indicated with the exception of adding a few small fresh bay leaves and a bit of fresh thyme as they were on hand from a prior recipe. Even my husband loved it and wants the leftovers! If you knew him, you would know how rare that is.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Leslie!
this soup is absolutely delicious, i have made it already 4 times in the last 2 weeks…thank you Natasha
Sounds like you found a new favorite Barabara. That’s so great.
Ohh this soup made my bones dance! It’s a restaurant favorite of mine and have been dreaming of the day you re-create it so that I would know how to make it at home! BAM! you did it! I’ve made it twice in the last week and its a hot commodity in our household! Thanks for the goodness!
Love it! Thank you so much for your great feedback. Glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Oh my goodness, this soup is delicious. Very easy to make.
Another winner from Natasha.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review with us, Vickie!
I bought exactly the same rice but it was still hard boiling after 30 minutes… I followed the recipe to a T. What could have happened?
Hi Alice, maybe it was a different blend that takes longer? Check what the package instructions say for cooking time – you may just need to cook it longer. Also, make sure it is at a simmer or low boil for the full 25 minutes + 5 minutes at the end.
Love this soup! This is AMAZING. Thanks so much Natasha and Vadim for all you do
You are so welcome. Thank you for your great feedback we appreciate it!
This soup was crazy good!!! I added mushrooms since I had some needing to be used and substituted light cream for heavy cream. Also, better than boullion was a fantastic suggestion as well! I am all the way up North in Bangor Maine and it’s storming outside so this soup was perfect!
That sounds amazing! I bet the mushrooms made it taste that much better! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Hi, what is in the bowl between the wild rice and the carrots? It looks like a sort of sauce, but it doesn’t get mentioned….
Hi Albert, great question! That is a product called “better than bouillion” which is a bouillion paste. You can either use that with water or use a chicken broth. Sorry for the confusion. I hope you love the soup!
This soup is amazing! Despite being super simple, it has plenty of flavor and is well balanced.
Isn’t the flavor amazing! Thank you for that wonderful review
I loved it and I love your method to cooking
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you.
Love this soup! I use a rotisserie chicken and do an extra step of simmering the chicken bones and scraps in the chicken stock for a while to give it super extra flavor.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying this recipe! Thank you for sharing that with me.
This Chicken and rice soup is AMAZING! Probably my favorite soup I’ve found online!! And today is day one! Can’t wait till tomorrow since the flavors become more intense!!!! I didn’t see a video though on YouTube. Just the pic posting. I watch all your videos and have cooked a lot of your recipes! Thanks so much for all you do!!
I’m smiling big reading this comment. Thank you Jan!
Has anyone tried this in a slow cooker?
Hi Barbara, I have not tested that but I imagine that may work. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
I didn’t try the slow cooker but used your method and we really enjoyed the soup. It was even better the second day!
I wanted to love this soup but my rice was still hard and half cooked after 30 min boiling it, and I bought exactly same rice that’s in the recipe. I had to dump it out
Hi Mary, I’m so sorry to hear that I have not had that experience and I’m more than happy to troubleshoot. Was anything else altered in the recipe?
No I didn’t alter anything. So I ended up boiling the soup for around an hour instead of 25 min, but in the end it was really delicious.
Looks very delicious, can this be made in an instant pot?
Hi Chris, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
If I substitute wild rice with white rice, would it be same measurement? I never cooked with wild rice.
Hello Olga, I haven’t personally tried using white rice to advise. But if you do an experiment please let us know and share with us your experience.
This soup is soooo amazing!! It is always a total hit with my family! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your great feedback, Chelsea! Glad you loved this.
I cant goethe wild rice right now
🙁 any thots on substitute? I do have regular white rice n I believe brown rice..
I love chicken and rice soup and your recipe is amazing! It turned out so creamy and delicious, I printed this recipe out and will be making it often!
Very nice and great to hear that this recipe has become a favorite! Thank you for your wonderful feedback.
YUM! Such an incredible soup!! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thank you! I hope this chicken and rice soup becomes a new favorite for you.
This soup is so good on cold winter nights. I just adore creamy soups!
Same here – it’s comfort in a bowl and all I need for dinner because it’s so hearty.