Description
This Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a comforting, hearty meal perfect for cozy days. Featuring tender chicken breasts, wild rice, fresh vegetables, and a creamy base of half and half, this soup offers rich flavors enhanced by fragrant herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage. Easily prepared either in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, it’s an ideal dish for meal prepping and feeds a crowd with its generous 8-serving yield.
Ingredients
Protein
- 1 – 1 ¼ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, raw
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
Liquids & Dairy
- 7 – 8 cups chicken broth (packaged or homemade), use less for thicker soup
- 2 cups half and half (may use unsweetened plain non-dairy creamer or full-fat coconut milk for dairy-free)
Grains
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
Vegetables
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (1 ¼ – 1 ½ cups)
- 3-4 carrots, peeled and diced (1 ½ cups)
- 2-3 medium celery stalks, diced (~¾ – 1 cup)
- 8 ounces sliced or diced fresh cremini or baby bella mushrooms
Herbs & Seasonings
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed between your fingers
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon dried sage or poultry seasoning
- 2 dried bay leaves
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, optional for garnish
Other
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (optional for thickening in Instant Pot)
Instructions
- Prepare Chicken and Season: Season the chicken breasts evenly with salt and black pepper to enhance the flavor base of the soup.
- Assemble Ingredients in Slow Cooker: Place chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add chicken broth, uncooked wild rice, mushrooms, minced garlic, diced onion, carrots, celery, crushed rosemary, dried thyme, sage or poultry seasoning, and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
- Cook in Slow Cooker: Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until the chicken is fully cooked and the rice is tender.
- Shred Chicken: Remove bay leaves and discard. Take chicken out, shred with two forks, and return shredded chicken back to the slow cooker. Stir well.
- Add Cream and Warm: Stir in half and half, then cover and continue heating the soup for 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until warmed through.
- Adjust Seasoning and Garnish: Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired before serving.
- Optional Instant Pot Preparation: Season chicken with salt and pepper, then place chicken, broth, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, rosemary, thyme, sage, and bay leaves into the Instant Pot. Lock lid and seal vent. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes with quick release.
- Shred Chicken Instant Pot: Remove chicken after pressure release, shred, set aside. Replace lid and cook for an additional 6 minutes, then allow 5 minutes natural pressure release.
- Finish Soup Instant Pot: Stir in half and half, then add shredded chicken back in, stirring to combine. Serve immediately garnished with parsley.
- Optional Thickening Instant Pot: For thicker soup, remove ½ cup broth to bowl, whisk in cornstarch. Set Instant Pot to sauté until simmering, then stir in cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
Notes
- Use 7 cups broth for thicker soup consistency, or 8 cups for thinner soup.
- You can substitute half and half with unsweetened plain non-dairy creamer or full-fat coconut milk to make the soup dairy-free.
- Wild rice adds a nutty texture and flavor; rinse before cooking for best results.
- Do not skip removing the bay leaves before serving as they can be tough and bitter.
- Cooking times may vary depending on your slow cooker or Instant Pot model.
- Shredding chicken before finishing ensures the protein is tender and well distributed.
- Fresh parsley adds a nice herbal brightness and can be omitted if unavailable.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours (Instant Pot: 18 minutes including natural release; Slow Cooker: 6-8 hours low or 3-4 hours high)
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
