Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Warm Up Your Bones with This Cozy Crock-Pot Chick & Rice Mashup
Picture this: it’s a chilly evening, you’re snuggled on the couch in socks that definitely don’t match, and your nose catches a waft of something creamy, savory, and soul-healing. That, my friend, is slow cooker magic: Chicken & Wild Rice Soup, done right.
This is comfort in a bowl — no fuss, just the kind of delicious you want to dive face-first into with a spoon.
Why This Soup Is a Little More Than Just “Soup”
- Wild rice isn’t actually rice (surprise!) — it’s a seed from an aquatic grass. It has a nutty flavor and chewiness that amps up your soup game.
- Cooking it in the slow cooker lets the grains expand gradually, releasing flavor into the broth without turning into mush.
- The cream-thickening step (butter + flour + half & half) gives you that luscious “restaurant-y bowl of warmth” texture, but with everyday ingredients.
- Bonus: slow-cooking chicken helps it shred easily and soak up all the savory goodness in the pot.
Why This Recipe Works & What to Watch Out For
- Timing is your friend: Don’t skip pulling and shredding the chicken early — it gives it room to soak in broth flavor before the thickener jumps in.
- Cream mix caution: Go slow with the half & half — whisk or you’ll get lumps (no one wants surprise flour bits).
- Thickness game: If your final soup is too dense, dilute gently — you can always go more liquid, but hard to go back from too thin.
- Taste-test late: After adding cream, flavors mellow out. You may need a little extra salt or pepper at the end.
(Mini) Foodie Fact Break 🍜
Wild rice was a staple for Native American tribes in the Great Lakes region long before Europeans arrived. It was so valued that tribes considered the lakes and rivers where it grew sacred. Today, true wild rice is still harvested in Minnesota and Canada in traditional ways.
Final Thoughts (aka Why You’ll Make This Again)
This slow cooker soup is the ultimate weeknight win: set it and forget it, and come back to a dream bowl of creamy, wholesome satisfaction. It’s cozy, it’s hearty, it’s got that “I made something fancy-ish” energy with minimal effort.
When you serve it, imagine steam rising, carrots soft but not mushy, wild rice with bite, and chicken that’s soaked up all that broth goodness. That’s the kind of warm hug your stomach needs on a dreary evening.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice blend NOT parboiled
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 cup onions chopped
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 3 medium carrots cut in rounds
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups Kitchen Basics chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups half and half
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop all your veggies.
- Rinse the rice well under cold water. Add the uncooked rice, chicken breasts, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, chicken broth, and seasonings to your slow cooker.
- Cover and cook—either on high for 3–4 hours or on low for 7–8 hours. About 30 minutes before it’s done, take the chicken out, let it cool slightly, and shred it with two forks.
- Once the rice has finished cooking, stir the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour. Let it cook for about a minute, then gradually whisk in the half & half until smooth and thickened. Pour this creamy mixture into the slow cooker and stir until everything is well combined. If the soup feels too thick, you can loosen it up with a splash of water or more half & half. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
