Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup brings together a creamy base, hearty veggies, tender chicken, and seasoned wild rice. Let the slow cooker or pressure cooker do all the work!
Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup
This soup is one of my all-time favorites, especially during the colder months. I make it often, and I’m so excited to share it with you!
It’s an easy recipe, thanks to the slow cooker or pressure cooker, with a unique ingredient—sweet potatoes!
Roasted sweet potatoes are a favorite in my home, so one winter, I decided to toss some into this soup. Since then, I haven’t made it any other way!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup:
- Chicken thighs: Tender and flavorful, with fat that adds richness to the soup.
- Wild rice blend: A mix of grains gives a great texture without becoming mushy.
- Yellow onion: Finely diced so it softens well and blends into the soup.
- Carrots and celery: Small, uniform pieces cook evenly.
- Garlic: Freshly minced or jarred—use whatever you have.
- Sweet potatoes: Adds subtle sweetness and hearty texture.
- Chicken stock or broth: Higher quality stock gives a better flavor base.
- Butter and flour: Essential for a creamy, thick soup.
- Milk: Whole milk brings richness and keeps the soup thick.
- Bay leaves and seasonings: These add layers of flavor.
- Chicken bouillon: Deepens the broth’s flavor.
How To Make Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Add Ingredients: Put chicken, rice, veggies, stock, and seasonings in the CrockPot.
- Cook: Cover and cook on low for 5-8 hours or high for 3.5-5 hours.
- Make Cream: Melt butter, whisk in flour, then milk until thick.
- Finish: Shred chicken, add cream, remove bay leaves, and season.
- Serve: Garnish with herbs and enjoy with buttered bread.
What To Serve With Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Crusty bread, honey whole wheat bread, or soup crackers/saltines
- Big garden salad (like this Olive Garden copycat) for a fresh, light side
- Grilled cheese for dipping—perfectly comforting with this soup
- Fresh fruit or try a seasonal fruit salad
Storage
Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup Leftovers?
- Freeze: Store in an airtight bag and thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Fridge: Keeps well for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: Warm slowly over low heat to avoid separation. Add a splash of milk to thin.
More Crockpot Soup Recipes:
- Crack Chicken Chili with bacon
- Crockpot Chili award-winning chili recipe!
- Southwestern Corn Chowder with black beans
- Crockpot Chicken Stew with carrots and potatoes
- Crockpot Chicken Quinoa Soup with sweet potatoes
Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup is packed with hearty veggies, tender chicken, and a flavorful wild rice blend. Just toss everything into the slow cooker and let it do the work!
Equipment
- CrockPot 6-quart, or use an Instant Pot
- Small pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs see note 1
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice blend see note 2
- 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion 1 onion, see note 3
- 3/4 cup finely diced carrot 2 carrots
- 3/4 cup finely diced celery 2 ribs
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup diced sweet potato 1 potato
- 6 cups chicken stock or broth
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- Fresh herbs like parsley or thyme, optional
- Hearty buttered bread optional, for serving
Seasonings
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add the chicken, rice, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, sweet potato, chicken stock, and all seasonings to the CrockPot or Instant Pot. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Stir well.
- For CrockPot: Cover and cook on low for 5-8 hours or on high for 3.5-5 hours, until the rice is tender and chicken shreds easily. For Instant Pot: Seal and cook on manual mode for 10 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
- When soup is nearly done, melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Slowly whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually add in milk while whisking constantly. Let simmer over medium-low heat until thickened. Whisk often.
- Remove the chicken, shred, and return it to the soup. Stir in the cream mixture, discard bay leaves, and adjust seasonings. If the soup is too thick, add up to 1 cup of milk.
- Garnish with fresh parsley or thyme and serve with hearty buttered bread.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: This soup gets a lot of its flavor from the fat in the chicken thighs, which I don’t trim before cooking. When shredding the chicken after cooking, I pull off any rendered fat. You can substitute chicken breasts, but the soup will be less flavorful. If using breasts, cut them into 3 pieces before adding.
Note 2: Be cautious with your wild rice choice. Black or forbidden rice can tint the entire dish black. I use the Lundberg wild rice blend, which becomes soft and tender. It can get a bit mushy if overcooked, which I don’t mind as it adds a thick, hearty texture. If you prefer firmer rice, check it at the earliest cook time.
Note 3: Smaller, evenly diced veggies make a better soup. I dice the onion, celery, and carrot very small, and the sweet potato into 1/2-inch chunks.
Stovetop Directions: Follow this recipe instead!
Storage: This soup stores well in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat slowly over low heat to prevent the soup from separating. Freeze in an airtight bag and thaw overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 633kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 495mg | Potassium: 1019mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 11302IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Putting in crock pot now and can’t wait to try it. Just thought I’d point out that the recipe doesn’t say when to add the broth. I assumed with the veggies and chicken and found it in the blog. But thought I’d let you know 🙂
Omg thank you Desi!! So appreciate you pointing that out! 🙂
Made tonight! Was very tasty and comforting. Rice was great – not mushy. I didn’t need all of the cream sauce. Used maybe half. Definitely salt and pepper the cream sauce. Thought about using straight cream but love added flavor cream sauce brings. Used leftover roasted sweet potato. Added 1.5 hours before end of cooking time. Served with yeasty rolls. Delicious!
So thrilled you enjoyed this! Thanks so much for your comment, Mona!
It looks like another viewer tried half and half instead of the milk/flour mixture. Ok to do that using same 2 cups?
I haven’t tested that, so I can’t say for sure!
Sounds delicious, I think I will use this recipe with turkey from Thanksgiving.
Yay! Enjoy!
This was great! I made one sub with 2 cups 1/2 and 1/2 instead of the milk mixture.
Delish! So glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Can almond, soy or oat milk be used instead of cow milk?
It won’t be very thick!
This is my first recipe of your I don’t really like. All others are 5 stars! This just tasted bland to me. Maybe it’s the sweet potatoes. I don’t know. But I kept adding salt at the end and it wasn’t helping.
Made this last night and my husband and I loved it! Delicious, nutritious, and pretty much fail-proof. Thanks for a great recipe!
So happy to hear this! Thanks so much! 🙂
I love the fall flavored of this soup! Plus it’s a crockpot recipe-can’t go wrong!! But I have made this twice and while it tastes delicious, the rice has been mushy. The second time I cooked the very minimum time which helped but it still doesn’t look anything like the consistency in your pics! What am I missing?! My next attempt might be making the rice separate and adding it in at the end!
Thanks so much Megan! Glad you’re enjoying the flavor, but I’d love to problem solve the rice with you. Are you using a wild rice blend or something different? Have you tried the Lundberg variety? (That’s what I use and have never had mushy rice!) Also, how long are you cooking the soup for? It might help to check the soup an hour or two earlier 🙂