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This Chicken Wild Rice Soup is a classic Midwestern recipe, especially in Minnesota where wild rice has been harvested in canoes for generations. As a classically-trained chef, I love revisiting regional recipes to explore their flavors and learn how people feed their families. There is always a lot to learn, and I remain an eager student.
This version in particular piqued my interest because of a couple of flavor-boosters including Morton’s Nature seasoning blend and every grandma’s secret weapon, Kitchen Bouquet. These add a rich umami flavor without having to simmer your soup all day long. Modern timelines need modern conveniences!
When the temperatures drop, you need only 20 minutes of prep time and a slow cooker to transform leftover chicken into this rich, creamy soup that is layered with flavor. I turn to this recipe again and again for chilly weeknights, lazy weekends, and winter entertaining. I hope you try it and love it as much as I do!
Table of Contents
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- White button mushrooms: Or baby portobello mushrooms. I prefer the texture and flavor of fresh mushrooms, but canned mushrooms work in a pinch.
- Morton Nature’s Season Seasoning Blend: Salt, black pepper, sugar, onion, garlic, parsley, celery seed, and some of brand’s secret spice additions star in this complex-tasting spice mix. I buy this online to sprinkle into soups, roasted vegetables, dips, and beyond.
- Poultry seasoning: Snag a jar from the spice aisle or buy poultry seasoning online, or to make Homemade Poultry Seasoning, combine 2 teaspoons ground sage, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground thyme, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, 3/4 teaspoon ground rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper. You’ll just need ¼ teaspoon, so store the rest in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Chicken broth: Follow my method for Homemade Chicken Broth or buy it in cartons or cans.
- Chicken base: Similar to bullion cubes, chicken base is a concentrated form of chicken stock solid as a powder or paste. I love Better than Bouillon‘s paste, which is widely available and tastes incredible.
- Kitchen Bouquet seasoning: This savory sauce is a concentrated blend of vegetable stock, spices, herbs, and aromatics. A little bit goes a long way. Again, you can find this online if it’s not available in your supermarket. Solid alternatives include Worcestershire sauce, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, dark soy sauce, or Maggi Liquid Seasoning.
- Cooked chicken: I like leftover shredded chicken or Rotisserie chicken; diced or shredded. You can also shred boneless skinless chicken breasts or skinless chicken thighs too! After the holidays, this wild rice soup is a terrific vehicle for leftover turkey, too.
- Cooked wild rice: Look for black rice or a wild rice blend. Either way, cook the rice according to package instructions before adding it to the soup.
How to make Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until foaming. Add mushrooms, onion, carrots, celery, Morton’s Nature Seasoning, and poultry seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetable mixture has softened and released most of its liquid, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir in flour and cook until heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in one cup of broth until no lumps of flour remain.
- Stir in remaining broth, chicken base, Kitchen Bouquet seasoning, chicken, and cooked wild rice. Heat until the slurry is barely simmering, about 180 degrees.
- Stir in half and half and return to 180 degrees (do not boil).
- Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper) and garnish with fresh parsley. Or, transfer to a crock pot and keep warm.
Chicken Wild Rice Soup Recipe Tips
- Yield: My Chicken Wild Rice Soup recipe makes 14 1-cup appetizer or side dish-sized servings. To make it a meal, pair some bowls of this soup with a salad (like Beet Salad, Easy Garden Salad, or Farro Salad with Peas and Feta) and Toasted Baguette for dunking.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Get a head start on this recipe by prepping the vegetables early (store separately in the refrigerator), and cook the chicken if you don’t have leftover chicken handy.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Variations
- Customize your soup: This soup is ready for your personal touches. Use leftover turkey instead of chicken or try different spices like bay leaves or dried rosemary in the broth. Use cooked long-grain brown rice instead of wild rice if you prefer, or serve the soup with fresh lemon juice to cut through the richness.
- Turkey Wild Rice Soup: A perfect use for your leftover turkey. It’s creamy, delicious, and ready in just 40 minutes.
- More cozy recipes: If you love an easy chicken dinner, try my Slow Cooker Chicken, a whole-bird rotisserie-flavored crockpot chicken recipe. Or, try Loaded Baked Potato Soup which takes all your favorite elements of a steak-house-dressed baked potato and transforms them into a hearty winter meal. If you’re craving beef, my Instant Pot Pot Roast is a delicious Sunday supper idea made in your favorite pressure cooker.
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup FAQs
Start on the stovetop, then shift to a slow cooker for the best results. After finishing Step 4 of the soup recipe below (do not to boil the soup once the cream has been added), transfer the soup to a slow cooker and keep warm for serving.
Use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour blend or cornstarch in this soup, and all the other ingredients (including the Kitchen Bouquet) are naturally gluten free.
Personally, I recommend cooking rice before adding it to soup, although there are exceptions to this rule. Boiling rice in a soup is much like boiling it in water: it’s prone to over-cooking because it may continue to cook long after it has turned tender. By adding cooked rice to the pot, the cooking process has stopped and it will heat up but not soften futher.
Some recipes account for this with their cooking times, but even in those cases, your leftovers may end up with mushy rice. To avoid this problem altogether, always add cooked rice to your soups.
Many soups are thickened with roux (a mixture of fat and flour) or with a cornstarch slurry. When it comes to roux, if your soup is hot, your roux should be cold. Mix together equal parts of butter and flour and chill in your freezer. Then, add spoonfuls of cold roux to the pot and stir until thickened, adding more roux as needed. The longer the soup cooks, the thicker it will get as water cooks off.
You can also make a cornstarch slurry. Use ladle or spoon to pull ¼ cup or so of liquid out of your soup pot. Stir in a tablepoon of cornstarch and whisk until thickened, then add back to the pot. Stir until the soup thickens, keeping in mind that the amount of slurry you will need depends on the amount of soup you are thickening.
Sides for serving
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Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms trimmed and sliced (see note 1)
- 1 medium onion peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 carrot peeled and finely diced (about ½ cup)
- 1 celery rib finely diced (about ½ cup)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Morton Nature’s Season seasoning blend
- 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons chicken base
- 1/4 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet seasoning
- 2 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded
- 2 cups cooked wild rice
- 2 cups half and half or heavy cream
- minced fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add mushrooms, onion, carrots, celery, Morton's Nature Seasoning, and poultry seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and released most of their liquid, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir in flour and cook until heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in one cup of broth until no lumps of flour remain.
- Stir in remaining broth, chicken base, Kitchen Bouquet seasoning, chicken, and cooked wild rice. Heat until barely simmering, about 180 degrees.
- Stir in half and half and return to 180 degrees (do not boil). Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper) and garnish with fresh parsley. Or, transfer to a slow cooker and keep warm.
Recipe Video
Notes
- White button mushrooms: Or baby portobello mushrooms. I prefer the texture and flavor of fresh mushrooms, but canned mushrooms work in a pinch.
- Morton Nature’s Season Seasoning Blend: Salt, black pepper, sugar, onion, garlic, parsley, celery seed, and some of brand’s secret spice additions star in this complex-tasting spice mix. I buy this online to sprinkle into soups, roasted vegetables, dips, and beyond.
- Poultry seasoning: Snag a jar from the spice aisle or buy poultry seasoning online, or to make Homemade Poultry Seasoning, combine 2 tsp. ground sage, 1 ½ tsp. ground thyme, 1 tsp. dried marjoram, ¾ tsp. ground rosemary, ½ tsp. ground nutmeg, and ½ tsp. freshly-ground black pepper. You’ll just need ¼ tsp., so store the rest in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Chicken broth: Follow my method for Homemade Chicken Broth or buy it in cartons or cans.
- Chicken base: Similar to bullion cubes, chicken base is a concentrated form of chicken stock solid as a powder or paste. I love Better than Bouillon‘s paste.
- Kitchen Bouquet seasoning: A little bit goes a long way. Again, you can find this online if it’s not available in your supermarket. Solid alternatives include Worcestershire sauce, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, dark soy sauce, or Maggi Liquid Seasoning.
- Cooked chicken: Leftover or Rotisserie chicken; diced or shredded. After the holidays, this wild rice soup is a terrific vehicle for leftover turkey, too.
- Cooked wild rice: Look for black rice or a wild rice blend. Either way, cook the rice according to package instructions before adding it to the soup.
- Yield: My Chicken Wild Rice Soup recipe makes 14 1-c. appetizer or side dish-sized servings.
I don’t have cream or half and half. Can I substitute cream of chicken or celery? If so should I dilute it a bit with some milk?
Hi Kat, I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! – Meggan
Made this delicious soup today while temps are so low outside. Didn’t have the Morton’s or Kitchen Bouquet but made due with your suggestions. Only two of us at home now. Can I freeze for later? Also, I love the chicken and rice soup at Cracker Barrel. Taste of this one is very close, just as good.
Hi Della, thank you so much for writing! This is such a great soup for when it’s cold out, I’m so happy you both enjoyed it! I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to freeze it. The cream may cause a little separation, so reheat the soup gently. Thank you again and take care! – Meggan
I made the CHICKEN WILD RICE Soup. Wow!!!!!! I did find the Morton Salt Natural Seasoning & the Kitchen Bouquet at my grocery store. I added some granulated garlic too. I’m not a big soup eater, but this was perfect! I sat in front of my tv, watching Monday Night Football, eating this divine soup. Perfection!!❤️😋
Hi Louise, so glad you loved it! Sounds like a really lovely evening! – Meggan
What is chicken base?
Chicken base is like a concentrated chicken powder or paste. Here’s my favorite one (link to Amazon) but I would buy it locally. You should be able to find it at any regular grocery store, Walmart, or Target. http://a.co/4j1U28j
If you need anything else just let me know! Thanks Toni!
If you’re making a stock, and don’t want to make it traditionally, use a “paste” base. Never cheap bullion cubes. Read ingredients list on label. Bullion cubes first and main ingredient is salt. Not so with the pastes. You get what you pay for. Pastes are more expensive. Use pastes. Better flavor. Not worth sacrificing outcome if desired dish.
I totally agree with you about this! This recipe came from a friend a long time ago, before I knew about the benefits of the pastes. Better than Bouillon is the one I keep on hand, it’s probably the one you’re thinking of. I agree 100% and will change this recipe. Thanks for pointing that out! Have a great week. -Meggan
Thank you Meggan. I poured in the cream until it looked about right, and this soup was a fabulous hit with my family!! I will make it again and again. I made bread bowls and served it in them – fantastic. Thanks for a great Minnesota recipe, we love our wild rice here!!
Hi Meggan – Am I crazy, or I don’t see the half and half amount we are supposed to put in listed in the ingredients??? I will wing it and see what looks right. Thanks!
Julie
Hi Julie! Aargh, I hate embarrassing mistakes like that!!!! It is supposed to be 2 1/4 cups of half and half (or heavy cream). SO sorry about that. I hope you were able to wing it, I’m so sorry again and truly horrified.
Hi Meggan,
I didn’t see any recipe here.
Something wrong? Can you please reload it?
Thank you!
Ack! So sorry about that. Yes, I had a glitch with the code but the recipe is there now. So sorry about that! Thanks for letting me know.
I’m always looking for new soup recipes to try in the cooler months. Can’t wait to make this one…it looks amazing!
I’m like you – I can enjoy a good bowl of soup no matter how hot it is outside! I LOVE chicken and wild rice soup. Yours looks great, Meggan!
Thank you so much, Julie! 🙂
I love recipes that use leftover cooked chicken … I’d say this one looks pretty much divine! Love the idea of being able to transfer to a slow cooker and keep warm … never thought of that before!
Helen, I will put pretty much anything in a slow cooker that I can get away with. 🙂 Have you seen those crazy recipes where people make cakes and other desserts in them? The sky is the limit!
Wahoo, look at your beautiful new blog design! (Apologies if it’s not super-new, I have been sooo behind on my blog reading.) I love it! And I love this soup recipe–I am always in the mood for soup!
Thank you for your compliments! Somehow I never saw this comment so… sorry for that! 🙂 It’s always nice to hear from my SugarHero!
Oh this looks so creamy and dreamy! Pinned!
Thank you Liz, I literally ate it until I thought I would burst. So delicious!
I highly approve of the way you have made this! It’s like making a roux but you cook it with the vegetables! I wondered whether that would work, now I don’t have to try it cause I know it will! I’m gutted that I am one of your international readers and we don’t have those seasoning brands. I’ll have to do some research to find substitutes. I just want to do a face plant in the soup, it looks SO GOOD. Creamy soups are my favourite!!
Nagi, I hope you track down some substitutes. I can read the labels and see what’s in them and maybe I can tell you how to make them. That would probably be really useful info! 🙂
I’m A huge mushroom fan too, and since soup is one of my favorite things to eat, this is a perfect meal for me.
Thanks Janette, I haven’t made this soup in so long, it was just delightful to dig in again.