Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This post shows you how to make chicken and wild rice soup.

We’re obsessed with this chicken and wild rice soup – it’s the perfect fall dinner recipe for the cooler evenings.

This soup reminds of this amazing greek lemon chicken and orzo soup recipe (will share on here soon) there’s something so comforting about chicken soup, whether it’s chicken noodle, chicken and rice soup it works so well and is so flavorsome and filling. Which makes it perfect to serve for guests too! It’s great if you don’t have any bread to go with the soup because it really is that filling (psst… if you have bread though, use it!)

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Easy fall dinner ideas

We love the coziness of fall and with it come the yummiest fall flavors that the season has to offer. Here are some of our absolute favorite and super easy fall dinner recipe ideas:

1. Butternut Squash Soup 
2. Pumpkin Chili 
3. Chicken & Wild Rice Soup 
4. Beef & Barley Stew 
5. Creamy Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup
6. Pumpkin Mac & Cheese 
7. Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie 
8. Chicken & Stuffing Casserole 
9. Baked Ziti with Sausage & Spinach 
10. Butternut Squash & Kale Lasagna
11. Maple Dijon Glazed Pork Chops 
12. Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast 
13. Apple Cider Chicken Thighs 
14. Harvest Quinoa Skillet 
15. Creamy Mushroom & Garlic Chicken Skillet 
16. Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta 
17. Sausage & Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash 
18. Mushroom & Sage Risotto 
19. Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Farro Bowl 
20. Cranberry Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf

Aesther Cooking Pairs this recipe with

Ingredients

For the Soup:

1 tbsp olive oil or butter

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)

6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (rotisserie or leftover chicken works great)

1 cup milk (or a milk alternative)

2 tbsp flour (or cornstarch for a gluten-free option)

½ cup heavy cream (optional for extra richness)

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Step-by-Step Instructions

Sauté the Vegetables

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil or butter over medium heat.

Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, until the veggies begin to soften.

Stir in garlic, thyme, oregano, salt, and black pepper, cooking for another 30 seconds until fragrant.

Cook the Wild Rice

Pour in chicken broth and stir in the rinsed wild rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer.

Cover and cook for 45-50 minutes, or until the wild rice is tender.

Add the Chicken & Creamy Base

In a small bowl, whisk together milk and flour until smooth. Slowly stir it into the soup.

Add the shredded chicken and let the soup simmer for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If using, stir in heavy cream for extra richness.

Finish & Serve

Remove from heat and stir in fresh parsley.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve warm with crusty bread or crackers.

Tips and Tricks

Save on time – we’re always on the hunt for ways to speed up a cooking process, try rotisserie chicken shredded into the soup instead for a faster version.

 Make sure the rice is completely cooked through – Wild rice definitely takes longer to cook so you’ll have to have patience with this recipe, and you may find that this thickens up the soup. In which case add some more broth if you want a thinner consistency.

Dairy-Free Option available – easily swap out the dairy for unsweetened oat or almond milk to make this dairy-free.

gluten-free? – cornstarch will do just the trick at thickening up this delicious soup.

🌿 Make It Your Own – Try:

• Protein Swaps 🍗
  • Cooking this during the holidays? swap out the chicken and use turkey instead!
  • If you’re veggie you can swap the chicken for white beans or chickpeas.
• Extra Veggies 🥕
  • Mushrooms, spinach or kale are some great vegetable additions to this yummy soup.
• Spice It Up 🌶️
  • Spice up your soup with red chilli flakes.
  • We also love adding in curry powder or smoked paprika to change up the flavor.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:50 minutes mins

Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

For the Soup:

• 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
• 1 small onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 medium carrots sliced
• 2 celery stalks sliced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt adjust to taste
• 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice rinsed
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (rotisserie or leftover chicken works great)
• 1 cup milk or a milk alternative
• 2 tbsp flour or cornstarch for a gluten-free option
• ½ cup heavy cream optional for extra richness
• ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

Sauté the Vegetables

• In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil or butter over medium heat.
• Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, until the veggies begin to soften.
• Stir in garlic, thyme, oregano, salt, and black pepper, cooking for another 30 seconds until fragrant.

Cook the Wild Rice

• Pour in chicken broth and stir in the rinsed wild rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer.
• Cover and cook for 45-50 minutes, or until the wild rice is tender.

Add the Chicken & Creamy Base

• In a small bowl, whisk together milk and flour until smooth. Slowly stir it into the soup.
• Add the shredded chicken and let the soup simmer for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• If using, stir in heavy cream for extra richness.

Finish & Serve

• Remove from heat and stir in fresh parsley.
• Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve warm with crusty bread or crackers.

How to Serve

Chicken and wild rice soup is great as a stand-alone dish, but even better when paired with:

✔ Crusty Bread – what could be better than a warm baguette with a layer of butter?

✔ Side Salad – balance out the flavors with a caesar salad or try our arugula salad!

✔ Roasted Veggies – whether it’s Brussel sprouts, sweet potato or asparagus or a combo of all of them, this works as a great side for this soup.

FAQs

Q: Can I use a different type of rice?
A: Absolutely! Wild rice does have a great texture though but you can use a wild rice blend or even brown rice. Just make sure to adjust the cooking times.

Q: How do I make this soup thicker?
A: Mix a tablespoon of flour or cornstarch in some cold water and add this to your soup to thicken it up. Then simmer it down to your preferred thickness.

Nutritional Information (Approximate)

• Protein: 25g
• Carbs: 35g
• Fats: 10g

We hope that this will become a fall fave for you!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

• 19 Delicious Pumpkin Recipe ideas
• 15 Best Bonfire Night Party Food and Drink ideas
• Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
• Pumpkin Oatmeal
• Pumpkin French Toast Bake

Looking for more fall recipe ideas? visit seasonal

This post shows you how to make chicken and wild rice soup.