Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (No Cream)
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This chicken and wild rice soup is warm, hearty, and cozy! With tender shredded chicken, mushrooms, wild rice, and all the feel good veggies.
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Why you’ll love chicken and wild rice soup
- Hug-in-a-bowl soup. We’re talking heart-warming, nourishing, deeply comforting, and just so darn good. It’s a recipe you’ll keep coming back to again and again, whether it’s for a snow day in, an under-the-weather-type day, or just in need of something cozy and warm.
- Maximum flavor. This soup is made with tender shredded chicken that cooks right in the broth (thank you to the bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts for all that flavor goodness), mushrooms, mirepoix, garlic, fresh thyme sprigs, chicken stock, and a wild rice blend that also simmers right in the pot.
- Skips the cream. This chicken and wild rice soup does not have cream or milk. This keeps the dish lighter and dairy-free, really letting the earthy, nutty flavor of the wild rice shine.
- So good with crusty bread. Chicken and wild rice soup is the perfect excuse to serve with all the crusty bread for sopping, enjoying every last drop.
What is chicken and wild rice soup?
Chicken and wild rice soup is a hearty, cozy soup made with tender chicken, wild rice blend, and a variety of vegetables such as onion, carrots, and celery. Some recipes add heavy cream for a velvety texture, while others utilize stock for a lighter version.
How to make chicken and wild rice soup
- Rinse the rice. Place the wild rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse it thoroughly with cold water.
- Sauté the aromatics. Cook the mushrooms, onion, carrots, and celery in melted butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat until tender. Then stir in the garlic and thyme (dried or fresh) until fragrant.
- Combine. Stir in the chicken breasts, chicken stock, wild rice, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 35-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (165°F) and the rice is tender.
- Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken and dice or shred into bite-sized pieces. Pro tip: the bones and skin can be saved for homemade stock.
- Return the chicken. Stir in the shredded chicken and parsley until warmed through. Season one last time with salt and pepper.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls and serve warm with crusty bread.
what to serve with chicken and wild rice soup
Tools For This Recipe
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (No Cream): Frequently Asked Questions
Mushrooms can be omitted completely if it’s not your thing. Eggplant, zucchini, or tofu can be substituted, if desired, as it can absorb all the good flavors and mimic the texture of mushrooms.
Yes, boneless, skinless chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts have a higher fat content, which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Unless you are planning for leftovers, the rice can be cooked in the soup with the chicken.
Brown rice or orzo is an excellent swap here but the simmer time may vary slightly.
Absolutely! This is one of my favorite crockpot recipes.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the wild rice (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags. To reheat, thaw overnight and gently reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked wild rice when serving.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup wild rice blend, rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken, chicken stock, wild rice, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender, about 35-45 minutes. Remove chicken and let cool before dicing into bite-sized pieces, saving the bones and skin for homemade stock.
- Stir in chicken and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Rinse the wild rice prior to using. Using a fine mesh strainer, rinse the wild rice under cold water to remove any excess starch.
- Add a splash of white wine. Have an open bottle of white wine? Add a splash to the Dutch oven before adding the chicken stock.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Add more vegetables. Chopped green beans, broccoli or cauliflower would be great additions, stirring them in with the cooked chicken and parsley.
- Use rotisserie chicken. Pre-cooked or leftover rotisserie chicken is a great weeknight hack, adding towards the end of cooking time just until warmed through.
- Stir in more stock with leftovers. When reheating leftovers, stir in more stock as needed as the rice will continue to soak up the broth.
- Make it in the slow cooker. Chicken and wild rice soup can easily be made in the crockpot, cooked low and slow for 6-8 hours.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
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Excellent cold weather soup. Flavorful and satisfying with the nutty flavor of the wild rice allowed to shine.
Wouldn’t boneless chicken breasts be better to use?
The bones and skin add more flavor to the broth.
Loved this cozy soup recipe!! However, I did make some adjustments – I added additional dried thyme, dried rosemary and one more bay leaf to add extra flavor! I also subbed spinach for kale since I’m not a huge fan of kale. Overall, it’s staying in my weekly rotation for the autumnal season.
Kale isn’t in the recipe….?
First, I’d like to apologize for never rating this recipe in all the years I’ve been making it. This is my go-to soup and I’ve made it countless times, it’s perfect every time and my entire family (extended family included) LOVES it. Thank you for many warm comforting meals around my table, Damn Delicious!
I made this version because loved ones have dairy allergies. I added more seasonings to taste. Definitely cook the rice separate and add it so it doesn’t soak up the broth. Family added cream to their individual bowls. This is a great way to use up leftover chicken and veggie scraps. I definitely added pinot grigio because why not! Thanks you
Made this today and it’s probably the best soup I’ve ever made! Hearty and delicious and so easy! I used boneless chicken breasts because that’s what I had on hand and simmered on very low it in my dutch oven for 3 hours and it’s divine!
Made this soup when my husband was down with the flu.
Increased the stock by about 2 cups, celery (1 cup) carrot (about 1 1/4 cups), onion (a little over 2 cups)-kept the rest of the ingredients the same. Baked off 6 chicken good sized thighs (sprinkled with kosher salt, pepper, onion power and garlic powder) and cooked the rice separately (2 cups final product) then added the shredded chicken and cooked rice at the end.
Everyone including my husband and my pickiest eaters loved the soup!
Made this last night for dinner! Delicious!!! SO simple and I love how it was all made in the same pot. I used fresh thyme from my (almost dying) garden. Will definitely make this recipe again.
Delicious!!
Whoa, this recipe is pretty dang good. I use way more chimkin than this, but that’s just the deal
Will make this several times the winter, excellent!
My family’s go to soup for when we feel sick!! It’s like a hug in a bowl. So delicious, quick and easy
Made this soup on a rainy cold Oregon Sunday afternoon. It was amazing! Only change for next time is to add about 1-2 cups more broth. I used bone broth and it really added a great depth of favor. Also couldn’t find bone in chicken breast so used boneless skinless chicken breast-it didn’t seem to matter. Thx so much for a delicious recipe. Will definitely be making this again!
Wonderful flavor!
I made this last night and it was a hit! We both loved it! Zero modifications were made (except maybe I added a little more than 8oz of mushrooms, but that’s bc I love mushrooms!). This is definitely going into the fall/winter soup rotation. So delicious!
You have added so many great, quick recipes and maybe I have gotten spoiled by your books but could you add the nutritional information on the website recipes please please?
I know some of the recipes have it but my family totally depends on the nutrition facts.
This soup was so perfect. I made 2 modifications – I made a roux with the veggies and mushrooms by adding 2 tbsp flour and then deglazed the pan with 2/3 cup of cream sherry. Absolutely delicious.
I made this soup but I used rotisserie chicken because that’s what I had. I just delayed adding it until just before the soup was done. My heavens, the rice sure sucked up the chicken stock over night! It became “stoup” (soup+stew) until I added more liquid.
-Katie C.
A great tasting and easy to make recipe. great for company.
Next time, I am going to cook the wild rice separately. Veggies got mushy, waiting for the rice to finish cooking. Also, add some parm cheese before serving. Delicious recipe!