Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a hearty homemade soup filled with seasoned chicken, vegetables, a wild rice blend, and a rich, creamy chicken broth.

I made this for my family on a cool fall evening, and everyone went back for seconds. That usually tells me pretty quickly whether a new recipe is worth making again.

For the rice, I used RiceSelect Royal Blend, which is a blend of different whole-grain rices rather than straight wild rice. I cooked the rice separately and added it to the soup at the end.

I also added freshly grated Parmesan to the broth. I wasn’t completely sure about the Parmesan when I first planned the recipe, but I’m glad I used it. It gave the broth a wonderful savory flavor without making the soup taste cheesy or Italian.

This one is definitely going into our regular cold-weather soup rotation.

A Hearty Chicken Soup for Fall and Winter

This soup is creamy, but it isn’t one of those extremely thick cream soups.

There is still plenty of flavorful chicken broth surrounding the chicken, vegetables, and rice, which is exactly what I wanted.

One thing that makes a big difference is building flavor at several stages instead of relying on the broth to do all the work.

The chicken is seasoned before cooking. The vegetables cook in butter and olive oil. Chicken bouillon gives the broth additional depth, and freshly grated Parmesan gets stirred in at the end.

None of those flavors overwhelms the soup. Together, they simply make a really flavorful bowl of homemade chicken soup.

Cook the Chicken Separately

For this recipe, I cook the chicken breasts in my slow cooker before adding them to the soup.

I drizzle about 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a little olive oil and season them generously with chicken or poultry seasoning.

You don’t need to add broth or water to the slow cooker.

The chicken releases some of its own juices as it cooks, and cooking it this way means the chicken itself is well seasoned before it ever gets added to the soup.

Once it’s tender and has reached an internal temperature of 165°F, simply shred or chop it and set it aside.

Why I Cook the Rice Separately

I highly recommend cooking your rice separately rather than cooking it directly in the soup.

Rice continues absorbing liquid as it sits. That isn’t much of a problem when you’re eating the soup immediately, but it can make a big difference with leftovers.

A beautiful pot of creamy, brothy soup can become extremely thick after sitting in the refrigerator overnight.

Cooking the rice separately gives you much more control.

You can stir some of the cooked rice into the soup before serving or simply spoon rice into each bowl and ladle the soup over it.

If you know you’re going to have leftovers, keep the extra rice in a separate container in the refrigerator.

Want more practical recipes and simple homemaking ideas?

Join me for my weekly Home Journal, where I share seasonal homemaking, recipes, practical household skills, and encouragement for creating a home that serves the people who live there.

Start where you are. Care for what you have.

What Kind of Rice Should You Use?

I used RiceSelect Royal Blend for this recipe.

It’s a blend rather than straight wild rice, and I really liked the different colors and textures it added to the soup.

You don’t have to use this particular brand. Another wild rice blend should work well, too.

Prepare whichever blend you choose according to its package directions and then add it to the finished soup.

Don’t Skip the Parmesan

Parmesan might sound a little unusual in chicken and rice soup, but it ended up being one of my favorite additions.

It does not turn this into a cheesy soup.

Freshly grated Parmesan melts right into the cream and chicken broth and adds a subtle savory richness.

I recommend starting with about 1/3 cup. Taste your soup and add up to 1/2 cup if you’d like a little more.

Freshly grated Parmesan works especially well because it melts smoothly into the broth.

How to Store Leftovers

Transfer leftover soup to a covered container and refrigerate promptly.

For the best results, store leftover rice separately from the soup. Add the rice to individual servings as you reheat them.

The soup may thicken somewhat in the refrigerator. If it becomes thicker than you like, add a splash of chicken broth while reheating.

Use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days.

Can You Freeze Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup?

You can freeze this soup, although dairy-based soups can sometimes change slightly in texture after freezing and thawing.

If you’re making a batch specifically for the freezer, I would freeze the soup before adding the heavy cream, Parmesan, and rice.

After thawing and reheating the soup, stir in the cream and freshly grated Parmesan. Prepare the rice separately and add it when serving.

What to Serve With Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This is a hearty enough soup that it really doesn’t need much alongside it.

A loaf of crusty bread, homemade rolls, or a simple sandwich would make an easy dinner.

You could also serve some sliced apples or other fresh fruit on the side.

Most nights, though, I’d be perfectly happy putting a big bowl of this soup on the table with some good bread and calling dinner done.

A New Family Favorite

Some recipes need a few rounds of testing before I know whether I want to make them again.

This one didn’t.

My family went back for seconds, and I loved how the finished soup turned out. The seasoned chicken gives it plenty of flavor, cooking the rice separately keeps the broth from disappearing, and that little bit of freshly grated Parmesan gives the creamy broth an extra savory richness without overpowering anything else.

It’s warm, hearty, practical, and exactly the kind of dinner I want to make when the weather turns cool.

I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine did.

From my hearth to yours,
Becky