Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
This creamy chicken and wild rice soup has tender chicken, wild rice, and a flavorful broth finished with heavy cream and Parmesan. It’s a perfect cold-weather dinner.
You may also love my Instant Pot vegetable soup and creamy tortellini soup.
Creamy chicken and wild rice soup is one of those dinners that is great for the cooler fall and winter days. You get tender chicken, chewy wild rice, and a rich, creamy broth that tastes like it simmered for hours. This is the kind of soup recipe I make when it’s chilly outside and I want something filling that doesn’t take too long to make.
The shortcut here is rotisserie chicken. It turns this dish into an easy rotisserie chicken soup with less prep. I keep the base simple with onion, carrots, mushrooms, and herbs, then finish it with heavy cream and Parmesan so it lands firmly in the creamy chicken wild rice soup territory, not just a brothy chicken and rice soup.
How to make creamy chicken and wild rice soup
Bring the broth to a boil and season it with salt. Rinse the wild rice, add it to the pot, reduce the heat, and simmer covered until the rice is tender. Drain off any excess liquid if needed, then set the rice aside.
Remove the meat from a rotisserie chicken and shred it into bite-sized pieces. If you’re using cooked chicken breasts instead, shred or chop them the same way.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and mushrooms, and cook until the vegetables soften and the mushrooms release their moisture.
Add the butter and let it melt. Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if you’re using them. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until everything is evenly coated, then cook for a few minutes while stirring often.
Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring to keep the mixture smooth. Add the dry white wine if you’re using it, then bring the soup to a gentle simmer and cook until it thickens slightly.
Lower the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Add the shredded chicken and cooked wild rice, and stir until warmed through. Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan until it melts. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
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Ingredients
For the Wild Rice
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, or water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup uncooked wild rice
For the Soup
- 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (or 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup dry white wine, optional; replace with broth if skipping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Chopped parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Bring the broth to a boil and add the salt. Rinse the wild rice, stir it in, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender (up to 45 minutes depending on the brand), then drain any extra liquid and set it aside.3 cups low-sodium chicken broth1 teaspoon salt¾ cup uncooked wild rice
- Pull the meat from the rotisserie chicken and shred it into bite-sized pieces. Cooked chicken breasts work too, just shred or chop them the same way.1 rotisserie chicken
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and mushrooms, and cook until softened and the mushrooms have released their moisture.2 tablespoons olive oil1 cup shredded carrots1 small onion1 cup mushrooms
- Stir in the butter until melted, then add the garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for a 2-3 minutes, stirring often.3 tablespoons unsalted butter3 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder1 ½ teaspoons onion powder½ teaspoon dried rosemary½ teaspoon dried thyme½ teaspoon red pepper flakes½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon black pepper
- While stirring, slowly pour in the chicken broth to keep things smooth. Add the white wine if using, then bring the soup to a gentle simmer and cook until slightly thickened.3 cups low-sodium chicken broth1 cup dry white wine
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream. Add the chicken and cooked wild rice and heat through. Remove from heat, stir in the Parmesan until melted, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed.1 cup heavy cream½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Suggested Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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We’d Love If You’d Rate It Leave a Review!Meet Kimberly
Hi, I’m Kimberly Vargo! Comfort food is at the heart of everything I make like easy dinners and sides to desserts, cocktails, and condiments. A lot of my inspiration comes from old family recipes, personal favorites, and vintage cookbooks.
