Our Ultimate Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Are you looking for that truly perfect, soul-soothing meal to ward off the chill? Something that not only fills your home with a heart-warming aroma but also delivers a comforting embrace in every spoonful? Your search ends here. We’ve developed this recipe to be the definitive answer to your cosy-day cravings. We firmly believe that a brilliant soup can elevate any day, and our Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken Wild Rice Soup is crafted to do precisely that. It brings together tender, shredded chicken, a nutty wild rice blend, and a medley of fresh vegetables, all enveloped in a luxuriously creamy broth that is utterly irresistible.

The true charm of this recipe is its wonderful simplicity. We let the slow cooker take on all the hard work, allowing the ingredients to simmer gently towards perfection while you carry on with your day. It’s the kind of dish that feels special enough for a family Sunday lunch yet is straightforward enough for a hectic weeknight. Prepare to meet your new favourite comfort food soup.

Why You’ll Adore This Recipe

• Wonderfully Simple and Hands-Off: This is a genuine “set it and forget it” dish. Just add your ingredients to the slow cooker in the morning, and by dinnertime, a delicious, steaming meal will be ready and waiting.
• A Complete and Nourishing Meal: Filled with protein-packed chicken, wholesome wild rice, and nutritious vegetables, this soup is a satisfying meal all in one bowl. It is guaranteed to leave you feeling wonderfully full and content.
• Luxuriously Creamy and Flavourful: We enrich this soup with a touch of double cream and carefully chosen seasonings that transform it from a simple broth into a gourmet-level experience. The flavour profile is complex, savoury, and deeply comforting.
• Ideal for Making Ahead: This recipe yields a generous amount, and we think the leftovers taste even more delicious the following day! It’s a superb option for planning your lunches or dinners for the week.
• A Guaranteed Hit with Everyone: The gentle, savoury notes of this soup are beloved by adults and children alike. It’s a fantastic way to gather everyone around the dinner table for a wholesome, shared meal.

Ingredients

• 700g boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 150g wild rice blend, uncooked
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 litres of good-quality chicken broth
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 180ml double cream
• 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp cold water (to make a slurry)
• A large handful of fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Step-by-Step Guide to Your Crockpot Chicken Soup

Creating this soup is a beautifully straightforward affair. We have organised the process into simple, manageable stages to help you achieve flawless results every time. It’s time to let your slow cooker work its magic!

1. Prepare and Combine Your Ingredients

First, we need to get all our components ready. Begin by placing the chicken breasts in the base of your slow cooker pot. You can leave them whole, as they will become incredibly tender and will shred with ease later on. Next, scatter the uncooked wild rice blend over and around the chicken. Add the chopped onion, diced carrots, diced celery, and minced garlic. Pour the chicken broth over all the ingredients, making sure the chicken and vegetables are well covered. To finish, add the dried thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Give everything a gentle stir to combine.

2. The Slow Cooking Process

And now for the easiest part! Secure the lid on your slow cooker and select your cooking setting. You have a couple of choices here, depending on your schedule for the day:

• Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. We find this setting yields the most tender meat and deeply developed flavours.
• Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours. This is an excellent choice when you’re a bit more pressed for time.

While it gently simmers away, your kitchen will be filled with the most incredible, comforting scent. This is the promise of the delicious Crockpot chicken soup that awaits.

3. Shred the Chicken

Once the cooking cycle is finished, your chicken will be perfectly cooked and falling-apart tender. Carefully lift the chicken breasts out of the slow cooker and transfer them to a chopping board. Using a pair of forks, pull the meat apart into bite-sized shreds. It should shred almost effortlessly. At this point, remember to locate and remove the bay leaf from the soup.

4. Create the Creamy Finish

It’s time to add that luxurious, creamy touch. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk the cornflour and cold water together until a smooth slurry forms. Pour this mixture into the slow cooker, stirring gently. This will thicken the soup to a wonderful, velvety texture. Lastly, stir through the double cream. Allow the soup to cook on the HIGH setting for a further 15-20 minutes, or until it has thickened slightly and is piping hot. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you feel it needs it. Your soup is now perfect and ready to serve!

Expert Tips for the Best Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Having made this recipe countless times, we’ve picked up a few helpful tips and tricks to make it even more spectacular. Consider this recipe a fantastic starting point for the perfect creamy chicken and rice meal, which you can easily tailor to your own tastes.

• Choosing Your Rice: We suggest using a wild rice blend, which typically contains a mixture of wild, brown, and white rice. This combination offers a delightful texture and a lovely nutty taste. Pure wild rice is also a great option, though it might need a slightly longer cooking time to become tender. For more insights into whole grains, we recommend resources from the Whole Grains Council.
• Chicken Thighs vs. Breasts: Although we use chicken breasts for a leaner result, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are a superb alternative. They have a higher fat content, which translates to extra flavour and incredibly succulent meat.
• Add More Veggies: Don’t hesitate to include other vegetables! Sliced mushrooms add a wonderful, earthy depth (add them at the start with the other veg). You could also stir in a handful of fresh spinach or some frozen peas right at the end for a burst of colour and added vitamins.
• Don’t Skip the Herbs: The thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf work together to build a gorgeous, savoury foundation of flavour. If you have fresh herbs on hand, feel free to use them instead – as a rule of thumb, use about three times the amount of fresh herbs to dried.

If you’re a fan of comforting chicken dishes that are simple to put together, we think you’ll also love our Low Carb Chicken Casserole, which is another wonderful option for a hearty, satisfying meal.

Storing and Reheating Your Hearty Wild Rice Soup

One of the greatest features of this hearty wild rice soup is how well it keeps, making it an excellent choice for leftovers.

Storing in the Refrigerator

Let the soup cool down to room temperature before transferring it into an airtight container. It will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days. The rice will continue to soak up liquid as it rests, so the soup might become a little thicker. You can add a splash of chicken broth or water when you reheat it to reach your desired consistency.

Freezing Instructions

This soup freezes well, but we have an important tip: for the best texture upon reheating, freeze it *before* you add the double cream. Dairy products can sometimes separate or become grainy when frozen. Just follow the recipe up to step 3, allow the soup to cool completely, and then freeze it in portions. When you’re ready to enjoy it, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, reheat it gently on the hob, and then stir in the cream and cornflour slurry at the end.

Reheating

To reheat, simply pour your desired portion of soup into a saucepan and warm it over a medium-low heat, stirring every so often until it’s lovely and hot. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the microwave; just be sure to stop and stir every minute to promote even heating.

For those who enjoy pasta as much as a good soup, our Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe is another must-try for a simple and flavourful weeknight dinner.

FAQ

A Bowl of Comfort You’ll Make Again and Again

So, there you have it – a straightforward, delicious, and deeply satisfying Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken Wild Rice Soup that we are confident will become a firm favourite in your household. It’s the ideal recipe for embracing the change in seasons, comforting you when you’re feeling under the weather, or simply treating yourself to a wholesome, flavour-packed meal without any fuss.

We are truly excited for you to give this recipe a go and experience the pure joy of a perfect bowl of homemade soup. It’s a wonderful example of how simple ingredients, cooked with a bit of time and care, can result in something truly special. It’s time to get out your slow cooker and prepare a meal that will warm you from the inside out.

Did you make this recipe? We would be delighted to hear from you! Please leave a comment and a rating below to let us know how you got on. Your feedback is so helpful for us and for other readers too!

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Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 3-8 hours
Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 700g boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 150g wild rice blend, uncooked
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 litres of good-quality chicken broth
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 180ml double cream
• 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp cold water (slurry)
• A large handful of fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Place chicken breasts, uncooked wild rice, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Pour in the chicken broth and add the thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir gently to combine.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is tender.
4. Remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with two forks. Discard the bay leaf from the soup.
5. Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Stir in the cornflour slurry and the double cream.
6. Cook on HIGH for another 15-20 minutes, or until the soup has thickened. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

Nutrition (per serving):
Calories: 515,
Carbs: 35 g,
Protein: 42 g,
Fat: 23 g