Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup: Your New Favorite Comfort Food

There’s nothing quite like a steaming bowl of homemade soup to bring warmth and comfort, especially when the weather turns chilly. This incredibly rich and creamy chicken and wild rice soup is a true culinary hug in a bowl, brimming with tender shredded chicken, wholesome vegetables, earthy wild rice, and crispy bacon. It’s my cherished take on a popular restaurant classic, reimagined with unique twists to create an unforgettable dining experience right in your kitchen.

Soup holds a special place in our hearts and on our dinner tables. It’s the ultimate versatile meal, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a leisurely weekend feast. My family often gravitates towards comforting favorites such as lasagna soup, hearty Zuppa Toscana, classic crock pot chicken noodle soup, and vibrant minestrone soup. But this creamy chicken and wild rice soup truly stands out, offering a satisfying depth of flavor that everyone adores.

Why You’ll Fall in Love with This Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This isn’t just any chicken soup; it’s a bowl of pure deliciousness designed to delight your senses. Here’s why this recipe deserves a permanent spot in your culinary repertoire:

Unforgettable Flavor Profile: The harmonious blend of savory chicken, nutty wild rice, smoky bacon, and a rich, creamy broth creates a complex yet comforting taste that’s hard to resist.
Hearty and Satisfying: Packed with protein and fiber, this soup is substantial enough to be a complete meal on its own, leaving you feeling perfectly satiated.
Wholesome Goodness: Loaded with fresh vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions, it’s a nutritious way to enjoy a comforting dish.
Perfect for Any Occasion: Whether it’s a brisk autumn evening, a frosty winter day, or just a craving for something warm and savory, this soup is always a fitting choice.
Easily Customizable: While the recipe is fantastic as is, it also offers plenty of room for personal touches and dietary adjustments.

For those crisp evenings when only a warm bowl will do, alongside this masterpiece, be sure to explore my beef barley soup for a robust option or the classic New England clam chowder for a taste of the coast.

Crafting Your Perfect Bowl: A Step-by-Step Guide

Making this incredible chicken and wild rice soup is a straightforward process that yields incredibly rewarding results. Let’s walk through the steps to create this flavorful masterpiece:

The journey to this delightful soup begins by crisping up some bacon in a large pot. This crucial step not only provides a savory topping for the finished soup but also renders flavorful bacon grease, which becomes the foundation for sautéing our aromatic vegetables. Once the bacon is golden and crunchy, it’s set aside. Then, the diced onions, carrots, and celery are gently cooked in the savory bacon fat until they become tender and fragrant, creating a deeply flavored base. A touch of minced garlic is added for an extra layer of aroma.

Next, flour is whisked into the vegetables, forming a roux that will beautifully thicken our soup. Gradually, chicken broth is added, creating a smooth, rich liquid base. This is followed by the star ingredients: cooked shredded chicken and pre-cooked wild rice, which simmer gently in the creamy broth, allowing all the flavors to meld together perfectly. The final touch is a generous splash of heavy cream, bringing that signature velvety texture. A sprinkle of the reserved crispy bacon and fresh parsley adds a burst of freshness and an appealing finish. This soup is hearty enough to be served as a stand-alone meal, or it can be wonderfully complemented by a side of crusty bread or a light green salad.

Expert Tips for the Best Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

To ensure your creamy chicken and wild rice soup is nothing short of perfect, consider these helpful tips:

Choose Your Chicken Wisely: I typically roast bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts for the most flavor and tenderness, then shred them. However, this recipe is incredibly forgiving. Feel free to use boneless chicken thighs, leftover roasted chicken, or even a store-bought rotisserie chicken for a quick and easy shortcut. The key is to have about 2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken.
Embrace a Wild Rice Blend: While pure wild rice is delicious, a wild rice blend often offers a more interesting texture and flavor profile. I prefer a blend that includes long-grain brown rice, sweet brown rice, black rice, and classic wild rice. This combination ensures a diverse mouthfeel and nutty notes throughout the soup.
Master the Make-Ahead: This soup is fantastic for meal prepping! You can prepare the recipe as directed, but here’s the trick: omit adding the cooked wild rice and heavy cream. Store the soup base in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to a month. When you’re ready to serve, simply reheat the soup base, then stir in the pre-cooked rice and cream until thoroughly warmed through. This prevents the rice from becoming mushy and the cream from separating during storage.
Control Your Sodium: I always opt for low-sodium chicken broth. This allows you to control the overall saltiness of the soup, ensuring it’s seasoned exactly to your liking without being overpowering. You can always add more salt, but you can’t take it away!

Do You Cook Wild Rice Before Adding It to Soup?

Absolutely, yes! I highly recommend cooking your wild rice separately before incorporating it into the soup. Wild rice, like many grains, has a remarkable ability to absorb a significant amount of liquid. If you cook the rice directly in the soup, it can quickly become overly soft and mushy, and it will drastically reduce the amount of broth in your finished dish. By stirring already cooked rice into the soup just before serving, it absorbs very little additional liquid, maintaining its perfect texture and preventing any unwanted mushiness. This ensures every spoonful is a delight.

How Long Does It Take to Cook Wild Rice?

Cooking wild rice requires a bit of patience, as it can take up to 45 minutes to achieve that ideal tender-chewy texture. It’s essential to plan this cooking time accordingly. A clever strategy I often employ is to cook a double batch of wild rice the night before. I use half for that evening’s dinner, perhaps as a side dish, and reserve the other half specifically for this soup the following night. This simple step significantly reduces your active prep time when you’re ready to make the soup.

Serving Suggestions for Your Creamy Soup

This creamy chicken and wild rice soup is a meal in itself, but a few accompaniments can elevate the dining experience:

Crusty Bread: A warm loaf of crusty bread or soft dinner rolls are perfect for soaking up every last drop of the delicious broth.
Fresh Green Salad: A simple, crisp green salad with a light vinaigrette offers a refreshing contrast to the rich and creamy soup.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich: For a classic comfort food pairing, serve alongside a gooey grilled cheese sandwich.

I used to frequently order this particular soup at Panera Bread, convinced it was a culinary feat beyond my home kitchen skills. However, I soon discovered how surprisingly easy and deeply satisfying it is to prepare from scratch! This homemade version offers the perfect twist on a classic chicken soup, guaranteed to be a hit with both adults and children in your family.

More Comforting Soup Recipes to Explore

If you love this creamy chicken and wild rice soup, you’ll surely enjoy these other comforting recipes:

Ham Bone Soup
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Mexican Meatball Soup
Farro Soup with Meatballs

Rating: 5 from 20 votes

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Print Recipe

Author: Sara Welch

This creamy chicken and wild rice soup is loaded with shredded chicken, veggies, rice and bacon. The perfect way to warm up on a cold day!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled, halved and sliced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/3 cup flour
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
3/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add the bacon, and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crispy and browned.
Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve for later.
Add the onion, carrots and celery to the bacon fat in the pot. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until just tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the flour to the vegetables, stirring to coat the vegetables evenly. Cook for 1 minute.
Slowly add the chicken broth to the pot, whisking until smooth. Bring to a simmer.
Add the chicken and rice to the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes or until heated through.
Add the cream to the pot and simmer for another 4-5 minutes. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the parsley.
Serve the soup immediately, topped with the reserved bacon.

Notes

Any cooked chicken will work here – rotisserie, leftover chicken, whatever you have on hand!
I used a wild rice blend that had the long black rice, brown rice and red rice in the mix.

Nutrition

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This post was originally published on January 3, 2018 and was updated on December 16, 2019 with new content.