Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a family favorite.

It may be spring, but the evenings are still cool and sometimes even darned right cold. A nice bowl of soup always is satisfying and warms me right up! 

I’m not going to lie. One of our favorite soups has been from a packet that you just dump into a pot, add water and cook. It goes with us on camping trips and I’ve used it at home when I’m in need of a quick soup. My daughter has been after me for a while to make this soup from scratch. After a couple of trials, I finally nailed a perfect creamy chicken and wild rice soup!

My kids make great taste testers. They are usually game for just about anything and boy do they give me honest feedback. Sometimes they can be a bit vague, “It’s just not good.” or “It needs something more.”

Sometimes they are spot on with what they think, “It needs to be thicker and creamier.” This last comment held true with this soup. I was trying to get it thick and creamy without using a ton of heavy cream. The first few batches I made tasted delicious, but were a bit too soupy.  Hmmmm….you would think soupy would be a good description for soup! But this soup is a creamy soup and it needed to be creamy.

This soup can be eaten as a light dinner or lunch. It was perfect eaten right after it was made, but it seems to get even better the next day. All the flavors really develop and meld together. Either way it is delicious!

4.8 from 5 votes

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Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 20 mins

 

Hearty and delicious soup with chicken and wild rice. 

Course: Dinner

: American

Servings: 6 People

Calories: 316 kcal

Author: Kathy

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 small diced onion
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup wild rice mix
• 1 cup cooked chicken diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups half and half

Instructions

1. In a soup pot over medium heat add oil.  Add celery, onion, and carrots. Saute for 5-8 minutes until soft.  Stir in garlic. Continue cooking for 1 minute. 

2. Add chicken broth and wild rice.  Stir and cook for 45 minutes, until rice is cooked.

3. Stir in chopped chicken, salt, pepper and thyme.

4. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water. Pour into soup mixture while stirring. Simmer over medium for 10 minutes.  

5. Stir in milk half and half. When heated through, soup is ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

Always add salt and pepper to taste. I use homemade chicken broth without any salt and often need to add a bit more salt than stated in the recipe. 

If you want a thicker, creamier soup, substitute milk for all half and half. 

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 316 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 17g 26%

Saturated Fat 7g 35%

Cholesterol 51mg 17%

Sodium 1632mg 68%

Potassium 672mg 19%

Total Carbohydrates 28g 9%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 4g

Protein 14g 28%

Vitamin A 80.2%

Vitamin C 30.9%

Calcium 17.3%

Iron 8.4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Other Great Recipes to Try

Homemade Chicken Broth

Honey Oat Bread

Corn Chowder