Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup is luxuriously thick, hearty and satisfying, and made with everyday ingredients. Plus it tastes just like Panera's Chicken and Wild Rice Soup! Make a big pot then reheat all week for cozy, ready-made lunches.
“This is a family favorite – I’ve made it countless times! Easy, delicious and satisfying! Reheats and freezes well.”
Although it’s been 10+ years since I’ve eaten at Panera, on account of having Celiac Diesase, I went so often in high school that the taste and texture of their Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup is burned into my memory.
That said, trust me when I tell you that my Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup is a perfect dupe. Thick and hearty, decadent and satisfying – no restaurant required!
Watch How to Make It
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup Main Ingredients
Truly this recipe tastes just like Panera’s except it’s gluten free and made from scratch with just a few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Veggies: carrots, celery, and shallots or onions make up the veggie portion of the soup.
- Dried herbs and seasonings: poultry seasoning, dried thyme, salt, and pepper provide lots of cozy, slow-cooked flavor to each bowl of creamy chicken and wild rice soup.
- Chicken stock or broth: forms the base of the soup.
- Chicken breasts: are poached in the stock or broth to keep them tender and juicy, then are chopped or shredded. Feel free to use leftover rotisserie or baked chicken instead.
- Wild Rice Blend: I typically use Lundberg Wild Blend Rice for all of my wild rice-based dishes, though I’ve found that Rice Select’s Royal Blend Wild Rice has a particular type of rice that puffs and curls like the Panera Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup does. SO RANDOM, I know, but I really like using the Rice Select blend for this particular soup. Lundberg works great too!
- Gluten free flour: use the blend you keep on hand for gluten free baking, such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, vs a single flour like almond flour or coconut flour. You can use all-purpose flour if you don’t need to eat GF.
- Milk: whatever you keep on hand for drinking. I’ve made this soup with everything from unsweetened almond milk to whole milk with fantastic results — no heavy cream needed!
How to Store and Reheat
My recipe for Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup makes enough to feed an army, which is great because it’s reheats super well for easy, cozy lunches throughout the week.
- To store: cool the soup down to warm or room temperature then cover the soup pot with a lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Or, scoop the soup into individual-sized storage containers with lids and refrigerate.
- To reheat: add chicken broth or stock to the pot then reheat over medium heat until warmed through. Or, add a splash of stock or broth to the individual storage container then stir and microwave until warmed through.
I do not recommend freezing this soup as cooked rice has a tendency to turn to mush one frozen then reheated.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Step 1: Saute the vegetables and aromatics.
Start by adding minced carrots, celery, and shallots or onion to extra virgin olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper then sauté until the vegetables are tender, 8-10 minutes.
Add fresh garlic, poultry seasoning, and dried thyme then saute until the garlic is very fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
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Pin ItStep 2: Poach then chop the chicken.
Add chicken stock or broth to the pot then place a lid on top and turn the heat to high to bring it to a boil.
Once the broth is boiling, add chicken breasts that have been cut in half then place the lid back on top, turn the heat down to low, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board then chop or shred it once it’s cool enough to handle.
Recipe Tip
Use leftover rotisserie chicken or baked chicken breasts instead of poaching chicken breasts in the soup pot. You’ll need ~2-1/2 — 3 cups chopped or shredded chicken total.
Step 3: Add the wild rice blend.
Meanwhile, add a wild rice blend to the pot then place a lid back on top and simmer the rice until it’s al dente, 20-30 minutes depending on the brand used, stirring occasionally.
Again, I really love Rice Select’s Royal Blend Wild Rice for this soup, but my typical go-to, Lundberg Wild Blend Rice, works great too!
Recipe Tip
No matter what brand you go with, ensure you’re using a wild rice-brown rice BLEND, vs straight wild rice or brown rice.
Step 4: Thicken the soup.
When the rice has 10 minutes or so left to cook, create a white sauce with roux and milk, which will thicken our chicken wild rice soup.
Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat then whisk in gluten free flour and cook while whisking for one minute.
Stream in milk (any kind), while whisking to create a smooth sauce then cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture has slightly thickened, stirring slowly yet constantly. If the rice still has a little bit of time left to cook, remove the pan from the heat then place a lid on top to keep the mixture warm.
Once the rice is al dente, stream in the milk + butter + flour mixture while whisking the soup constantly. Add the chicken then give everything a big stir to combine and cook until the rice is fully cooked and the soup has thickened, about 5 minutes.
That’s all she wrote! Pair with Gluten Free Focaccia or Gluten Free Flatbread to soak up every last drop.
This simple yet stunning and cozy wild rice soup recipe with chicken is one you will make over and over again. SO satisfying, SO thick and hearty — you’ll love every last drop. Enjoy!
More Cozy and Hearty Soups
- Gluten Free Lasagna Soup
- Chicken Stew
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Pastina Soup
- Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Ham and Bean Soup
- Cheesy Taco Soup
- Sweet Corn, Kielbasa, and Potato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, finely chopped, ~1 cup chopped carrots
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- 1 shallot or small yellow onion, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 6 cups chicken stock or broth, plus more for reheating
- 1 lb chicken breasts, ~2 chicken breasts, sliced in half
- 1 cup wild blend rice, see notes
- 1/2 cup butter, or vegan butter
- 1/2 cup gluten free flour blend, see notes
- 2 cups milk, any kind
Directions
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat then add the carrots, celery, and shallots or onions. Season with salt and pepper then saute until the vegetables are tender, 8-10 minutes. Tip: place a lid on top of the pot with a splash of stock or water to speed up the softening process if desired. Add the garlic, poultry seasoning, and dried thyme then saute until very fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock or broth to the pot then turn the heat to high, place a lid on top, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the chicken breast halves then place the lid back on top. Turn the heat down to low then simmer until the chicken breasts are cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a cutting board then, once cool enough to handle, chop or shred. Place chicken inside a bowl or storage container then refrigerate until ready to add back into the soup.
- Meanwhile add the rice to the pot then stir to combine. Place a lid on top then simmer until the rice is al dente, 20-30 minutes depending on the brand, stirring occasionally.
- When the rice has 10 minutes or so left to simmer, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in the gluten free flour then cook while whisking for 1 minute. Slowly drizzle in the milk while whisking to create a smooth sauce then switch to a spatula and cook while stirring until the mixture is thick and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat then place a lid on top and set aside.
- Once the rice is al dente, slowly stream in the butter/flour/milk mixture while whisking the soup constantly. Add the chicken then cook for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently, or until the soup has thickened and the rice is tender. Taste then add more salt and pepper if necessary. Remove the pot from the heat then let it sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken slightly before scooping into bowls then serving.
Notes
- Be sure you are using a wild-brown rice BLEND versus all brown rice or all wild rice. I recommend Rice Select Royal Blend or Lundberg Wild Blend Rice.
- Use the gluten free flour blend you typically have on hand for baking, such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, vs a single flour like almond flour or coconut flour.
- Feel free to rotisserie chicken or Baked Chicken Breasts in this recipe. You’ll need 2-1/2 — 3 cups chopped cooked chicken.
- Have extra chicken stock or broth on hand for reheating if necessary.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
Any tips on making this GLUTEN FREE? Thanks!
I’m sorry I actually don’t know a ton about gluten free diets! You could just use a cup of half and half to make it thickened and creamy!
My husband is gluten free and I made this recipe with a gluten free flour blend I picked up at my local market. It’s a blend of chickpea and other flours and the recipe turned out dee-lish-ous and looks just like IGE’s pics. Enjoy!
I used soy flour and it tasted great. You can use whichever thickener you prefer.
Yum! So glad you posted this…. my mom makes a great wild rice soup and I was going to make it this week (irony) ;). Yours seems lighter (yay!) but a lot of the amounts are the same so I think I am going to do some sort of combination. Just a thought – my mom puts 3 Tbs of slivered almonds in and grates her carrots which makes the textures SO nice. Thanks again!
I’ve been loyal blog reader for over two years and I see you using flour and milk alot to use in place of cream in recipes. Would this concept work to replace “cream of something” in recipes? I don’t know about you but those cream of soups just look so awful coming out of cans not too mention how unhealthy they can be.
You can certainly make your own cream-of-something soup at home. There are lots of recipes for this kind of thing online. It’s basically a white sauce using butter, flour and milk. Add mushrooms for cream of mushroom, chicken broth for cream of chicken, etc. I love the convenience of cans of cream-of-something soup but hate the ingredients!
You bet! I usually replace cream of xyz soups by melting 2 Tablespoons butter then whisking in 2 Tablespoons milk and cooking for a minute. Slowly whisk in 1 cup milk then cook until thickened. If you want cream of cheese soup, for instance, turn off the heat then stir in 1 cup shredded cheese, etc. That’s it! :)
I am gluten free….do you think I could sub corn starch for the flour? How much do you think?
I haven’t tried it, but I bet it would work! Probably the same amount of cornstarch!
I cook gluten-free, too. In this recipe just substitute potato flour for the wheat flour. Works great!
For gluten free/dairy free (I had to make this at Christmas): try putting some of the chicken broth in a blender with some cooked brown or white rice and cooked vegetables and puree it. Then add a couple of eggs, and blend the whole thing. (think Greek egg & lemon sauce without the lemon). Pour the thickened mixture into the soup that is done or almost done while stirring the soup. Simmer & stir until soup thickens.
The only reason I don’t use wild rice in the blender is that I don’t like the way it looks when finished.
This is a printer for sure! I love wild rice, but don’t eat it enough! This recipe ought to fix that!
Ah, how appropriate for this time of year. Nothing is quite more enjoyable than a bowl of classic coup on a cold winter night. This looks fab!
Looks delish! Quick question for you. I was wondering if you have a little tutorial on how to saute your favorite, simple chicken breast. I have been cooking for years and just recently moved into a new house with one of those flat top ranges. I can’t get it right for some reason. I don’t know if it’s the stove top or my pans or a combo of the two. But I either under cook it or over cook it! Just wondering if you have any tips since I see you cook on the same type of stove and seemed to have master the simple saute.
I’m back in Des Moines after half a year abroad!
Do you see yourself hosting another IGE Follower get together sometime in the near future? :)
Yay – welcome back! I don’t have any plans in the works right now, but never say never! :)
Yum! This is the perfect weather for soup. I just love how dense and chewy wild rice is! Beautiful pictures, as usual!
This looks like a wonderful, hearty soup. I love chicken and wild rice.
Oh, and I can hardly wait to see what else Chicken Week brings!!!
Yippee! Chicken week! And I just got a bag-o-chicken breasts on sale at Cub Foods!
“Meh-ers” – bahaha!
I’ve NEVER known how to make soup. I know it’s the easiest thing to cook, but I never knew when to put the carrots in, when to put the chicken in. For how long. Would the veggies get soggy.
But you provided me a step-by-step recipe of when to do what. I’m super excited!
One question: Can I pop in cooked (or uncooked) basmati in this? I don’t want to go out and buy a bag of wild rice for this.
You bet! Just add it in when the directions say to add the wild rice, then cook until the basmati is done – which could be anywhere between 20-30 mins (just use the directions on the bag!)
Oh good! Thanks Kristin!
I just wanted to jump in here and let you know how much I enjoy ALL of your recipes – and I’ve made a lot! They are amazing. The cheesy chicken rice soup was absolutely incredible and I’ve been craving it since I made it two weeks ago. With our Minnesota weather, I need all the soup I can get ;) Thanks for such an amazing set of recipes and a great blog. Keep up the great work!!