Recently I scrolled past a TikTok sharing a man’s POV of arriving home from work to see his wife had dinner ready and waiting in the crock pot. He promptly dropped to the floor and tried crawling back out the door.
I about fell out of my chair (many of the commenters did not, which I understand!) As a recipe creator though, I got a kick out of it because crock pot recipes CAN be kind of gloopy, boring, and bland with no texture or color.
Luckily Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is not one of those recipes!
This nourishing, brothy, slow cooked soup recipe tastes like something you’d get at a local deli or cafe. It’s filled with colorful, healthy veggies, bold herbs and seasonings, tender chicken, and plump wild rice. This dish is as easy as it is 3-bowl worthy!
Watch How to Make It!
Simple Cozy Comfort Food
Not only is this chicken wild rice soup one of my favorite cool-weather recipes, but it’s also one of my favorite recipes to take to someone in need of a comforting meal. Whether they’re sick, just had a new baby, or any other reason in between—it’s true what they say: chicken soup feeds the soul!
That said, I’ll usually ask the recipient if they want the soup already slow cooked and delivered warm, OR as a meal kit so they can toss it into their own crock pot, OR as a freezer pack so they can make the soup when it suits them best. This recipe is super versatile and a crowd favorite. The flavor and eating experience is just so cozy. Don’t forget the Gluten Free Focaccia!
Ingredients Needed
I love that I always have the ingredients for Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup on hand. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken breasts: trust me when I tell you that chicken breasts only need to slow cook for 4 hours on low to become juicy and tender. Any longer and you’ll end up with tough, dry, chicken.
- Vegetables: onion or shallot, carrots, and celery provide a boost of nutrition.
- Garlic: can’t have chicken soup without it!
- Dried herbs and seasonings: salt, pepper, dried thyme, dried ground sage, dried rosemary, and bay leaves give this soup lots of cozy flavor.
- Butter: this soup is low in fat, so a couple pats of butter add flavor and a little richness.
- Chicken stock or broth: you can use chicken stock or chicken broth interchangeably in this recipe. Homemade Instant Pot Chicken Stock would be great!!
- Wild rice-brown rice blend: this recipe uses a wild rice brown rice blend vs straight brown rice or straight wild rice. I’ll share the brand I recommend using below.
Can You Freeze Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup?
Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is one of my favorite recipes to freeze before cooking. Add all the ingredients except the broth into a Ziplock freezer bag then freeze flat. 24 hours before slow cooking, thaw the bag in the refrigerator then pour into the crock pot. Add broth and push “on”—easy!
FYI: the USDA advises you don’t cook frozen chicken in slow cookers, which is why I thaw the freezer pack before adding to the crock pot.
Another tip: I’ve had readers freeze the meal kit with chicken bullion, so all they have to do is add water when they pour the ingredients into the slow cooker, which I think is so brilliant!
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Add the ingredients to the crock pot. Told you this was easy! ;)Â Add all the ingredients into a 6 quart crock pot then stir, cover, and cook on LOW for 4 hours.
Step 2: Shred the chicken. Remove the cooked chicken from the crock pot with tongs, then shred and stir back into the soup.
Like I mentioned, I think a common misconception is that chicken breasts need to be slow cooked for many hours but that is totally not the case. It should shred with the tap of a fork after just 4 hours in the slow cooker!
My Favorite Rice to Use
The brown rice-wild rice blend I recommend for the perfect bowl of Crock Pot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup is Lundberg Wild Blend rice. It slow cooks in the same amount of time as the chicken so everything is perfectly cooked and done at the same time.
That said, if you use a different brand of rice it could take longer to cook. If that’s the case, store the shredded chicken in the refrigerator until the rice is ready then stir it in just before serving.
How to Store Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
This soup re-heats fabulously. Let it cool until the soup is nearly room temperature then scoop into airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop. You might need to add an extra splash of chicken stock or broth when reheating.
I find that cooked > frozen > thawed > reheated rice doesn’t hold up well, so I don’t recommend freezing this soup recipe once it’s been cooked.
Crock Pot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup truly is one of our family’s favorite meals. My kids and husband find it filling and comforting, and I love that it’s so, so easy to put together and (slow) cook. I usually serve with a side salad, or garlic butter bread and we’re off to the races. I hope you and yours love this easy, crock pot soup recipe as much as we do – enjoy!
More Cozy Chicken Soup Recipes
- CrockPot White Chicken Chili
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
- Gluten Free Homestyle Chicken and Noodles
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Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Description
Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a quick and healthy crock pot recipe that's perfect for busy nights. Add all the ingredients in the crock pot then push on!
Ingredients
- 1lb chicken breasts
- 1 small onion or large shallot, minced
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced (~1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried ground sage
- small pinch dried rosemary, crushed between your fingers
- 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup wild rice-brown rice blend (I recommend Lundberg Farms)
Directions
- Add all ingredients into a 6-quart crock pot then cook on LOW for 4 hours or until chicken breasts are cooked through. Rice should be done around the same time. Shred chicken then stir back into soup and serve (soup will thicken slightly as it cools.)
- Leave a comment and star rating if you loved the recipe! Thank you for considering!
Notes
- Depending on the type of rice you use, it may not be cooked through at 4 hours. If that's the case, shred chicken then keep in the refrigerator until rice is tender, then stir into soup and let warm for 5 minutes before serving.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Video
Can I add butternut squash to this recipe? Has anyone tried it, and did it blend well?
Hi Brittany! I haven’t tried adding butternut squash to this recipe, but I think if you dice it small enough, it could cook in 4 hours!
i enjoy your recipes, good down home eats!
Thank you so much, Richard!!
Made this with the same rice in the recipe and the rice and carrots didn’t seem like they cooked at all at 4 hours. Let it go another two, and practically no change. Definitely not making again. Very disappointed.
Hi Ashley, I’m sorry to hear that! Do you find your crock pot usually cooks food in the time recommended in a recipe?
I had the same thing happen when I made this last night! I bought the exact rice blend but it was still undercooked at four hours. I ended up shredding the chicken and cranking the heat to high for another hour to finish the rice. Other than the rice, I was impressed by the depth of flavor in the broth!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the dish after it all came together, Rebecca!
I think you could also make this in a pressure cooker, right?
Hi Kim! I think if you cut the vegetables into hunks vs slices it could work. From my understanding, wild rice blends can take 20-30 minutes in the IP which would obliterate thinly sliced veggies.
This is a big hit in our house and with friends. Not to mention it creates several additional meals.
So glad it was a hit with everyone, Amy!
love your gluten free recipes . I have downgraded to a 2 quart crockpot. Is it easy to alter the ingredients or should I do anything differently?
You can halve the recipe – cooking time should be the same – maybe check on it 30 mins earlier than the full recipe. :)
Thanks for this great recipe! I’ve made it a bunch of times for my family, and for friends who were sick. I cook the rice separately to control the texture a little better.
You are too kind – I’m sure they appreciate it so very much!
This soup was so so good. I made it as directed but I also added Kale and spinach to add more nutrition…. Just perfect !!
Sounds delicious, Nanci! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
So good 😊
This was so easy and tasted amazing! I will be making this often!
I’m so glad you loved it Jen – thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This recipe was delicious, I followed it to the T and I cooked it in my instant pot, manual setting for 10min and 10min natural release. This will be my go-to work lunch!
Oooo I am so trying this!!! Thanks for the info, Sarah!
This is my favorite soup! I’ve been making since your originally posted it. I’ve started making it in the crock pot and it’s excellent. I saute the vegetables with the butter and spices, add everything else and do 35 minutes on manual. Perfection!
Yum! This was a hit. My very picky 9yo ate it up. Followed the recipe to a T (but forgot the bay leaves!) it was SO GOOD! We’ll totally be making this regularly.
If I wanted to add mushrooms to this recipe, should I do that from the beginning or should I wait?
I don’t personally love slow cooked mushrooms so, if it were me, I’d saute them on the stovetop then stir in at the end!
We have made this before. It’s so good! Can we use white rice instead of wild rice? My kids like white rice better so just wondering about this substitute. Thanks!
Hi Alison! Totally understand – I haven’t tried cooking white rice in a crock pot so I can’t say for sure what the timing would be – I’m thinking it would cook much quicker than 4 hours. You could make this a stovetop recipe and cook it that way, or you could add cooked white rice to each bowl before serving!
Do you have the nutritional info for this? Trying to log it into my fitness tracker :) Thank you, this is a favorite in my house!
Hi Margot! I don’t use a recipe nutrition calculator plugin on my site because I can’t verify them to be 100% accurate and I’d hate to steer someone wrong who is eating with a medical issue in mind (diabetes, for example). I’m sorry I can’t be of more help in this area, again, just coming from a place of not wanting to provide inaccurate information to my readers.
This soup is always a winner. I doubled the recipe this time and had to cook the rice and veggies about an hour extra on low (after removing the cooked chicken as someone else suggested). I used one chicken breast and the rest was boneless skinless chicken thighs. So comforting and easy to make. Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so glad you love it, Natalie! I need to try with thighs – never have before!
Hi! My local store doesn’t have all the spices I need, so could I use Italian Seasoning? It has the thyme, sage, and rosemary, but also oregano and basil. Will it change the flavor profile much? And if I CAN use it: how much should I use? :) Thank you!!
Hi Brooke! That should be totally fine. I’d go with 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
We made it per the directions with the brand of rice that was recommended and it was still crunchy after 6 hours. We made sure to take the chicken out after 4 and that was fine, but the rice never cooked. Our crock pot is in good shape so I don’t know what could have happened. Should we have rinsed or soaked the rice first?
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that, Kiley!! I don’t rinse or soak my rice first so I don’t think that’s it. What brand/size of crock pot do you have?
I hate to be in the minority here but we found this recipe to be very bland. I tried adding lemon, additional garlic, and additional spices…just didn’t do it for us.