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!
“This is one of our very favorite recipes! Tried this three years ago and I get asked by anyone who tries it to make again and again.”
In a world full of gloopy, heavy crock pot recipes, Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup stands out because it’s light, healthy, and tastes like something you’d order at a local cafe.
Lucky for us, it’s a cinch to whip up at home in minutes!
This nourishing, brothy, healthy crock pot recipe is filled with colorful veggies, flavorful dried herbs and seasonings, tender chicken, and plump wild rice. It’s as easy as it is 3-bowl worthy.
Watch How to Make It
Main Ingredients Needed
I love that I always have the ingredients for Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup on hand in the fridge, pantry, and freezer. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken breasts: chicken breasts only need to slow cook for 4 hours on low to become tender and juicy. Any longer and you’ll end up with tough, dry, chicken.
- Mirepoix: onion or shallot, carrots, and celery provide nutrition and flavor.
- Dried herbs and seasonings: salt, pepper, dried thyme, dried ground sage, dried rosemary, and bay leaves give the slow cooker soup lots of cozy flavor.
- Chicken stock or broth: you can use chicken stock or chicken broth interchangeably in this recipe. Homemade Instant Pot Chicken Stock is great if you can swing it.
- 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 my favorite brand below.
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Pin ItMy Favorite Rice for this Recipe
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.
Great for a Meal Train
This crockpot soup recipe is one of my favorite recipes to take to new parents, or someone in need of a hot meal. There’s a couple ways you can deliver it:
- Fully prepared: slow cook the soup at home then transfer to a storage container and deliver hot.
- Meal kit: add all the ingredients, minus the broth, into a gallon-size Ziplock bag then deliver with either cartons or cans of chicken stock/broth. They can pour the ingredients into their slow cooker when they like, or stash the bag in the freezer for later.
Deliver with a side salad, and Gluten Free Focaccia.
Can You Freeze Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup?
Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is one of my favorite recipes to turn into a meal kit and freeze BEFORE cooking. Here’s how:
- Freeze: add all the ingredients except the broth into a Ziplock freezer bag then freeze flat.
- Thaw: 24 hours before slow cooking, thaw the bag in the refrigerator (the USDA advises that you do not slow cook frozen chicken).
- Slow cook: pour the ingredients into the crock pot, add the broth, then push “on”.
Recipe 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. Brilliant!
How to Make Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Step 1: Add the ingredients into the crock pot.
Add all the ingredients into a 6 quart crock pot then stir, cover, and cook on LOW for 4 hours.
Slow Cooker Tip
Unless you are using monster-size chicken breasts (3/4-1lb each), boneless, skinless chicken breasts only need to cook on LOW for 4 hours. Any longer and they’ll become dry and chalky. If you are using extremely large chicken breasts, cut them in half so they slow cook in 4 hours on low.
Step 2: Shred the chicken.
Remove the cooked chicken from the crock pot with tongs, then shred and stir back into the soup.
Again, I think a common misconception is that chicken breasts need to be slow cooked for many hours, but that’s not the case. The chicken should shred with the tap of a fork after just 4 hours in the slow cooker!
How to Store and Reheat
This soup reheats 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.
Family Friendly Recipe
Crock Pot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup is truly one of my 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 and homemade Gluten Free Focaccia or Gluten Free Biscuits 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
- Chicken Stew
- Pastina Soup
- Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- CrockPot White Chicken Chili
- Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
- Gluten Free Homestyle Chicken and Noodles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 small onion or large shallot, minced
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced (~1 cup)
- 2 ribs celery, 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 Blend Rice, Lundberg Farms recommended
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.
Notes
- If you use a wild-brown rice blend other than Lundberg, it may not be cooked through at 4 hours. If that’s the case, shred the chicken then keep in the refrigerator until the rice is tender, and then stir into soup before serving.
- Do not use straight brown rice, or straight wild rice for this recipe. It was developed to use a brown rice-wild rice blend.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
I made this exactly as written last night, but at the end I sautéed some crimini mushrooms in olive oil and added them ( because they were in my fridge screaming to be used). They were a great addition that added a depth of flavor, but this soup was fantastic before that. It also made entertaining so easy to have ready in the crockpot. Definite 5 stars!
I’m thrilled to hear this, Laura! LOVE me a crispy crimini mushroom — yum! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
My family loves this recipe! I’m wondering if I need to adjust cooking time if I half it?
I’m so glad to hear that, Courtney!! The rice should still take around the same amount of time — maybe start checking it 5 minutes ahead of time if you’re worried about overcooking it. Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Do you think this recipe would work with a bone-in chicken breast? I have made it several times with boneless (and we LOVE it!), but I have a bone in chicken breast I’d like to use up.
I think that would be ok!
Love, love, love this recipe! Been making it for years and it never gets old. Got an Instant Pot recently. Any thoughts on if/how this slow cooker recipe can be converted to a pressure cooker recipe? The thought of this dish in a fraction of the time is absolutely tantalizing.
Hi Audrey! I am so glad this recipe is a long time favorite of yours — that truly thrills me to hear. I haven’t tested this recipe in my IP so unfortunately I can’t say for sure, I’m sorry to say!
Taking a slight detour on this recipe, but it is a great guideline. I just put a whole chicken in a small crock pot with fresh ginger, summer savory, bay leaf, and some water to start the foundation of a broth. After the broth is strained and chicken shredded, then shiitake mushrooms, wild rice, shallots, carrots, Chinese celery, a touch of red bell pepper for color, and I’ll figure out the rest later.
Sounds delicious! Glad you could use my recipe as a starting point — I hope it turned out well. :)
We have absolutely loved this recipe for years! We are making it again today for a Hallmark Christmas movie watch party!
Fantastic — I love to hear that, Rachael!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Made this recipe Chicken Wild Rice soup today and it’s so delicious, full of flavor!! This recipe is a definite keeper!!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Belinda! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Our family has loved this recipe for years! I’m hoping to triple it for a big crew coming, which is too much for my crock pot. How long do you suggest cooking it if it’s just on a big pot on the stove, and should the ingredients be added in staggered times? Thank you!
Checking back on my question above – would be so grateful for any guidance!
Oops! I am so sorry to have missed your original review, Lindsey! I’d recommend sauting the vegetables in oil/butter until tender then add the garlic and seasonings and saute until fragrant. Add the chicken stock then bring to a boil. Slice the chicken breasts in half then add to the broth and turn the heat down to low. Cover then simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through. Remove to a cutting board then shred or chop once cool enough to handle, and then place into a storage container and refrigerate. Meanwhile, add the wild rice to the broth then place a lid back on top and simmer until the rice is tender (check your product package but this is generally between 45-60 minutes). Once the rice is tender, add the chicken back into the pot then taste and adjust seasonings.
I hope this helps!!
I loved this recipe! However, I came back to make it again and now I can’t find the recipe! Can anyone screenshot it or reshare it?
Hi Ayla! Are you not seeing the recipe here on the screen? Or could you better help me understand what you are seeing? So sorry for the trouble!
This soup was excellent! Love it and do did my friends. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with all of us!!!
Oh I’m thrilled to hear that, Jo Ann! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This is one of our very favorite recipes! Tried this three years ago and I get asked by anyone who tries it to make again and again. The only difference is I add double the garlic.l, use my own bone broth, and squeeze of lemon to finish the bowl off.
Incredible! Will be looking at your other recipes 😍
Oh I’m thrilled to hear that, Mel!! So glad you’ve been able to make it your own over the years, too! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating. :)
Another winner! Really good. It’s not even fall but a cool summer day. It’s always a good time for chicken soup. I didn’t have sage or thyme so used oregano. Still so flavorful.
Oh I’m so glad to hear it, Christine, and I agree — soup season is 12 months a year! ;) Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Has anyone tried this doubled in a 6 quart crockpot? I’m curious if it will fit before I begin. Thank you!
Hi Stephanie! I personally have not — the recipe as written comes about halfway up my 6 quart crock pot, so the ingredients should technically fit!
Could I use cauliflower rice instead of wild rice? If so when should I add the frozen cauliflower rice to the crockpot?
Hi Katelyn! I wouldn’t recommend swapping the wild rice in this recipe for cauliflower rice!