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Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup: Easy Fall Recipe

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This creamy crockpot chicken and wild rice soup is the definition of low-effort, high-reward cooking. It’s the meal you turn to when you need a warm hug on a cold day but don’t have the energy for a complicated recipe.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup uncooked wild rice blend
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 medium carrots, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
  • Fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

  1. Prep the Ingredients: Dice onion, carrots, and celery into roughly equal-sized pieces. Mince the garlic.
  2. Layer in the Crockpot: Place diced onion, carrots, celery, and minced garlic in the bottom of your slow cooker. Place chicken breasts on top of the vegetables.
  3. Add the Rice and Seasonings: Sprinkle uncooked wild rice blend, dried thyme, and dried rosemary over the chicken. Tuck bay leaves into the broth.
  4. Pour in the Broth: Slowly pour 6 cups of low-sodium chicken broth over everything. Do not stir.
  5. Cook Low and Slow: Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours, until chicken is tender and shreds easily, and rice is tender but still has a pleasant chew.
  6. Shred the Chicken: Remove chicken breasts from slow cooker and shred into bite-sized pieces using two forks.
  7. Create the Creamy Base: Using an immersion blender, carefully blend about 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup (vegetables and some rice) directly in the slow cooker, leaving some whole grains and vegetable chunks for texture.
  8. Return the Chicken and Finish: Add shredded chicken back to the slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk together heavy cream (or half-and-half) with about 1/2 cup of hot broth from the pot to temper. Pour tempered cream mixture into the soup and stir to combine.
  9. Season and Serve: Remove bay leaves. Taste and season generously with salt and black pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

For best results, use a wild rice blend (not 100% wild rice) for predictable cook time and pleasant texture. Temper the cream with hot broth before adding to prevent curdling. Season at the end as the rice absorbs salt. Leftovers will thicken; add broth when reheating.

Nutrition

Keywords: creamy chicken soup, wild rice soup, crockpot soup, slow cooker soup, fall soup, easy chicken soup, comfort food

Find it online: https://junomeals.com/creamy-crockpot-chicken-and-wild-rice-soup-easy-fall-recipe/