This creamy chicken & wild rice soup cooks up in the slow cooker using a whole chicken for a flavor-packed hearty soup.
Well, friends, the weather cooled down here in AZ for about four days. Not even a full week, about four days. During those four days, we all thought that winter was here.
So, of course, I thought to myself IT’S FINALLY SOUP WEATHER. And I got to make a huge batch of soup that by the time we were finished eating, it was hot outside again — Womp womp.
Luckily, we easily finished it before the heatwave came back, mostly because Mr. Hungry took it to work all week for his lunch. I swear, he LOVES anything with poultry seasoning.
Me, on the other hand, I used to HATE soup with a deep dark passion, because honestly every time I ate it, it upset my stomach. For a long time, the only soup recipes here at HH were a family recipe for minestrone and butternut squash pumpkin soup.
That issue seems to be gone now, though, which means it’s time to catch Hungry Hobby up to the soup world! The possibilities are endless! So far, I’ve got tortilla soup, hamburger soup, and kielbasa sausage vegetable soup.
And now slow cooker creamy chicken and wild rice soup!
A quick note about wild rice
Wild rice is so interesting to me. I found out about it from one of my clients, who was told she should eat it by her trainer. It turns out her trainer was right, wild rice is lower in calories and carbs, plus higher in protein than traditional rice. That’s because it’s technically not even rice, but I’m not a botanist, so I’m not concerned with the correct naming of plants I eat.
On the flip side, wild rice has a very nutty flavor and chewy texture. It works perfectly in this slow cooker soup because although it cooks for a long time, allowing it to reach ultimate tenderness, meanwhile still be chewy in every single bite.
PS I used wild rice (affiliate) that was NOT a blend. Because this is a slow cooker (affiliate) recipe, and the rice will cook for a long time. Therefore, if you want to use a blend, it should be fine because all the types of rice will have plenty of time to cook adequately.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. It’s flavor-packed and so easy to make because the slow cooker does most of the work for you!!!
In the mood for soup? You may also like these recipes:
- Loaded Veggie Kielbasa Soup
- Healthy Hamburger Soup
- Chicken Quinoa Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Italian Sausage Tortelli Soup
- Healthy Minestrone Soup Recipe
Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Equipment
- Large Sauce Pan
Ingredients
- 4 lb whole chicken
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 6 carrots chopped
- 1 cup wild rice
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup butter or ghee or vegan butter
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free 1:1 flour
- 2 cups milk I used original almond milk, any kind of plant-based or cow's milk will work
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Add whole chicken to slow cooker with onion, celery, garlic, poultry seasoning, carrots, wild rice, and chicken broth. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and easily falls off the bone.
- Remove chicken from the slow cooker and debone the chicken. Separate the meat from the bones and add the meat back into the slow cooker. I chose to discard the "really dark meat" and use everything else.
- Make the roux (non-dairy option included): In a large saucepan, add 1/2 cup butter or vegan butter (I used miyokos) and melt. Whisk in the flour with the butter. Once it's fully mixed, add a little bit of milk (1/3 to 1/2 cup) at a time whisking to fully incorporate before you add more. Continue this process until your milk is fully incorporated with no lumps. It should be a smooth consistency throughout.
- Now add your roux to the slow cooker and stir to incorporate.
- Garnish soup with parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
This soup is SO good! I already bought my whole chicken and making this tomorrow. Seriously people it is delicious. I could not believe how creamy the almond milk made this soup :)) this is my new favorite winter soup!