This slow cooker chicken and rice soup is filled with lots of chicken, wild rice and veggies for one comforting meal that’s sure to warm you up on the coldest of days. It’s like a big ol’ hug in a bowl!
I seem to be on a soup kick lately. I can’t help myself! They’re just too simple to whip up. Plus, I can’t stand the cold and I need all the comfort food I can get.
The older I get, the less I can handle being chilly. As I think about it, I guess I’m quite finicky because I don’t like it too hot either. Anyway, this slow cooker chicken and rice soup is totally delicious!
Ingredients Needed
What I love about this slow cooker chicken and rice soup (besides the taste, of course), is aside from a couple minor finishing things at the end, it’s all dump and go.
Place everything in your slow cooker and go about your business. Come back a little while later, serve yourself a bowl and enjoy!
All you need is:
- A good quality store-bought broth (or homemade)
- Chicken breast
- Wild rice
- Carrots and celery
- Aromatics, like onion and garlic
- Seasoning, like salt, pepper, dried herbs and bay leaves
- A touch of cream
- And, if you like, flour and butter to make a flour roux (totally optional)
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker.
- Next, add rice.
- Veggies are added next.
- Pour in broth and seasoning. Cover and cook.
- After time is up, carefully remove chicken and shred. Place back into slow cooker.
- Add cream and stir.
- Make a roux on the stovetop and stir into slow cooker.
- Portion, garnish and enjoy!
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Best Rice to Use
Use regular wild rice, not white, pre-cooked or a wild rice blend.
Do I Have to Cook Wild Rice Before Adding to Soup?
No! Just put it right into the slow cooker as it is and it will cook along with the rest of the ingredients.
What is a Flour Roux?
A roux is a mixture of flour and fat, usually as equal proportions, and used as a thickening agent in soups, stews, sauces and gravies. Most often butter is used as the fat component (as used in this chicken rice soup).
Making a roux is easy! Simply melt butter in a pan, stir in flour to form a paste and cook for a few minutes until it forms a paste and the flour taste is gone. You don’t want to overcook or brown the roux too much because it will lose some of it’s thickening abilities if you do this.
Can I Make This Soup Gluten Free?
Absolutely! Wild rice is naturally gluten free.
So, instead of using a flour roux to thicken the slow cooker chicken soup, use a cornstarch slurry. Simply mix about ½ tablespoon of cornstarch with ½ tablespoon of cold water in a cup and pour/stir into the slow cooker and cook for a few minutes during the last few minutes of cook time.
Cornstarch is a more potent thickening agent than flour, so that’s why you need less cornstarch than flour.
Remember, if you want things even thicker you could always add more cornstarch slurry.
More Recipe Tips
Boneless/skinless chicken breasts in this recipe, but you could use chicken thighs or a combo of both, if you prefer.
Cook time is 5 to 6 hours on low. Since each slow cooker varies, check on at 5 hours.
If you want the soup thicker, add more roux.
Because there’s rice in there, leftovers may thicken. Upon reheating, you may need to add a little broth to loosen.
This chicken wild rice soup is just a touch creamy, but not overwhelmingly so. If you want a super creamy chicken and wild rice soup, simply add more cream, up to 1.5 cups.
‘Unsalted’ chicken broth was used here. If you use anything otherwise, like ‘low sodium’ or regular, you will have to adjust salt accordingly.
More Cozy Soup Recipes
- Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower Leek Soup with Cheddar
- Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Ciao Chow Bambina
Hope you love this homemade chicken and rice soup as much as we do!
If you make this easy chicken and rice soup, please leave a comment below. Love to hear how you enjoyed!
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Easy Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken breasts (or boneless/skinless chicken thighs)
- ¾ cup wild rice , rinsed
- 1 onion , peeled and chopped
- 3 stalks carrot , peeled and chopped
- 3 stalks celery , chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 teaspoons dried Herbes de Provence (or mixture of thyme, oregano, and rosemary, or similar herbs)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1.5 teaspoons black pepper
- 8 cups unsalted chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ cup heavy cream (up to 1.5 cups if you want things super creamy)
- Fresh parsley or chives (garnish, optional)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients (except butter, flour, and cream) in slow cooker, turn on low and cook 5 to 6 hours (I place chicken in the slow cooker first, then rice, veggies, herbs and broth).
- After 5 to 6 hours, carefully remove chicken, place in a bowl and shred meat with two forks. Place chicken back into slow cooker.
- Stir in cream. Then, melt butter on the stovetop in a small non stick pot or pan. Add flour and stir to form a paste, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir into slow cooker. Remove and discard bay leaves.
- Portion and garnish with chopped parsley or chives, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Boneless/skinless chicken breasts in this recipe, but you could use chicken thighs or a combo of both, if you prefer.
- Cook time is 5 to 6 hours on low. Since each slow cooker varies, check on at 5 hours.
- If you want the soup thicker, add more roux.
- Because there’s rice in there, leftovers may thicken. Upon reheating, you may need to add a little broth to loosen.
- This chicken wild rice soup is just a touch creamy, but not overwhelmingly so. If you want a super creamy chicken and wild rice soup, simply add more cream, up to 1.5 cups.
- ‘Unsalted’ chicken broth was used here. If you use anything otherwise, like ‘low sodium’ or regular, you will have to adjust salt accordingly.
- For more recipe tips, see body of post above.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
