Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a quick and healthy crock pot recipe that’s perfect for busy nights. Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and get on with it!

I recently scrolled past a TikTok that shared a man’s take on coming home from work to see his wife have dinner ready and waiting in the pot. He immediately dropped to the ground and tried to crawl back out the door.

I almost fell out of my chair (many of the commenters did Not, which I get!) However, as a recipe creator, I enjoyed it because without texture or color, crock pot recipes can be kind of gooey, bland, and boring.

Luckily, Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup isn’t one of those recipes!

This nutritious, brothy, slow-cooked soup recipe tastes like something you would get at a local deli or coffee shop. It’s filled with colorful, wholesome veggies, hearty herbs and spices, tender chicken, and plump wild rice. This dish is as easy as 3 bowl worthy!

Check out how to do it!

Simple cozy comfort food

Not only is this Chicken Wild Rice Soup one of my favorite cool-weather recipes, it’s also one of my favorite recipes for someone in need of a comforting meal. Whether they’re sick, have just had a new baby, or anything in between, they’re true to what they say: chicken soup feeds the soul!

That said, I usually ask the recipient if they would like the soup delivered already slow cooked and warm, OR as a meal kit so they can throw it in their own pot, OR as a freezer bag so they can make the soup when it suits them best . This recipe is super versatile and a crowd favorite. The taste and eating experience is just so cozy!

ingredients required

I love the me always Have the ingredients for Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup ready. Here’s what you need:

• Chicken breast: Trust me when I tell you that chicken breasts only need to be slow cooked on low for 4 hours 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 nutritional boost.
• Garlic: I can’t have chicken soup without it!
• Dried herbs and spices: Salt, pepper, dried thyme, dried ground sage, dried rosemary, and bay leaves add lots of cozy flavor to this soup.
• Butter: This soup is low in fat, so a few knobs of butter add flavor and a little richness.
• Chicken broth or broth: You can alternate using chicken broth or chicken broth in this recipe. Homemade Instant Pot Chicken Broth would be great!!
• Wild Rice Brown Rice Mixture: This recipe uses a wild rice blend of brown rice versus pure brown rice or pure wild rice. I will share the brand I recommend 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 Cook. Place all ingredients except the broth in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze flat. Thaw the bag in the refrigerator 24 hours before slow cooking, then pour into the crock pot. Add broth and press “on” – easy!

FYI: The USDA advises you not to cook frozen chicken in slow cookers, which is why I thaw the freezer pack before placing it in the crock pot.

Another tip: I got readers to freeze the chicken bars cooking set so they just have to add water when pouring the ingredients into the slow cooker, which I think is so awesome!

How to make this recipe

Step 1: Add the ingredients to the casserole. I told you that was easy! 😉 Place all ingredients in a 6 liter saucepan, stir, cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours.

Step 2: Shred the Chicken. Use tongs to remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker, then shred and stir back into the soup.

As I mentioned before, I think a common misconception is that chicken breasts need to be slow cooked for many hours, but that’s absolutely not the case. It should be shredded with the flick 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 cooks slowly at the same time as the chicken, so everything is perfectly cooked and ready at the same time.

However, if you use a different brand of rice, it may take longer to cook. If that’s the case, refrigerate the shredded chicken until the rice is done, then stir in just before serving.

How to Store Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This soup warms up fabulously. Allow to cool until soup is near room temperature, then transfer to airtight containers and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove. You may need to add an extra splash of chicken broth or broth as you reheat.

I find that cooked > frozen > thawed > reheated rice doesn’t hold up well, so I don’t recommend freezing this soup recipe after cooking.

Crock Pot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup is truly one of our family’s favorite dishes. My kids and husband find it filling and comforting, and I love that it’s so easy to put together and (slowly) cook. I usually serve a side salad or garlic butter bread and we go to the races. I hope you and yours love this easy crock pot soup recipe as much as we do – enjoy!

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