This creamy chicken and wild rice soup is loaded with fresh veggies like carrots, kale, and crispy mushrooms! It's the perfect hearty soup for those cold winter nights! This soup is healthy, flavorful, and filling!
And since this chicken soup has wild rice instead of noodles, it's naturally gluten-free!
If you love a cozy winter soup you might also like this traditional French onion soup or my spicy chicken noodle soup!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a few simple ingredients to make this creamy chicken and wild rice soup with kale and crispy mushrooms!
Chicken - I love using my easy poached chicken for this soup. But you can also use leftover rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken, or just cook the chicken in the soup itself!
Vegetable Stock - I always use homemade vegetable stock because that's what I have on hand. But you can also use store-bought vegetable stock or chicken stock! Just note, if using store-bought stock you may need to reduce the salt content of the soup.
White Wine - This is completely optional, I just love the extra flavor it adds to the broth.
Wild Rice Blend - I like to use a wild rice blend, but you can use just wild rice if you prefer.
Mushrooms - The crispy mushrooms are optional, but add amazing flavor and texture to the soup!
Kale - I love using fresh kale in this soup because it's so hearty! But you can leave it out or substitute spinach.
Heavy Cream - I use heavy cream for a rich, creamy soup, but you can substitute whole milk or half & half for a lighter version.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Heat the olive oil and butter together in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add in the sliced mushrooms and sauté until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Add in the onion, garlic, and carrots and sauté until soft and aromatic, about 5 minutes.
Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan and be sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. Then add in the vegetable stock.
Add in the wild rice, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
Bring the soup up to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Then add in the shredded chicken and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is warmed through and the rice is tender.
Note: If using raw chicken breasts, simmer until the chicken is fully cooked through (15-20 minutes). Then remove and shred.
Add in the heavy cream, kale, and crispy mushrooms and simmer for another 5 minutes until the kale is just cooked.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Remove from the heat and serve immediately!
Recipe Notes
Since the rice will absorb the broth, I suggest straining out the broth to store separately! Then just combine again before reheating! This is the easiest way to prevent the rice from absorbing all the liquid while it sits in the fridge.
Recipe FAQ's
Store the broth and inclusions in separate containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This soup is a filling meal on it's own, but also goes great with some crusty homemade sourdough or these fluffy dinner rolls!
Since this soup contains cream, I don't recommend freezing it. However, you can freeze a portion of the soup BEFORE adding in the cream, and then add in the remaining cream when it's time to serve.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- ½ cup white cooking wine, optional
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup wild rice blend
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, optional
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups kale, chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and butter together in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add in the sliced mushrooms and sauté until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add in the onion, garlic, and carrots and sauté until soft and aromatic, about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan and be sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. Then add in the vegetable stock.
- Add in the wild rice, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
- Bring the soup up to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Then add in the shredded chicken and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is warmed through and the rice is tender. Note: If using raw chicken breasts, simmer until the chicken is fully cooked through (15-20 minutes). Then remove and shred.
- Add in the heavy cream, kale, and crispy mushrooms and simmer for another 5 minutes until the kale is just cooked.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ashley says
This is my favorite soup!! I added a cup of broccolini and had a zucchini and it’s delicious. Best paired with a slice of sourdough bread 🙂 Thank you!
Viktoriya says
So tasty! Cooked rice separately, added more broth, and seared the chicken until golden, then added it when the rice would have been added.
Hannah says
Great recipe!
Tracy says
Absolutely delicious, my whole family loved it! Definitely adding to the rotation!
Claire says
Absolutely amazing! Substituted paprika for the cayenne (Google said that was a decent replacement, lol) and it was still delicious. I'm already sending this recipe link around to friends! 🤩
Emily says
Quote from my boyfriend: “Probably the best soup I’ve ever had.”
Eden says
This was very delicious! Will be making again