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This creamy Crockpot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is hearty and full of veggies and rice with savory spices and juicy chicken. Basically a dump and cook recipe until shredding the chicken and then adding a simple flour slurry! This super simple, creamy soup is comfort food at its finest during the cold seasons.

Crockpot chicken and wild rice soup in bowl with spoon scooping in.

Why We Love This Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Dump and go. Aside from needing to shred the chicken, you pretty much just dump and stir for this crockpot chicken and rice soup. Not an easier delicious dinner recipe than that! I opted out of doing any stove top option as well for the thickener to make this soup extra easy!

Simple ingredients. The thing I love about this soup is a literally have everything on hand 90% of the time. Celery is probably the one ingredient that is missing here and there.

The best leftovers. Soups and chili recipes are infinitely better the second day. This is true for this chicken soup. Give it a day to soak in all of the flavor and you will be happy you did!

Freezes well. If you aren’t feeding a crowd, this soup freezes nice. I like to make individual servings in freezer safe containers and then just pop one in the microwave when I feel the need!

We love cozy crockpot recipes, and if you love this one, try these as well: Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta, Crock Pot Honey Mustard Chicken, Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Chili, Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe or my VERY favorite, Crock Pot Shredded Beef.

Ingredient Notes

Broth, celery, carrots, chicken breast and other soup ingredients arranged on counter.
  • chicken broth: I almost always get broth with low or no added sodium. I like to salt my soup toward the end and really get it where I want it.
  • wild rice: Wild rice versus a blend is recommended for the original recipe, but many readers were having little success because wild rice blends were being used and becoming mushy. I testedI using Lundberg wild rice blend for this recipe and added options for wild rice blend when cooking this recipe as well (updated 2026). Make sure it is uncooked and not parboiled. You don’t want to use the wild rice blend like a rice-a-roni package, as that will turn to mush. A lot of times wild rice is found in a blend of other rices from what I have found after much time searching!
  • I recently started adding a couple tablespoons of butter in at the beginning with the other ingredients and it has made a big difference in the juiciness of the chicken in this soup recipe. A touch of fat in the crockpot with chicken helps it retain a lot more moisture. This is optional, but I highly suggest it!
  • You can thicken this soup using a basic flour slurry or a butter-flour paste called a buerre manié. Both are very easy, but the butter flour paste gives the soup a wow factor like no other! This was an update in 2026!

How to make this recipe

Crockpot with chicken breast before cooked topped with seasoning and minced garlic.

Step 1: Chop all the veggies. Place the chicken at the bottom of the crockpot. Cover with all of the spices and garlic.

Chicken and wild rice soup ingredients in slow cooker before cooked with bay leaf over top.

Step 2: Add the carrots, celery and onion on top. Then add 8 cups broth and bay leaf. Cover and slow cook on low 6-8 hours if you have only wild rice, or 4-6 hours if you have a wild rice blend. I don’t recommend cooking on high for best results

Chicken shredded on plate with fork and knife.

Step 3: When the chicken reaches 165°F, remove it and shred or cut it into bite sized pieces, whatever your preference is. Toss it back in the slow cooker and stir.

Cream being added to chicken and rice soup in crock pot.

Step 4: Thicken the soup. Option 1: Whisk together the flour, cream and milk in a small bowl until the flour is completely dissolved. Slowly pour it into the soup and stir to combine.

Option 2: Make a paste with the softened flour and butter and add a bit at a time, stirring to dissolve into the soup. Keep adding until desired thickness.

Creamy chicken and wild rice crock pot soup with ladle.

Step 5: Cook for about 10 more minutes and then adjust thickness as desired by adding more broth, or more thickener. If you used the butter-flour paste to thicken, add the cream and milk before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

Cook on low for best results. I have found that cooking on high is more likely to cause issues. If you decide to cook on high, cook time can very and time is more like 2-4 hours, depending on your crockpot. Check in after 2 hours, and adjust as needed. 

Leftovers are always a dream!!!! I find soups to be sooooo much better the second day. So you can easily make this slow cooker chicken and rice soup the day before you plan on serving! Talk about meal prep power.

If you are low on time for this one, you could grab a rotisserie chicken, shred it up and toss it in. Sauté the carrots, onion and celery stove top and then heat everything in the slow cooker and allow it to cook on high for a couple hours. Sometimes we are pressed for time and still want slow cooker soups, right??

Close up view of crock pot chicken wild rice soup in ladle.

Ok, so now you have to tell me, what toppings do you love on your soup?? Crackers? Cheese? Croutons? What do you add to your soup!?

Other Crockpot Recipes

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4.77 from 13 votes

Creamy Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup

This creamy Crockpot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is hearty and full of chunks of carrots and celery with savory spices and juicy chicken. A simple, dump and go creamy soup is comfort food at its finest during the cold seasons.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients 

  • 1 ½ lb chicken breasts
  • 4 carrots, sliced
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 7-9 cups chicken broth, I use low sodium broth
  • 1 cup uncooked wild rice*, rinsed (not a boxed mix like rice-a-roni!)
  • 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1- 1½ Tbsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • ½ – 1 tsp sea salt, more or less to taste
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 2 Tbsp butter, optional

Flour Slurry Thickener

  • ¼ cup flour, gluten free will work as well
  • ½ cup half and half
  • ½ cup whole milk

Beurre Manié (Butter-Flour Paste) Thickener**

  • 3 Tbsp softened butter
  • 3 Tbsp flour
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Instructions 

  • Dice onion, chop carrots, celery and mince garlic.
  • Lay chicken at the bottom of the slow cooker and then top with garlic, Italian seasoning, thyme, parsley and sea salt and pepper. Add onion, carrot and celery on top.
  • Add 7-8 cups broth, uncooked rice and bay leaf and cover.
  • Cook on LOW HEAT for 6-8 hours if you are using only wild rice or 4-6 hours for a wild rice blend, or until rice is cooked and soft. The chicken can be shredded at any time after it has reached 165°F which can be about 3 hours, but you can wait until the rice is soft too and still be ok!
  • Flour Slurry Thickener: After adding the chicken back in, whisk together the flour, milk and cream until flour is completely dissolved. Slowly pour the mixture into the soup and stir to combine until soup is creamy. Allow to cook another 10 minutes so the flour is completely dissolved. If soup seems to thick, add more broth until you reach desired consistency.
    Beurre Manié Thickener (butter-flour paste) : For a silkier, richer thickener, stir together the flour and butter until a paste is formed. Slowly add this mixture to the soup, starting with about half, adding more later to adjust thickness and stir until smooth. Allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes so the flour gets cooked. Pour in the milk and cream (use the same amount of milk and cream as stated under the flour slurry) and stir just before serving.
  • Serve with a big crusty loaf of bread and some fresh parsley on top!

Notes

*For best results, use wild rice or if you can’t find any, the Lundberg Wild rice blend will work. It should be uncooked and not a boxed rice-a-roni mix. Make sure the wild rice has not been parboiled. Using another kind of rice or not a true wild rice or wild rice blend can result in very mushy rice.
** Recently, I added another option for a richer, creamier thickener for this soup. You can combine softened butter and flour and then stir it into the soup a bit at a time. Then a few minutes before serving, add in the cream and milk!
Cook on low for best results. I have found that cooking on high is more likely to cause issues. If you decide to cook on high, cook time can very and time is more like 2-4 hours, depending on your crockpot. Check in after 2 hours, and adjust as needed. 
Storage: Store soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. You can freeze it once it has completely cooled. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat stove top on medium-low for about 15 minutes or so or until hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 62mg, Sodium: 352mg, Potassium: 774mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 5216IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 77mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question?Leave a comment below!
4.77 from 13 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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89 Comments

  1. Karen says:

    Please provide the stove top directions.

    1. Lorie Y says:

      Hi there! You can definitely make this on the stove top!

      Here is how to adapt it:
      Sauté the Veggies: In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion, sliced carrots, and chopped celery. Cook for about 5–7 minutes until they start to soften, then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.

      Simmer the Soup: Add the chicken breasts, dried seasonings (Italian seasoning, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper), uncooked wild rice (or wild rice blend), bay leaf, and 7–8 cups of chicken broth. Bring everything to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer.

      Shred the Chicken: After about 20–25 minutes (once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F), remove the chicken breasts, shred or dice them, and stir them back into the pot.

      Cook the Rice: Keep the pot covered and simmering on low until the wild rice is tender and cooked through (about 40–50 minutes total for true wild rice, or around 35–45 minutes for a wild rice blend).

      Thicken & Serve: Whisk together the flour, milk, and half-and-half until smooth. Slowly pour the mixture into the simmering soup, stirring constantly. Let it simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes until slightly thickened and creamy. Adjust with extra broth if needed, season to taste, and enjoy!

  2. Mike Cal says:

    Will a 10 qt crockpot handle a double dose of this recipe? Thanks

    1. Lorie Y says:

      HI! A 10 qt crockpot should have plenty of room for a double batch.