Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is super easy made in the crock pot, hearty, comforting and satisfying!
This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is creamy, cheesy, seasoned to perfection and couldn’t be any easier without making a roux! It makes fantastic leftovers and easy to double or triple for a crowd! It reminds me of my favorite cheesy chicken broccoli casserole but in in soothing soup form with shredded chicken, broccoli but you can also add carrots, celery or any of your favorite veggies.
Thank you Prego® for sponsoring this Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup post. All opinions are my own.
About Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
I looove creamy, comforting soups from my White Chicken Lasagna Soup, Potato Soup, New England Clam Chowder, Broccoli Cheese Soup, Bacon Ranch Chicken Chowder, White Chicken Chili and now I’m excited to add this Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup to the mix!
Every birthday growing up, each sibling excitedly chose their favorite “birthday meal” that Mom would make for our special family birthday dinner. I always looked forward to my birthday for this reason alone (I was always food motivated 🙂 ) and always picked either Waikiki Meatballs or Chicken Divan. I couldn’t get enough of that tender chicken and broccoli smothered in a creamy sauce all served over rice. To this day, creamy, cheesy rice is one of my favorite comfort foods in the world.
As I was salivating over concocting a Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, my mind kept reminiscing to comforting Chicken Divan (especially with my birthday coming up), and I knew nothing would be better than Chicken Divan in soup form! The thought of slurping chicken, broccoli, rice casserole is enough to make me giddy, but the thought that all you do is throw your all your ingredients in your slow cooker fills me with giddiness for days. This easy Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is the answer to your weeknight dinner dilemmas, and because it’s all made ahead of time, dinner can be relaxing and enjoyable for you and the whole family. Win-win!
What kind of rice do you use for chicken soup?
Wild rice blend is the best kind of rice to use for soup. I also love it in pilafs like my Cranberry Apple Wild Rice Pilaf and Butternut Squash Wild Rice Pilaf. Wild rice boasts a nutty, toasted, earthiness and is super difficult to overcook and become mushy like other rices. Instead, it remains fabulously al dente and even slightly chewy so it stores and reheats beautifully.
The excellent texture of wild rice is in large part due to the fact that wild rice may look like long-grain rice with a brownish-blackish color but it is not actually rice at all but a highly nutritious grain. Wild Rice comes from the seed of long-grain aquatic marsh grass that grows in the shallow waters of lakes, rivers, and bays indigenous to North America; this is considered “true” wild rice. Today, however, the vast majority of the wild rice sold in the United States is cultivated in controlled fields similar to rice paddies.
Where Can I buy wild rice?
Wild Rice Blends are an exciting blend of rices, which give you complementary firm, fluffy cooked textures and robust, nutty, earthy vibrant flavors. I use Lundberg Wild Blend Rice which is made of long grain brown rice, sweet brown rice, wild rice, whole grain wehani rice, whole grain black japonica rice.
You can find wild rice blends pre-packaged in a bag, box, or in the bulk bins at Sprouts. If your wild rice package comes with a seasoning packet, you can discard that for our purposes.
How do you Make Chicken and Wild Rice Soup?
To prepare this easy, flavorful soup, simply add your chicken, broccoli, wild rice, garlic, onion, seasonings, chicken stock and evaporated milk to your slow cooker and let it cruise until the chicken, broccoli and rice are all cooked – about 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.
Once the chicken is tender, remove it from the slow cooker to a cutting board and allow it to rest 5 minutes then shred (or chop if you prefer) and add it back to the slow cooker to seep up all the flavorful broth in every nook and cranny.
EASY, right?!
How can I thicken chicken soup?
Now it is time to add the cream to our Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. Whisk half and half with some cornstarch and then stir it into the chicken soup to thicken. Next comes my favorite part – pour in Pego’s Homestyle Alfredo Sauce! I have made this soup both with and without this sauce, and I’m telling you, this sauce makes the soup. It elevates the soup to a whole new level with its superior rich taste and smooth, velvety, creaminess with the depth of subtle Parmesan. Can we say slurp-worthy?!
Then, just because we can, stir in some sharp cheddar, so this soup instantly becomes creamy and cheesy – two of the most foodie soul comforting words in the world.
Then it’s eating time!
Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup – comforting, packed with flavor and so easy it is guaranteed to become a new family favorite and even a requested birthday special.
Can You Freeze Chicken and Rice Soup?
No, I don’t advise freezing this Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. As a general rule of thumb, dairy does not freeze well. The texture will become unpleasantly grainy and curdle. If you want to make the soup up to the point of before you add the half and half, then you can freeze it then and then add half and half and Alfredo sauce after you thaw your frozen soup.
Looking for More easy Soup Recipes?
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Chicken Fajita and Rice Soup
- Loaded Zuppa Toscana
- Cheesy Taco Soup
- Italian Vegetable Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- One Pot Lasagna Soup
- One Pot Creamy, White Bean and Ham Tortellini Soup
Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, Wild Rice Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 4 cups broccoli florets chopped
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice blend, rinsed and drained
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅛ – 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp EACH dried oregano, cumin, salt, pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Add Later
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 cups half and half (I use nonfat)
- 1 14.5 oz. jar Prego Homestyle Alfredo
- 2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
Garnish
- sharp cheddar cheese , Freshly grated
- Cooked and crumbled bacon (optional)
Instructions
- Add chicken to the bottom of the slow cooker followed by all of the ingredients up to the cornstarch (do not add cornstarch and ingredients after). Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low 6-7 hours, or until chicken is tender enough to shred and rice is cooked.
- Remove chicken and allow to rest 5 minutes before shredding or chopping if preferred.
- Meanwhile, whisk half and half with cornstarch and add to slow cooker. Add chicken and cook on HIGH for 15-20 minutes or until thickened. Stir in Alfredo followed by cheese, stirring until melted.
- Taste and add additional salt, pepper, red pepper as desired. If you would like a less “chunky” soup, stir in additional broth/half and half.
- Garnish individual servings with freshly grated cheese and bacon (optional).
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Shannon says
I have tried two of your recipes this week alone, both were amazing and both will be made over and over again!
This looks so fantastic and I would love to try it, however, I am unable to eat rice. Would quinoa would be suitable as a substitute in this recipe? Same quantity as the rice? Many thanks.
Jen says
Hi Shannon, I am thrilled you have enjoyed the recipes of mine you have tried! As far as substituting quinoa, same quantity is perfect but you should add it the last 30 minutes – 60 minutes of cooking so it doesn’t become super mushy. Hope this helps and enjoy!
Shannon says
Thank you, I think this will be tomorrow nights dinner 🙂
Caoline says
Wild rice is not really rice it is a seed…
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
Now that’s what I call comfort food. It is comforting just looking at it. Great recipe — once I get back to my slow cooker it will be a go.
Jen says
Thank you so much Marisa! I just LOVE my slow cooker – I am having a hard time making recipes that aren’t i the slow cooker lately 🙂
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Jen! This is pure comfort food! We went shopping yesterday and there was NO broccoli, something about a growing problem ?? I will sub in steamed frozen near the end. My Mom did the same birthday dinner choice! 🙂
Jen says
Yes, pure comfort food, perfect for these cold days! I am shocked there was NO broccoli! I am sure that is every kids dream but one of my nightmares :)! LOVE that your mom did the same birthday dinner – so special! There is nothing like food and family together!
Sara @ Biscuits & Burlap says
This looks like a perfect weeknight dinner. Thanks for sharing! I can’t wait to try it!
Jen says
You are so welcome Sara! It is nice and cozy, I hope you love it!
Trina says
Oh my gosh – this looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it 🙂 One question: when you say chicken bouillon – do you mean granules or the jar that’s a paste? Thanks for some great recipes!
Jen says
Hi Trina! I mean the chicken granules – hope that helps and you can make this soon!
Annemarie @ justalittlebitofbacon says
Hi! What a great picture of that soup! It looked so yummy I included it in my latest buzzfeed post.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/annemariewalker/17-meals-that-will-make-you-wish-for-cold-weather-20ib5
I’m trying to get some buzz on it, so it would be awesome if you could upvote the article and share it across social media. Have a great weekend. 🙂
Jen says
Wow, all those meals look so incredible -and gorgeous too! I will definitely start promoting tomorrow! Thanks for including me!
Sara says
Yum! Your pictures are amazing… I just shared this link in a post about great soups for these cold winter months! Check it out… I have made this so many times and its always a huge hit! Also, I just shared this in a post of my favorite soup recipes! Check it out: http://www.biscuitsandburlap.com/2016/02/15/10-soups-for-those-cold-winter-months/
Jen says
Hi Sara, thank you so much for featuring my soup! The entire roundup looks delicious!
Lauren says
This soup is amazing – even my kids couldn’t get enough of it ! The Alfredo sauce adds so much flavor and creaminess and I love the rice with the broccoli. Thanks for another favorite!
Jen says
You are so welcome Lauren! I am so happy that your whole family loved this soup!! Thank you!
Layne says
just looking through your site while meal planning and of course landed on this one. I feel like we would have been bff as kids bc those were always my cravings as well!
Jen says
haha, you are the best and so are your childhood cravings! I love your comments so so much, they make me so happy!
Hillary says
This looks AMAZING. Any advice for freezing leftovers? It’s only me so I try to find things I can freeze!
Jen says
Hi Hillary, I think this soup would freeze well, but would freeze better if you add cheese to individual servings instead of to the whole soup. Hope that helps, enjoy!!
Andrea says
My husband LOVED it and wanted to eat more but I stopped him because I made it for a girls’ night at my place. He even ate it without the added cheese and bacon on top but he didn’t even care. He told me to “put it in the rotation” – which is his way of saying “It’s fabulous!” Thanks for a GREAT recipe!! 🙂
Jen says
Awesome Andrea! I love the visual of him sneaking more and you having to stop him! hahaha Thank you for taking time to comment, Happy New Year!
Jennifer Nelson says
Do you cook the chicken first before putting it in the slow cooker? looks yummy!
Jen says
Hi Jennifer – nope you just add the raw chicken – super easy- and then it will cook and be tender enough to shred. Enjoy!
Jimmy says
Is there nutrition for you recipes?
Thanks
Jen says
Hi Jimmy, I don’t provide that info, but you can calculate it at: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Jenn says
This looks awesome and I’m totally planning on trying it. There’s just 2 of us, so I have this little slow cooker that I can halve the recipe in and it will bake up nicely. I do have one question – neither of us like the taste of jarred alfredo sauce, but I don’t want to lose that creaminess. Can you suggest a substitute? Thanks for the new recipe!
Jen says
Hi Jenn, jarred alfredo is super creamy and already infused with Parmesan, so I would suggest replacing it with heavy cream and adding Parmesan to taste. Hope that helps!
Janet says
Looks delicious! What do you use for the wild rice blend? I have just plain black wild rice; what do you mean by blend? Is there a brand you can recommend? Thank you so much – looking forward to making this!
Jen says
Hi Janet, I get my wild rice blend in the bulk bins at sprouts but I think Uncle Ben’s has a blend too. My blend is: wild rice, long grain brown rice, short grain brown rice, and red rice. I am sure anything similar will work great. Enjoy!
Kim says
Hi jen,
What size slow cooker did you use?
Jen says
I use a 6 qt 🙂
Bari says
Hi- I bought the ingredients for this but won’t actually have time to eat it before the broccoli goes bad. Do you recommend I freeze it all together now and treat it as a “dump meal”, or should I cook it first and then freeze it to reheat later? Thanks!
Jen says
Hi Bari, I’m so sorry I’m just getting to your comment! I know it’s too late but I would have said in general dairy based soups do not freeze well but if you wanted to try it I would have recommended to make it but hold the half and half and cheese and add that after it’s defrosted.
Jenae Rodrigues says
Hi, would love to try this. It sounds delicious. Do you know the nutrition and calories per serving size.
Jen says
Hi Jenaae, you can calculate malnutrition info at: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Angela says
Love it!! Just the perfect amount of creamy. Not too rich!! Will make again for sure for our family “Soup” er Supper get together!!! Thanks!!
Jen says
Awesome Angela, thank so much!
KoriAndra Rios Jesus says
Can this be made in a pot instead?? If so how?? It looks so amazing especially since we’re all sick and I was just wondering how it can be done in a regular pot since we don’t own a crockpot.
Jen says
You would add the all of the soup ingredients to the pot except the “add later” and cook the chicken just until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken and continue to simmer the soup until the rice is tender, probably another 30 minutes or so. Add the shredded chicken back along with the cornstarch, half and half and simmer a few minutes until slightly thickened then stir in the Alfredo sauce and finally the cheese until melted. Enjoy!
Carleigh says
Hi! Can this be made with frozen chicken breast? Increase the initial cooking time and maybe add the broccoli and rice halfway so they don’t overcook?
Jen says
Hi Carleigh, unfortunately it is not advisable to start with frozen chicken in the crockpot for food safety reasons, sorry!
Tamara Garvin says
Hi there! Love your recipes. I wonder if could go do the steps up to shredding the chicken ahead of time, and refrigerate to finish later (perhaps even a day later)? Thanks very much.
Jen says
Thanks so much Tamara! Yes, that would absolutely work, just be ready to add a little extra broth to thin. Enjoy!