This creamy chicken and wild rice soup is loaded with shredded chicken, veggies, rice and bacon. The perfect way to warm up on a cold day! This chicken and rice soup is my take on the Panera Bread favorite, with a few twists to make it my own.
You can never go wrong with a hearty soup for dinner. Some of my family’s favorite recipes include lasagna soup, Zuppa Toscana, crock pot chicken noodle soup, minestrone soup and this rich and creamy wild rice soup.
Chicken soup is one of those meals that’s just irresistible. It’s easy, flavorful and comes in so many varieties. Nothing is better on a chilly winter night than chicken soup! This chicken and wild rice soup is rich, hearty and the ultimate comfort food. It also happens to be easy to make! Looking for more great cold weather soups? Be sure to check out my beef barley soup and New England clam chowder.
How do you make chicken and wild rice soup?
The first step to making this soup is to cook up some bacon. The bacon gets reserved to sprinkle over the finished soup, and the veggies are cooked in the bacon grease for added flavor. After the vegetables are tender, flour is added as a thickener along with chicken, broth and wild rice. The chicken, rice and veggies all cook together in a creamy broth until all the flavors have blended. The finishing touch is a sprinkling of the reserved bacon and fresh parsley. This chicken soup is hearty enough to serve on its own, or it’s great with a side of bread or green salad.
Tips for chicken and wild rice soup
- I typically roast up a few bone-in, skin on chicken breasts to use in this recipe. You can also use chicken thighs, leftover chicken, or even rotisserie chicken.
- I use a wild rice blend that contains long grain brown rice, sweet brown rice, black rice and wild rice. It’s the perfect blend of flavors and textures.
- Chicken and wild rice soup can be made ahead of time. Prepare the recipe as directed, but omit the rice and cream. Refrigerate the soup for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 1 month. Add the rice and cream into the soup after the soup has been reheated.
- I typically use low sodium chicken broth so that the end product isn’t overly salty.
DO YOU COOK RICE BEFORE ADDING IT TO SOUP?
I prefer to cook my wild rice before I add it to this soup because rice is notorious for absorbing a ton of liquid and can easily get overly soft. If you stir already cooked rice into the soup right before serving, the rice will absorb very little liquid and won’t be mushy.
How long does it take to cook wild rice?
It takes up to 45 minutes to cook the wild rice for this soup, so plan accordingly! I often cook a double batch of rice the night before, then use half for that day’s dinner and half for this soup the following night.
I used to order this soup at Panera Bread all the time until I realized how easy it is to make at home! It’s the perfect twist on a classic chicken soup that’s sure to please both the adults and kids in your family.
More soup recipes
- Ham Bone Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Tortellini Soup with Sausage
- Mexican Meatball Soup
- Farro Soup with Meatballs
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots peeled, halved and sliced
- 2 stalks celery thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/3 cup flour
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add the bacon, and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crispy and browned.
- Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve for later.
- Add the onion, carrots and celery to the bacon fat in the pot. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until just tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the flour to the vegetables, stirring to coat the vegetables evenly. Cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly add the chicken broth to the pot, whisking until smooth. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the chicken and rice to the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes or until heated through.
- Add the cream to the pot and simmer for another 4-5 minutes. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the parsley.
- Serve the soup immediately, topped with the reserved bacon.
Notes
- Any cooked chicken will work here - rotisserie, leftover chicken, whatever you have on hand!
- I used a wild rice blend that had the long black rice, brown rice and red rice in the mix.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on January 3, 2018 and was updated on December 16,2019 with new content.
This looks so hearty and perfect for this cold weather. I’m ready for summer to be back!
So hearty and delicious! Absolutely loved it
Love soups like this! This time of year we are eating soup several times a week, so I am definitely trying this!
I’m going to try this after Thanksgiving using leftover turkey in place of the chicken.
Made the soup and it’s delicious, a keeper per my husband. I would recommend as flavorful and a one bowl meal served with a crusty bread. Precooking wild rice is essential as takes 45-50 minutes. Once rice is added to soup and stands for a time, and if any leftover, when refrigerated will thicken. I used a rotisserie chicken which is a time saver and a good quality low sodium broth. If any left over, when reheating, best to heat at 50% power in microwave to minimize boiling. Soup will likely need a little extra milk or cream.when reheated . This recipe will generously serve four adults and is perfect for a weekend meal. Thank you for sharing this tasty soup recipe.
This looks delicious. We don’t eat dairy presently. Could we substitute with an alternative, like coconut cream or coconut milk? Almond milk or plant milk? Your suggestions and recommendations are appreciated.
You could use coconut milk but it would alter the flavor of the dish. Almond milk might be a better choice although I haven’t tested it that way. Another option is to just omit the cream and serve it as a broth based soup.
We are a family of 7… can we double this recipe or will it not come out the same?
Yes that will work!
Can’t wait ti try this soup! It’s so cold here!
Do you know if this freezes well??
This will not freeze well because of the dairy in it.
Can this be made in a crock pot?!
I think you could make it in the crock pot. Put the onion, carrots, celery, chicken broth, salt and pepper, 2-3 raw chicken breasts, and 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice in the crock pot. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours. Shred the chicken with two forks. Whisk together the flour and 1/2 cup water, add to the crock pot. Cook on HIGH for 30 mins until soup has started to thicken. Stir in cream. Add cooked bacon and parsley then serve. This is just an approximation, I have not tested this method in my kitchen!
This looks really comforting and flavorful! Such a great staple meal for winter!
I have been looking for some new soup recipes to try. This looks so delicious and easy to make. I am sure it will be a big hit.
ITS been way colder than normal here, and I have been craving soup. This one looks perfectly hearty and delicious.
This soup sounds like something that my boys will enjoy very much especially because of the chicken and bacon! I’m sure they’re going to love this and I’m definitely keeping the recipe!
I really appreciate soup recipe around this time because of the cold weather. Chicken is a lovely ingredient in soups and this one looks absolutely delicious! I would love to give it a try!
Your soup has great color! Chicken soups are some of my favorites. I wanted to make some today during the blizzard but the store was out of chicken!
Chicken and wild rice soup sounds like a great option to make up on a cold day like today. I will try your recipe and see if the family enjoys it!
This looks so hearty and filling. A complete meal in itself with ingredients from all food groups. I am making this for the family tomorrow. This is going to help keep our bodies warm and our tummies happy.
That looks super tasty! I love to make soups like this for the family. With five kids, soup is the perfect recipe. I can make a huge pot of it and feed us for days.
Chicken wild rice soup is definitely one of my favorite soups! This seriously looks like the exact comfort food I’ve been craving. Such a gorgeous dinner. 🙂
What are they REFERRING to when they say “CREAM” under instructions #7?.
The 3/4 cup of heavy cream that the recipe calls for
what if you don’t want to add cream (dairy sensitive) – how does the recipe turn out?
It should still be good it just won’t be as rich and creamy!