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Chicken Wild Rice Soup is a complete meal in a bowl! It tastes like chicken noodle soup, but it’s made with gluten-free wild rice for extra protein and fiber.
If you want a comforting meal prep idea, this soup is one of my favorites. While it does require about an hour of cooking, it will feed you for the next several meals!
It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and utterly delicious.
Ingredient Tips
Wild rice can be tricky to work with due to its long cooking time. I’ve noticed that most wild rice soup recipes call for cooked wild rice, so if you have this on hand, you can start with that. (1 cup dry rice = approx. 3 cups cooked rice.)
If you’re like me, you probably don’t have cooked wild rice on hand. And that’s okay–it just means we need to cook this soup longer. The result is a flavorful soup with tons of texture!
Chicken thighs are the perfect protein for a longer cooking time like this, but you could also use chicken breasts. (See the recipe notes below.)
This is also a great way to use leftover rotisserie chicken if you have some in the fridge.
Detoxinista Tip
Instead of using a roux with flour and butter, this recipe calls for full-fat coconut milk. You can swap this for heavy cream if you prefer. Or, transfer some of the soup to a blender and puree it for a thicker, creamier texture. (See the tips below!)
How to Make Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Saute 1 chopped yellow onion, 3 carrots, and 3 celery ribs until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.
Next, add 2 teaspoons of dried thyme and 3 minced garlic cloves.
Stir briefly, then add in 8 ounces of chopped mushrooms. (This is a great way to sneak mushrooms into your life because you won’t notice them in the final soup. They shrink in size as they cook!)
Stir the mushrooms, then add 1 cup of rinsed wild rice and 6 cups water. Add the chicken thighs and season with two teaspoons of fine sea salt and one teaspoon of ground black pepper.
water vs. broth in soup
I use water to keep this recipe easy and affordable. The water will simmer for 50 minutes with chicken, veggies, and seasonings, so it will be quite flavorful (like broth!) when the soup is ready to serve. If you substitute chicken broth for water, use less salt than this recipe calls for since chicken stock already contains sodium.
Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cover the pot with a lid. Set a timer for 50 minutes.
When the timer goes off, check the rice to make sure it has split apart. (This means it’s tender.) Cover the pot and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more, if needed.
Use tongs to transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the chicken, then return the shredded chicken to the soup pot.
Thickening Tip
While the chicken is removed from the pot, you can transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender and add the coconut milk. Blend until smooth, then pour this pureed mixture back into the soup pot. This will thicken the soup without using a roux. (The blended wild rice will make it look like there are black flecks in the soup; see the photo below.)
Stir in a 1/2 cup of canned coconut milk (stir this well before measuring) and season with an extra half teaspoon of salt if you did not use chicken broth. Taste the soup, and add additional seasoning, if needed. (I sometimes add an extra half teaspoon of salt after that.)
Serve this chicken soup warm with any toppings or sides you love. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Looking for more soup recipes? Try Chicken Vegetable Soup, Curry Chicken Soup (my favorite!), or Mexican Chicken Soup.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 3 carrots , peeled and chopped
- 3 celery ribs , chopped
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms , roughly chopped
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Drizzle the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the yellow onion, carrots, and celery ribs until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the dried thyme and garlic cloves and stir briefly. Then, add in 8 ounces of chopped mushrooms and stir again.
- Place the wild rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse it under running water. Drain well, then add it to the pot and cover with 6 cups of water. Increase the heat to high so the water will start heating as fast as possible. Next, add in the chicken thighs, 2 teaspoons of fine sea salt, and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- Once the liquid is boiling, cover the pot with a lid, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 50 minutes. You'll know the rice is done when it splits and has a chewy texture. (It shouldn't be crunchy when you test it.) If the rice isn't tender yet, cover the pot and cook for 5 to 10 more minutes.
- Use tongs to carefully transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board, then use two forks to shred the chicken. Transfer it back to the soup, stir in the coconut milk, and adjust the seasoning, as needed. I usually add salt a ½ teaspoon at a time, until the broth is very flavorful. (I typically add 1 extra teaspoon in total, but this will vary based on the type of salt you use and your taste buds.)
- Serve warm right away. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this creamy chicken wild rice soup recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below, letting me know how you like it.
