My creamy chicken Minnesota wild rice soup is a rich and hearty chicken soup made with Minnesota wild rice, vegetables, and cream! This native rice has a delectable texture and flavor that is truly unique and so tasty when prepared correctly! Best of all, it's a delicious and satisfying dinner ready to eat in just 30 minutes!
Best Chicken Wild Rice Soup Recipe
My family has been living in the state of Minnesota for almost eight years, so I figured it was time to add a few of the local dishes to the site! This easy, creamy chicken soup is well worth the extra saucepan needed to cook up Minnesota native wild rice!
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This wild rice soup is one of my all-time favorite fall soups! Try my classic chicken noodle soup or my best-ever chicken tortilla soup for more tasty cold-weather soups!
🤔 What is Minnesota Wild Rice
Cooking with this rice-that's-not-a-rice was a logical first to me as I absolutely love the texture and nuttiness that the seed head of the aquatic marsh grasses produce. Botanically, Minnesota wild rice isn't a grain, but nutritionally, it has all of the qualities of a grain and is super healthy for you.
It's kind of like quinoa, being a pseudo-grain. It's also one of the only kinds of rice you can get that is arsenic-free.
Minnesota adopted the wild rice variety as their state grain in 1977, and it has been a staple food of the local Ojibwe people for centuries.
💭 Chicken Wild Rice Soup Ingredients, Notes, & Substitutes
- Minnesota Wild Rice - 1 cup of Minnesota wild rice. Raw, rinsed, and cooked as directed below.
- Chicken Stock - 9 cups of chicken broth or stock (divided - 6 cups for the soup, 3 cups for cooking the wild rice)
- Butter - ¼ cup of salted butter or a butter substitute to saute your mirepoix vegetables.
- Yellow Onion - ½ cup of finely diced yellow onion, or white onion is also an option.
- Carrots - 3-4 medium to large carrots, washed and diced (I used a food processor for my onion, carrots, and celery).
- Celery - 4 large ribs of celery, washed and diced (use the green leaves from the celery if you have them).
- Bay Leaves - 2 to 3 whole bay leaves.
- Thyme - ½ teaspoon of fresh or dry thyme or a thyme substitute.
- Parsley - 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley, and more for garnish if desired.
- Garlic Powder - ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder or crushed and finely chopped fresh garlic cloves.
- Chicken Bouillon - 1 chicken bouillon cube. I use Knorr brand chicken bouillon cubes, or Better than Bouillon can be used to heighten the chicken flavor of the soup.
- Salt & Pepper - ½ teaspoon of salt & pepper or more to taste.
- Dry White Wine - ¼ cup of dry white wine. Pinot Grigio is my favorite, or add additional chicken stock if you don't have wine on hand.
- Cooked Chicken - 2 cups of cooked, chopped chicken. Leftover rotisserie chicken or whole roast chicken works wonderfully.
- Heavy Cream - ½ cup of heavy cream (or Half & Half) or a heavy cream substitute.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Creamy Chicken Minnesota Wild Rice Soup
There's a special way to rinse and cook your rice before making the soup, but otherwise, it's a fuss-free recipe anyone can try! You'll need a fine mesh sieve, measuring utensils, a saucepan, a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, and a large stockpot or Dutch oven to get started.
One pot of this soup makes about 8 servings, and the leftovers taste even more delicious the next day!
Cook The Wild Rice
Step 1: Rinse. Minnesota wild rice should be thoroughly rinsed in hot water using a fine mesh sieve for a minimum of 30 seconds.
Step 2: Add broth. Place 1 cup (160 grams) of rinsed wild rice into a saucepan of 3 cups (709.76 milliliters) of boiling chicken stock, stir, cover, and reduce heat to low.
Step 3: Simmer. Simmer for about 45 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients, then strain off any excess liquid (*see note). Set it aside for use in the soup.
Make A Mirexpoix
Step 4: Make the mirepoix. In a stock pot or a Dutch oven, melt ¼ cup (56.75 grams) of butter over medium heat. Add the diced ½ cup (80 grams) of onion, 3-4 carrots (183 grams), and 4 ribs (160 grams) of celery celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the carrots are softened, about 5 minutes.
Season, Simmer, & Serve
Step 5: Season. Add seasoning (½ teaspoon (0.5 grams) of thyme, 1 tablespoon (4 grams) of parsley, ¼ teaspoon (0.75 grams) of garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon (3 grams) of salt & pepper to taste) as well as the 2 bay leaves (0.2 grams) and 1 chicken bouillon cube (1 gram). Add ¼ cup (59.15 milliliters) of dry white wine and 6 cups (1.42 liters) of chicken stock, then stir to combine.
Step 6: Bring to a boil. Increase heat to high and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 7: Add chicken, rice, and cream. Add 2 cups (280 grams) of cooked, chopped chicken, cooked Minnesota wild rice, and ½ cup (118.29 milliliters) of heavy cream. Continue to simmer until the chicken is heated through, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 8: Taste and adjust. Remove the bay leaves, taste the soup, and adjust the seasoning before serving immediately.
Serve this creamy chicken wild rice soup with a buttered slice of my quick and easy French bread or toasted homemade rustic bread for dunking! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- If the instructions for your wild rice vary greatly (i.e., instant wild rice will not take as long to cook, hand-harvested wild rice will need more liquid), follow the cooking times and amounts recommended in the package instructions.
- I like the mirepoix vegetables in this soup finely chopped, so I will often do a rough chop and then blitz them a few times in a food processor.
- Using chicken stock adds another layer of flavor to your wild rice, but I strain the cooked wild rice and discard the stock that was used as it may add a bitter flavor to the soup.
- When I roast a whole chicken, I save the carcass to make my own stock (as time allows), which would be the tastiest base for this soup!
🥄 Make Ahead Options
The Minnesota wild rice can be cooked in advance (if desired) and stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator (for up to 2 days) until ready to use in your soup.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Store any unused portions of your chicken and wild rice soup in an airtight container and refrigerate cream soups for 3-4 days. I do not suggest freezing this soup, as cream-based soups tend to separate once thawed and reheated.
Reheating Minnesota Wild Rice Soup
To reheat your creamy chicken Minnesota wild rice soup, simply add to a saucepan and heat on low, stirring occasionally, until warmed all the way through (for multiple servings).
You can also microwave individual portions for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
While you can use pre-cooked or instant wild rice for convenience, traditional recipes usually call for uncooked, whole wild rice. Using uncooked wild rice gives the soup a heartier texture and a more authentic flavor.
Yes, you can still make this tasty rice soup by swapping the chicken broth you soak the rice in for vegetable broth. Omit the chicken and try a vegetarian protein like tofu or tempeh. Lastly, make sure to use dairy-free heavy cream and butter substitutes.
Because of the texture of the rice and the creamy soup base, I don't recommend freezing this soup. It is likely to separate and the texture won't be as delicious when reheated.
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📖 Recipe Card
Creamy Chicken Minnesota Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw wild rice (rinsed thoroughly in hot water using a fine mesh sieve)
- 9 cups chicken stock (divided - 6 cups for the soup, 3 cups for cooking the wild rice)
- ¼ cup butter (salted)
- ½ cup yellow onion (peeled, finely diced)
- 3 medium carrots (washed, diced)
- 4 ribs celery (washed, diced - use the green leaves from the celery if you have them)
- 2 whole bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped - use another ½ to tablespoon of chopped parsley to garnish, if desired)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cube chicken bouillon (I prefer the Knorr brand cubes)
- ½ teaspoon each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- ¼ cup dry white wine (I like Pinot Grigio - or substitute some more chicken broth)
- 2 cups cooked chicken (chopped or pulled chicken, skin removed)
- ½ cup heavy cream
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Minnesota wild rice should be thoroughly rinsed in hot water for at least 30 seconds. Start the rinsed 1 cup raw wild rice in a saucepan with the heated 3-cup portion of 9 cups chicken stock while you prep the rest of the soup ingredients (follow the cooking instructions on the packaging with these exceptions). *Using the chicken stock will add another layer of flavor to your wild rice, but I strain the cooked wild rice and discard the used stock as it may add a bitter flavor to the soup.
- Melt the ¼ cup butter in a stock pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped ½ cup yellow onion, 3 medium carrots, and 4 ribs celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the carrots are softened, about 5 minutes. *I like the mirepoix vegetables in this soup finely chopped, so I will often do a rough chop and blitz them a few times in a food processor.
- Add seasoning (½ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon each, salt & pepper) as well as 2 whole bay leaves and the 1 cube chicken bouillon. Add ¼ cup dry white wine and the remaining 6-cup portion of 9 cups chicken stock, then stir to combine.
- Increase heat to high and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add chopped 2 cups cooked chicken, cooked Minnesota wild rice, and ½ cup heavy cream. Continue to simmer until heated through, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves, taste, and adjust seasoning before serving.
Notes
-
- If the instructions for your wild rice vary greatly (i.e., instant wild rice will not take as long to cook, hand-harvested wild rice will need more liquid), follow the cooking times and amounts recommended in the package instructions.
- I like the mirepoix vegetables in this soup finely chopped, so I will often do a rough chop and then blitz them a few times in a food processor.
- Using chicken stock adds another layer of flavor to your wild rice, but I strain the cooked wild rice and discard the stock that was used as it may add a bitter flavor to the soup.
- When I roast a whole chicken, I save the carcass to make my own stock (as time allows), which would be the tastiest base for this soup!
- To store: Transfer and leftovers of your chicken and wild rice soup into an airtight container. You can refrigerate cream-based soups for up to 3-4 days. I do not suggest freezing this soup, as creamy soups tend to separate once thawed and reheated.
- To reheat: Add your creamy chicken Minnesota wild rice soup to a saucepan and heat on low, stirring occasionally, until warmed all the way through (for multiple servings). You can also microwave individual portions for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Mrs. B says
Holy Moly, this is terrific, delicious and an easy recipe to make. Wow! That’s what my husband and friends said. This is a soup I will be making for a lifetime.
CoolObserver says
Exactly how did you use the food processor for the vegetables? Did you cut them into chunks and then process them until they were like a paste, a chop, or a dice? It would be helpful because I'm not sure of the size from the picture.
CoolObserver says
Sorry, I did not read the directions well. As stated in the ingredients, I would process the vegetables to produce the fine dice and dice sizes. Therefore, I should chunk the vegetables to a size my food processor can handle.
Kristi says
We have visited Minnesota several times and love this soup, so decided to try make it myself. I love your recipe, it's delicious. The restaurant soup that we love the most is thick, more like a chowder. Any advice for thickening the soup? Thanks.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
So glad you like it! You can make a slurry of warm water and cornstarch and add to the soup. I would start off 1 Tbsp cold water with 1 Tbsp of cornstarch at a time. Keep adding and then stirring until you get the desired consistency. Hope that helps:)
Kristi Hassell says
First time we made it, I used flour and it was a little too thick. I used 3T cornstarch but forgot to thicken before adding meat and rice and it didn't get very thick. It was still sooooooo good. It's the perfect day for soup and football. My husband and I both sat on the couch and made yum noises while we ate. Thank you!! I'll try the cornstarch again.
Julie says
I made this, and it didn’t turn out creamy, there was no thickness. I wondered, because besides adding heavy cream, there was no thickening agent. Besides that, it was super tasty! I’d definitely make it again, and use flour or corn starch to thicken.
Ashley says
We made this tonight for the panthers and Minnesota football game, it was delicious! I didn’t have a chicken bouillon cube so I added a can of cream of chicken soup. My family loved it!