Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
A warm and comforting meal in a bowl! Learn how to make Chicken Wild Rice Soup, a creamy chicken soup that is full of flavor. Enjoy the taste of turmeric, ginger, coconut milk, fresh basil, and rich chicken broth.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
For us at The Honour System, soup season is all year long! 🙂 We adore a comforting bowl of soup like this Spicy Chicken and Bean Soup or this Classic Tomato and Basil Soup. You can peruse all of our delicious Soup Recipes for more inspiration.
If you like hearty soups for dinner you have come to the right place! This dairy-free (no butter!) and gluten-free (no all purpose flour!) creamy chicken wild rice soup will leave your belly satisfied and your taste buds will be happy too.
Get out your soup pots and ladle your bowls full of this comforting soup that is worth the calories as it is nutritionally dense. Don’t count calories – make calories count! I love that quote.
Let’s Make Chicken Wild Rice Soup
I have a bag of wild rice blend in the cupboard and with the Fall and Winter seasons arriving, I could feel the soup cravings in the air. There is something so comforting about a thick, hearty soup with a hunk of multi-grain bread on the side.
Heaven!
I love healthy wild rice recipes and this particular one has become a favorite around here.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN WILD RICE SOUP
Round up some veggies, grab your broth (store-bought or homemade vegetable broth), measure out that wild rice, and let’s get started!
- vegetables – bell pepper, onion, carrots, celery, garlic cloves, mushrooms
- olive oil
- chicken cut into bite-sized pieces ( I typically use chicken breasts, but boneless thigh meat works too!)
- chicken broth – homemade or store-bought – use low sodium if you like to adjust your own salt to the mixture
- wild rice
- ground turmeric and ground ginger
- coconut milk – go for the full fat!
- fresh basil
Coconut milk is an easy way to enjoy that creamy texture without heavy cream/dairy. It is so silky and velvety and the taste goes brilliantly with this wild rice soup recipe.
Tips For Cooking with Wild Rice:
- First things first, always rinse off your wild rice. The rice has surface starches that you don’t want to be released into your soup so it is recommended to give it a really good rinse first.
- Another thing to remember is that wild rice is a blend so the cooking times can vary between the type of rice. You can have long grain, short grain, etc. I’ll taste test the darkest grain as they usually take the longest to cook to ensure it is done. There is nothing worse than crunchy rice!
Serving and Storing Suggestions:
- This soup reheats really well so I like to pack up leftovers for lunch the next day! Just keep it covered in the fridge and it will be good for up to three days. Reheat on the stove over medium heat. You can use a medium saucepan.
- Freezing is a little trickier due to the coconut milk. If you want to freeze this I would not add the coconut milk or the teaspoon of fresh basil – stir in those fresh items once the soup has thawed and you are ready to reheat it. Add them in and let them simmer. Add a few more ounces of chicken stock if needed.
- Use shredded chicken from leftover rotisserie to make adding protein easy peasy
- For added nutrition add some shredded kale.
Hopefully, it will warm your belly this soup season. 🙂
More Healthy Chicken Soup Recipes:
- Spicy Three Bean Chicken Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Coconut Curry Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Chicken Vegetable Soup with Spinach
- Easy Chicken Soup with Peppers
- Chipotle Lime Chicken Soup
**This recipe was originally posted on September 22, 2020, updated on December 3, 2021, with recipe notes, writing, and photos.**
If you’ve tried my Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out by leaving me a comment below. I’m always interested in feedback!
Be sure to follow me on social media! I love pinning to Pinterest, sharing on Facebook, and posting pics to Instagram. See you there. 🙂
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week.
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from The Honour System
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp butter (for dairy-free use another 1/2 tbsp of oil)
- 1 lb chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup diced bell pepper *any color
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups broth
- 3/4 cup wild rice
- 1 cup coconut milk, unsweetened *I recommend full fat
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped basil
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat melt together the oil and butter. Add the chicken pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until they are cooked throughout, stirring frequently. About 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and transfer to a plate. Add the diced peppers, onions, and carrots and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Stir well and saute until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir for another minute.
- Sprinkle in the turmeric and ginger and stir. Add the chicken back in along with the uncooked rice and stir. Pour in the broth, stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes – check the doneness of the rice at 20 minutes and keep simmering until it's cooked to your liking.
- Once the rice is cooked stir in the coconut milk and fresh basil and let simmer for 3-5 more minutes.
- Serve warm. This soup will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
- First things first, always rinse off your wild rice. The rice has surface starches that you don’t want to be released into your soup so it is recommended to give it a really good rinse first.
- Another thing to remember is that wild rice is a blend so the cooking times can vary between the type of rice. You can have long grain, short grain, etc. I’ll taste test the darkest grain as they usually take the longest to cook to ensure it is done. There is nothing worse than crunchy rice!
- This soup reheats really well so I like to pack up leftovers for lunch the next day! Just keep it covered in the fridge and it will be good for up to three days. Reheat on the stove over medium heat. You can use a medium saucepan
- Freezing is a little trickier due to the coconut milk. If you want to freeze this I would not add the coconut milk or the teaspoon of fresh basil – stir in those fresh items once the soup has thawed and you are ready to reheat it. Add them in and let them simmer. Add a few more ounces of chicken stock if needed.
- Use shredded chicken from leftover rotisserie to make adding protein easy peasy
- for added nutrition add some shredded kale
I’ve made this soup several times but the last few times the chicken and rice etc have just sunk to the bottom while all the broth is on top… I want it to be like your photos where it’s all mixed in together. Do you have any suggestions or know why it might be turning out like this?
Hmmm … let’s see if we can trouble shoot. Since you’ve made this several times but this issue has only happened recently have you changed anything or done something differently? It could be that if your broth is a bit thinner, the solids might sink faster. You could try letting it simmer uncovered for a little longer next time to reduce and thicken it slightly. Let me know if that helps!
What a wonderful, wonderful recipe. Thank you
So glad you enjoyed it, Sheila! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
This looks awesome and I am making it for my pickleball luncheon today. You mentioned mushrooms in your intro under ‘Ingredients …’. But they are not listed in the recipe. Do you normally add mushrooms to this soup? I think I will add some sliced baby Bella mushrooms… it sounds like they would be a nice addition, thank you for this yummy looking recipe-it’s sure to be a hit!
Hi Margo! Good eye 🙂 I do sometimes add sliced mushrooms into the soup. Add them in when you saute the rest of the veggies. Have a great luncheon with your pickleball crew!
I so am adding in mushrooms and maybe a little crushed red pepper or cayenne!!! Can’t wait to fix this, sad it can’t be frozen!
Omgsh YES to some crushed peppers. YUM.
I LOVE this soup! It’s my absolute favorite! I make my own brown rice tortillas and throw them in my vortex to get them crunchy and make tortilla chips to go with it! Delicious!
Yum! Love the addition of the crunchy homemade tortillas. Thanks Erin!
One serving is 565 calories?
According to the calculator, yes. You could reduce portion size if you are counting calories. Generally, full-fat coconut milk is high in calories too so you could use reduced-fat – but it won’t be as rich. 🙂 Enjoy!
This is delicious thank you! So hard to find flavourful gluten free and dairy free soups!
Right?! Thanks Shannon – so happy you liked it 🙂
Why is the sodium so high?
Weird! I didn’t notice that. I ran the ingredients in the nutrition calculator again and it came back much lower. Thanks for pointing it out! I have reposted the updated version. That is AI for you. 😉
This is the perfect comfort winter warmer soup and its healthy, always a big bonus:)
Perfect flavours with chicken and wild rice fantastic combination!!!
Thanks for sharing!!!
I have always LOVED any kind of soup with wild rice, I can’t wait to make this beautiful hearty soup again.
It’s a keeper!! Thanks, Kristen. 🙂
Such a great looking soup! I am obsessed with coconut milk. Yum
Then you will be obsessed with this soup!! Thanks, Cindy. 🙂
I LOVE cooking with wild rice and in soup it’s perfect for this time of year! It’s so warm and cozy and the hearty flavors is simply amazing!
Cozy is the word to use!! Thanks, Connie. 🙂
This soup is so delicious. I think soups with coconut milk in them are the best!
Right? Coconut milk for the win. 🙂 Thanks Nart!
This soup looks so comforting, and I love the use of coconut milk. It’s such a wonderful and delicious non-dairy base for so many dishes. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I could not agree more! I’m also a huge fan of coconut milk. Thanks, Lisa!
My mom always used to make rice soups when we were kids and this recipe totally brings me back to those days. Bookmarking so I can try it!
It’s funny how food creates such memories. 🙂 Thanks, Wanda!
Amazing and hearty soup! Love the idea of coconut milk which must make this super flavourful!
It’s SO good. Love the coconut milk. Thanks, Shy!
It’s soup season! I love all the healthy ingredients in this soup – thanks for the recipe!
I think soup season is my fave! Thanks, Vaness!
I have the same wild rice in my cupboard for cozy soups this fall and winter. I love creamy soups, but can’t handle a lot of dairy, so I appreciate that this one is dairy-free. Can’t wait to give it a try!
And the coconut flavour is so rich! Thanks, Leanne.
Yes!! This looks like an amazing recipe for chicken soup. Why have chicken noodle soup when you can have it with rice?! Especially wild rice…it is a very healthy grain!
I love to get wild! lol Thanks, Bernice!