Creamy Autumn Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Name: Creamy Autumn Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil; 1/2 onion (diced); 1 carrot (peeled, diced); 1-2 stalks celery (diced); 1/2 small sweet potato (peeled, diced); 1 tbsp minced garlic; 8 oz mushrooms (sliced); 1-2 cups kale (roughly chopped (2-3 stalks)); 1/4 cup water; 1 tsp thyme leaves (fresh if possible); 1/3 cup flour; 4 cups Zoup Chicken Broth; 1 cup water; 2 cups rotisserie/leftover chicken (diced); 1 tbsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 1 bag Ben's Original Ready Rice (Wild Rice variety); 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

This Creamy Autumn Chicken & Wild Rice Soup is absolutely the perfect step into fall we all need! It starts with LOTS of veggies, including sweet potato, kale and mushrooms, and finishes with chicken broth and cream – for a perfectly balanced comforting bowl of yum!

I created this recipe after falling in love with a creamy chicken & wild rice soup at a favorite downtown restaurant (RIP Paula’s). I added an autumn spin on this dish by adding kale and sweet potatoes. It’s so comforting!! I think I’ll be making this all winter!

What’s in Autumn Wild Rice Soup?

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup is a simple dish – but making it creamier with an autumnal twist – is super easy too! Here’s what you’ll need:

olive oil
onion
carrot
celery
sweet potato – nothing says fall like sweet potatoes!
garlic
mushrooms – I load up on mushrooms!!!
kale – sneaky way to get great vitamins in!
water
thyme – fresh or dried leaves
flour
chicken broth – I really love the Zoup brand – they’re a restaurant that has now branched out to selling their broths – OMG – so much better than the Swanson’s brand!!
cooked chicken
salt
pepper
Ben’s Ready Rice (or wild rice)
heavy cream

Pro Tip

Cooked Chicken Hacks

If you need cooked chicken for a recipe – you can buy a rotisserie chicken at the store – or make it at home! Try these recipes to make a whole chicken in the air fryer or in the crock pot – either one is delicious! Rub seasoning, throw it in and you’re done!
(And it’s better than store-bought!)

How do you make a Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup?

Dice everything! Onion, carrot, celery, sweet potato, mushroom – get that all done to start with!
Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven – add the onion, carrot, celery and sweet potato (the harder veggies) – saute for 5 min
Your oil is likely gone at this point, so add 1/4 cup of water
Add garlic & mushroom – give a quick stir
While that’s going rough chop your kale and add it to the pot.
- I take leaves off the stems and then chop them into bite-sized pieces
Add thyme and flour to your veggies so they’re all coated – this will help thicken the soup
Pour in your chicken stock and water and bring to a simmer
While that’s getting bubbly – rough chop your chicken. I bought a rotisserie chicken and took it all apart and diced about half of it for the soup.
Add the chicken, salt & pepper to the soup and simmer for 10 minutes
You can cook wild rice yourself – but I had a hard time finding it – so I bought Ben’s Premium Ready Rice – it’s already cooked – so you just open the bag and pop it in! I don’t really like to eat it alone as a side – but it’s perfect as a quick hack for this soup!
Break it up into the soup and let it cook for a few minutes
Final step – add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. If you don’t want a creamy soup – you can skip this step – but it’s my FAVORITE!

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

Do I have to use all those vegetables?

Nope – use what you like! Don’t like mushrooms – leave them out! Same goes for all the others!

What about Kale?

If you’re not a fan – I would say – just try it! Cut it down to 1 cup and dice it fairly small.

Should I use chicken broth, bone broth or stock?

Whatever you like! I like Zoup bone broth because I think it has the MOST flavor.

What if I want to use just wild rice that’s not pre-cooked?

That’s fine – I would still cook your rice separately and add at the end. Otherwise you’ll need a lot more liquid so the rice doesn’t soak it all up.

Can I sub milk or half and half?

Yes – but it won’t be as creamy.

Can I make this in a crock pot?

Sure! I would suggest sauteeing the veggies and then add to the crock pot. You can add everything to the crock pot – except the rice and cream – and cook for 3.5 hours on low. Then add cream & rice and cook for another 30 minutes.

What to serve with Chicken & Rice Soup?

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