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
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
Nope – use what you like! Don’t like mushrooms – leave them out! Same goes for all the others!
If you’re not a fan – I would say – just try it! Cut it down to 1 cup and dice it fairly small.
Whatever you like! I like Zoup bone broth because I think it has the MOST flavor.
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.
Yes – but it won’t be as creamy.
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?
- Air Fryer Garlic Bread
- Ocean Spray Cranberry Bread
- Ruby Slipper Buttermilk Biscuits
- Copycat Texas Roadhouse Butter
Other Delicious Soup Recipes
- Spicy Cabbage Roll Soup
- Potato, Kale & Sausage Soup
- Cheeseburger Macaroni Soup
- …Other Delicious Soup Recipes
Creamy Autumn Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
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
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, add olive oil and heat on medium high1/4 cup olive oil
- Add onion, carrot, celery and sweet potato. Saute 4-5 minutes until softened1/2 onion, 1 carrot, 1-2 stalks celery, 1/2 small sweet potato
- Oil should be gone, Add 1/4 cup water and stir1/4 cup water
- Lower heat to Medium Low and add garlic and mushrooms. Saute for 1 min1 tbsp minced garlic, 8 oz mushrooms
- Add Kale and saute for 2-3 minutes1-2 cups kale
- Add Thyme and flour to veggies. Reduce heat to medium low (3/10) and stir until veggies are coated1 tsp thyme leaves, 1/3 cup flour
- Pour in chicken stock plus 1 cup water and bring to a simmer4 cups Zoup Chicken Broth, 1 cup water
- Add chicken, salt and pepper and simmer for 10-15 minutes2 cups rotisserie/leftover chicken, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper
- Add Ben's ready rice package and stir until broken up1 bag Ben's Original Ready Rice
- Add cream and simmer 5 minutes more1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- Serve!
Andrea says
What a hearty, flavorful and comforting soup. Can’t wait to taste it.
estee says
this looks so comforting and hearty! love the kale- I always buy it and never end up knowing what to do with it! thanks for the great recipe!
Collee says
I love creamy soups and this one is perfect for fall and a great use for leftover chicken!
Aimee Mars says
What a delicious variety of healthy and comforting ingredients all in one soup! This would soup would also make the perfect fall lunch.
Anjali says
We made this for dinner tonight and it was so satisfying and hearty! Perfect for this cooler fall weather we’ve been having!