This Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is my mom’s recipe and a family staple. Made with rotisserie chicken, wild rice, savory herbs, and a creamy, flavorful broth, it’s a rich and my ideal comforting dish perfect for a chilly day.
I love this Family Recipe
I grew up on this delicious soup recipe! It’s been in the family for a long time and when I asked my mom for the recipe, she sent me a voice dictation text message with general instructions. Like most family recipes, they often came from old cookbooks that have been modified over decades. This one is no expectation – “momified” by my mom. Interpreted by me!
My mom’s version of Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup starts with sauteed veggies. Broth milk and the cream cheese form the base. Then of course we’re adding a nutty wild rice mix and tender chicken (rotisserie for convenience and the BEST flavor). The creamy soup tastes like somewhat of a cross between a chicken noodle soup and broccoli cheddar. It’s rich, hearty and the perfect comfort food for cozy season.
I want to give a shout out to whomever put cream cheese in soup recipes first. Because wow, genius idea – it’s creamy, bits of it clump together, so you still get these warm delicious bites of cream cheese. Just fantastic!
Oh and if you want to try some of my other creamy soup recipes, I think you’ll also love this Lasagna Soup or this Cauliflower Gnocchi Soup, too!
Cream of Chicken Soup Ingredients
- Veggies – This perfect soup includes carrots, onion, and mushrooms.
- Seasonings – Lawry’s seasoned salt + pepper do the trick.
- Flour – To thicken the base of cream-based soups.
- Chicken Broth – I used one box of chicken broth and one Chicken Bone Broth for extra protein.
- Milk – For extra creaminess in the base of our soup. I used Fairlife whole milk.
- Shredded Chicken – We typically use a rotisserie chicken out of convenience. You can also use leftover chicken breasts, skinless chicken thighs or shredded turkey (great as a post Thanksgiving soup)!
- Cream Cheese – Makes this a “Cream Of” soup. It doesn’t get fully incorporated so you enjoy cheesy, rich pockets of flavor throughout.
- Rice – I use the long grain and hearty wild rice blend – Ben’s Original Ready Rice – for simplicity’s sake. Brown rice or white rice are also options, but you’ll lose some of the nutty flavor in this hearty soup.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add different veggies – Swap out or add more veggies to your soup. Spinach, peas, or chopped cauliflower are a few options.
- Switch up the fresh herbs – a squeeze of lemon juice and dill would be a great addition in this soup. Fresh thyme, basil or parsley would also be tasty.
- Make it spicy – Add some buffalo sauce or Tabasco to kick it up a notch. A finely diced hot pepper of your choice can also be added to the sauteed veggies.
How to Make This Recipe
1.First, prepare the vegetables. Use a food processor to quickly mince the carrots and vegetable chopper to dice a white onion, and the mushrooms.
2. Heat a large pot to medium heat. Once warm, melt butter and add diced onion and shredded carrots. Sprinkle with seasoning salt and pepper and saute for 5-8 minutes until onion becomes translucent.
3. Add the diced mushrooms and mix. Sprinkle in the all purpose flour and stir to create a paste in the bottom of your pot.
4. Pour in chicken broth and milk and whisk until the flour mixture is dissolved. Bring the soup to a boil.
5. While the soup is cooking, dice the cream cheese block into small cubes (~16 cubes) and cook the long grain rice according to box instructions.
6. Place chicken, cooked rice, and cream cheese cubes into your soup pot. Give it a mix then add in the greek yogurt. Stir again.
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7. Add more seasoned salt to taste. Serve warm with fresh bread and enjoy!
PRO TIPS
- Whisk in the flour aggressively, and fold in the cream cheese gently. We do NOT want flour chunks (the flour is to thicken the soup’s base), but cream cheese pieces are okay (and appreciated!) for a creamy mouthful while you’re enjoying a bowl of soup.
Recipe FAQs
This soup makes great leftovers that keep well for up to 5 days. We’ll make this soup and keep it in the pot in our midwestern freezer (the counter on our attached garage which is FRIGID during soup season) and then reheat servings throughout the week. An airtight container in the fridge is also sufficient or it freezes well for up to 3 months.
This soup is fairly thick as is, but with storage, the rice also soaks up a lot of the broth. This is normal and totally okay to enjoy with the almost chili-like texture, but if you prefer more brothy soups and would like to thin it out, stir in a half cup of broth to your individual serving before enjoying.
This wild rice soup recipe can easily be halved and made in a smaller pot if you’re cooking for less people and don’t want to be eating soup for days on end. You can also double the recipe if you’re making chicken soup for a crowd, just ensure you use a LARGE pot.
Serving suggestions
Serve this creamy chicken wild rice soup with a warm hunk of crusty bread and enjoy! If you’re looking for a side dish consider a veggie or salad starter to balance the rich flavor. These Balsamic Roasted Green Beans or this Spinach Salad would pair well.
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Equipment
- large pot
- vegetable chopper & food processor or knife and cutting board
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 4 large carrots, shredded
- 1 white onion, diced
- ½ tbsp Lawyer's season salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 8 oz bella mushrooms, diced
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 64 oz chicken broth
- 1 ½ cup whole milk, or milk of choice
- 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 8 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 1 package microwavable long grain & wild rice, 8 oz
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt, to thicken
- More lawyers seasoned salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, prepare the vegetables. Use a food processor to quickly shred the carrots and vegetable chopper to dice a white onion, and the mushrooms.
- Heat a large pot to medium heat. Once warm, melt butter and add diced onion and shredded carrots. Sprinkle with seasoning salt and pepper and saute for 5-8 minutes until onion becomes translucent.
- Add the diced mushrooms and mix. Sprinkle in the all purpose flour and stir to create a paste in the bottom of your pot.
- Pour in chicken broth and milk and whisk until the flour mixture is dissolved. Bring the soup to a boil.
- While the soup is cooking, dice the cream cheese block into small cubes (~16 cubes) and cook the long grain rice according to box instructions.
- Place chicken, cooked rice, and cream cheese cubes into your soup pot. Give it a mix then add in the greek yogurt. Stir again.
- Add more seasoned salt to taste. Serve warm with fresh bread and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
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I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
a family favorite! Always love when my mom made this soup for me and now I get to share it with all of you.
This is the sound I CRAVE! It’s nostalgic, so creamy and reminds me of simpler times. A+ to APOP!
My favorite soup of all time! So hearty and heart warming for the soul.
cozyyyyyyyy
Oh my, this is good, so much flavor. Mine thickened about enough that I did not add yogurt.
Will be adding this to our winter rotation. Yummy!
This recipe was incredible! Super easy to make, and I’ll definitely make it again.
Five stars 100%