We’ve had a super mild winter in Virginia thus far, but temps took a big dip this past weekend. All I could think about was eating something that would be nice and hot in my belly. Enter this easy, satisfying, and hearty Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup. That’s a mouthful.
Let me tell ya, this stuff is real good. This makes 8 servings, so I was looking forward to having leftovers for the next several days. Not so much. My husband and I each had 2 servings the night I made it, then proceeded to eat the rest for lunch and dinner the next day, leaving zero leftovers after 24 hours. Sad day, but hey, I told you it was good!
You can cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 7 hours. After the 3 hours (or 7 hours) is up, remove the chicken breasts from the soup and place on a cutting board or a big plate. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into bite size pieces, then return to the soup. Go ahead and fish out the tied bunch of thyme and the 3 bay leaves – dispose.
Then make the butter, flour, half & half thickening mixture:
Add this mixture to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Then proceed to inhale this yuminess. I garnished with minced parsley and would probably have eaten an entire baguette on the side if I wasn’t pretending to quit carbs this week. Next time.
- 1 1/3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 cup wild rice blend
- 1 medium onion, 1/2-inch dice
- 1 cup celery (about 3 stalks), 1/2-inch dice
- 1 cup carrots (2 medium), 1/2-inch dice
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 5-10 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
- 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 extra large chicken bouillon cube
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 cups half & half
- Fresh Parsley, minced
- Briefly rinse, then drain the wild rice mix.
- Add the first 14 ingredients listed (everything except the butter, flour, half & half, and parsley) to the slow cooker. Start with the veggies (onion, celery, carrots, garlic) on the bottom, then all the herbs (bay leaves, tied thyme bunch) and seasoning (poultry seasoning, XL bouillon cube, kosher salt, ground black pepper). Put the chicken on top and then the wild rice mix. Cover everything with the water and chicken broth.
- Cook on HIGH for 3 hours or on LOW for 7 hours.
- Once the time is up, find the tied bunch of thyme and 3 bay leaves - dispose. Then remove the chicken breasts from the soup and place on a big plate. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite size pieces, then return to the slow cooker. Cover.
- Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Melt the butter completely.
- Add the flour and whisk well for a 1-2 minutes.
- Add the half & half and whisk all the ingredients together quickly for another couple minutes until thickened and there are no more flour clumps.
- Turn off the heat and add the half & half mixture to the slow cooker. Stir to combine well.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking. Also add a little more chicken stock or half & half if the soup is too thick for you.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with minced parsley (optional). Serve with a salad or baguette slices.
- Tip #1: However big you chop the onions, carrots, and celery, just make sure to make them roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
- Tip #2: For my poultry seasoning I used Weber's "Kick'n Chicken Seasoning," which includes salt. If you use a seasoning with no salt you may have to add some extra salt to your soup.
- Tip #3: Leftovers will thicken in the fridge so add water, chicken stock, and/or half & half to thin it out. Also add a pinch of salt and pepper to readjust seasoning.