Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Updated March 26, 2019
Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup-a healthy and hearty soup that is made in the slow cooker!
A few weeks ago we asked in one of our This and That posts if you wanted more slow cooker recipes. Well, the answer was a big fat YES! So we busted out our slow cooker and created a few recipes for you. Last week we shared a recipe for Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup and today we are sharing a recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup! We are going slow cooker crazy:)
I’ll be honest, I’ve never been a slow cooker fan. I don’t know why. I love the idea of throwing everything in the slow cooker and walking away. I guess I was just too lazy to get it out. Now that’s it out, we can’t stop. We are loving our slow cooker!
Josh actually created this recipe. He doesn’t think I give him enough credit on the blog, so just so you all know, this is Josh’s recipe:) He loves Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and decided to try it in the slow cooker since we both had crazy busy days. Neither of us wanted to fuss with dinner.
He threw all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it do the work! We worked all day while the slow cooker made our dinner!
The soup has onion, garlic, carrots, celery, chicken, wild rice, broth, thyme, and parsley. We used carrots from our own garden too! Aren’t they cute? This soup is perfect for a cold day and is a great soup for when you are feeling under the weather.
We shared our Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with our friends who just had a baby. They needed a good home cooked meal. Just don’t tell them that we didn’t do the cooking, our slow cooker did:) The slow cooker worked as our personal chef for the day!
This Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is healthy, comforting, and delicious! And the best part? It’s SO easy to make! Pull out your slow cooker and make this soup for dinner tonight!
And do you see those biscuits in the background? We will be sharing a killer biscuit recipe on Wednesday so make sure you come back! They are SO good with this soup!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice rinsed and drained
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 pounds
- 10 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a 6 quart slow cooker, combine onion, carrots, celery, garlic, wild rice, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Top with chicken breast halves. Add the chicken broth.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low heat setting for 6 to 6 ½ hours or on high-heat setting about 3 ½ hours. Carefully remove chicken and shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker and stir. Remove the bay leaves. Add the parsley and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
Have you tried this recipe?
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Yum! I love it! Chicken and rice is one of my favorites! Your carrots look adorable! 🙂
This looks soooo good! Will definitely have to try it. Sounds perfect for this colder weather that has arrived! 🙂
YES! I have been dying for a slow cooker chicken soup.
Two questions – could I make this with chicken thighs? I feel like every recipe that I make with chicken breasts in the slow cooker ends up with VERY dry chicken.
Also, I can’t stand wild rice – could I add in white rice at the end?
Thanks!
I made this on Saturday and it was delicious! I am hosting a group of about twenty ladies and am wondering if I should double or triple the recipe. This soup is easy and so good I want to share it.
This looks sooo good! This is a keeper for sure… can’t ever have too many soup recipes. And I’m with Jennifer, those carrots are the cutest – did you grow them?
This looks great! I don’t know why I never use my slow cooker either? I think I’m gonna go break my out of the basement!
Looks so good! I’m pulling my slow cooker out to make this!
Yum! This soup looks delicious and perfect for fall! What a great post!
THANKS!
Looking for something like this – my husband is allergic to potatoes and so many of the recipes use them … so this is PERFECT!
Thank you … now all I need is another crock pot …
Sandra ltb
Wonderful soup recipes, absolutely warm, comforting and inviting!
SO glad you are on the slow cooker train! It’s a lifesaver.
Nice soup. Thank you.
This is one of those recipes I could eat every single day!
Always looking for new slow cooker recipes! This looks like a real winner 🙂 so flavorful!
Loving those adorable carrots from your garden! And this recipe — love slow cooker soups and this one looks phenomenal.
Looks so easy yet so delicious. I live for my crock pot!
Soup sounds good. I am already waiting for summer to return.
Mmmmm yum! I love that you grow your vegetables in your own garden!!! I hope to someday do that! Your carrots are adorable, perfect little carrots! Do you notice a difference in taste?
Slow cooker recipes are so easy, especially when you can come home to a ready made dinner after just throwing it all in there. Love to try it.
Thanks for sharing!
Such a healthful soup!
I really need to make more soups in the slow cooker! This looks amazing!
Yeah, to more slow cooker recipes! This looks perfectly cozy and fall – a must make!
What a great soup recipe!! Anything made in a slow cooker is a win-win.
The slow cooker is a life saver on days when I’m super busy with work. Totally making this. Comfort in a bowl please <3 <3
Josh,
This recipe sounds perfectly easy and looks wonderful. Credit to you!
And your carrots–so cute! Congrats on growing some lovely produce and sharing how to make beautiful food with it!
So beautiful, and warming! It’s so cold here right now, this would be perfect for dinner this week!
Such a comforting recipe! Perfect for the cold weather!
Oh my, those carrots look simply amazing! Chicken and rice in the crock pot is sure to make cold weather more enjoyable. Yum!
This is so pretty and gosh, I love the slow cooker!! Such a perfect healthy November meal! Yum!
This sounds perfect Maria!! Love that it’s a slow cooker soup:)
I am wondering what size crock pot you used? I don’t want to put everything in my 4 quart pot and have it not fit! It sounds really good!
It fits in a 4 quart just right
This looks wonderful! I really need to pull out my slow cooker more often. It’s so great for an easy weeknight meal.
What a tasty chicken soup!
Wow, praise from Kevin. Now I am sure this will be great!! Thanks for sharing.
This soup looks and sounds incredible. I was wondering whether or not chicken thighs would work just as well?
I’m so glad you finally saw the light! Slow cookers rock. 🙂 This looks fabulous…especially considering the cold front that is supposed to be moving in later this week…brrrrrr! I’m going to be craving something comforting like this!
Can you use Uncle Ben’s wild rice? Looks delicious – can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
This looks fantastic. Chicken wild rice is one of my favorite soups, and I love the use of the slow cooker to make it perfect for really busy days.
Your carrots are so cute 🙂 Wild rice is one of my faves too.
Loved the idea of this soup. I don’t use my slow cooker very much and when I do I am very unadventurous. I will be getting it out now that winter is almost here and trying out some of the fantastic recipes!
I made this yesterday, and it was DEEE-licious! Mine was ready after 4-1/2 hours on low, so I switched my slow cooker setting to warm for a couple of hours to hold it until dinner. I only had 8 cups of broth on hand, and it turned out to be fine with that amount. Love the simple ingredients and seasonings–great flavor. Stirring in the fresh parsley at the end really brightened the flavor; that was a good finishing touch. Thumbs up from my husband, too. Thanks. 🙂
Glad you liked the soup!
My grand daughter is going to love this! thanks.
Looks delicious! I love using my slow cooker this time of year.
I’m impressed with Josh that he made a slow-cooker meal. My husband while pretty savvy in the kitchen, doesn’t do much with the slow-cooker unless it’s me asking him to shred the chicken that’s in it, lol!
Looks like a great soup, JOSH. 😉 I hear you, though, Maria. I need to get the slow cooker out alot more, it makes such delicious meals! I think this soup will be on the menu here during the cold months ahead, thanks!
I made this soup for my family and they loved it!! I do not own a slow cooker and made in the oven…..it came out perfect! This will for sure be my go to chicken soup recipe:)
Thank you for such great recipes I love your website!
Was getting ready to figure out a quick dinner for the family with the chicken breasts I had taken out of freezer, and tonight a busy school night. I hopped on Pinterest & saw this post first in the feed, I knew it was meant to be. 🙂 It is now in my crockpot! Thanks for planning my dinner for me!
THANK YOU for including the ‘print’ button. That is such a lovely feature.
I put this soup in the crockpot before we went to bed the other night and it was done when we got up. Had it for supper that night!!! Awesome……… will make again….and again!!
My homemade chicken noodle soup is a huge hit around here, I never thought to use rice. Thanks for the idea 🙂
Any chance you could let me know what size slow cooker you used for this recipe? It looks really good, and I’m excited to make it, but I have a small crock pot, so I have to size recipes down for it. If you can’t let me know, I’ll just halve the recipe and see if it all fits!
We have a 6 quart slow cooker!
I could soooo go for a bowl of this tonight! Looks amazing 🙂
Had this in the Crockpot before lunch and enjoyed it for supper tonight. It was delicious!!! This was way easier than roasting the chicken and cooking the rice first! Thanks!
I had this all ready in my slow cooker before lunch. After a busy day we had a very delicious supper!! So much easier than cooking the chicken and the rice first, then assembling the soup. Thanks!!
so sorry I double posted!! My computer didn’t show my post…it just kept spinning a blank screen!
I am making this now. So far so good except adding 1 whole cup of wild rice may be too much. Mine is not looking as soupy as yours due to rice to broth ratio.
So so good. Who needs canned soup when you can make healthier, heartier and tastier recipes like this one! Thank you for another great recipe!!
Im super excited I found this recipe! Looks really easy and with the freezing temps setting in I’m ready for some new soup recipes! Thank you!
Making this today with leftover smoked turkey breast!
I am thinking of making this with leftover turkey. Would it come out the same without adding the poultry until the step when you shred it since the turkey is already cooked? Thanks
Hi! Just wanted to let you know that I made your recipe and did a blog post about it. I adapted it some – I used brown rice and also added mushrooms and sauteed the mushrooms with the onions beforehand. Thank you for the fab recipe! Here is a link to my post.
http://georgiapeachonmymind.com/2013/12/02/slow-cooker-detox-chicken-and-brown-rice-soup/
I made this today. I put it on low and left it when I went to work. The smell when I got home was delicious by itself! I may freeze some and reheat when it gets really cold (if I don’t eat it all first!). 🙂
I made this recipe tonight and it was delicious, so aromatic, and a great way to incorporate wild rice. One note – next time I plan on only using only about 1/2 cup of wild rice, because there’s hardly any broth and this soup is super thick. For some reason your soup looks much brothy-er than mine. Small criticism, though – loved this recipe otherwise!
Hi,
I only have a 3.5 slow cooker and there are only two of us. If I half the recipe, does that science work for cooking time too? Or does it cook for the same amount of time? I’m new to slow cookers..
thanks!
Amy
Every slow cooker is different, but it should take the same amount of time to cook. With that said, you don’t want to cut the recipe too much because if you barely have anything in your slow cooker it will burn on the bottom.
This is in my crockpot right now. I am wondering if anyone has tried adding a bit of cream and flour?
I love wild rice! So this is definitely a great recipe for me to try. Thanks!
This looks fantastic! What kind of wild rice did you use? There are several blends available or just the straight wild rice. Also, does it matter what kind of parsley you use? Curly vs. Italian? Thank you. I love your website. =)
Made this tonight, was really good. Had to put it on my stove after 2 1/2 hours because my crockpot wasn’t getting hot enough, but it worked out fine. My picky boys even had seconds!
Thank you for this excellent recipe! We’ve had a long stretch of snowy/windy days in Colorado, and this soup absolutely hit the spot–several times! I made a few changes based on what I had on hand–used 2 boneless chicken breasts and 6 boneless chicken thighs, organic nonfat chicken broth, 1/2 brown rice and 1/2 dark Hinode black rice and extra celery. Yum yum. Great flavor and filling. Cooked on high for 3 1/2 hrs. I am wondering if you have the nutritional breakdown? This is a keeper!
Thanks. Good for this weekend Party.
Could I add Savoy cabbage? Would it spoil the flavour.
Also can I use brown rice instead….many thanks Jodie.
You can use brown rice, the cabbage will change the flavor. Let me know if you try it!
We made some last night – so good! I added ginger & diced sweet potatoes which took it over the top. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m sorry but with high hopes I was sorely disappointed. The broth was terribly bland. Would have tasted better with chicken thighs as someone mentioned.
Hello! This recipe sounds so tasty but I’m new to cooking with a crockpot and soups, in general. I was wondering if you cook the chicken prior to putting in the crockpot. My roommate the other day made a creamy tomato based chicken soup that she did not have to cook it before.. I just want to make sure I cook it correctly!! Appreciate the help! Thanks!(:
Just made this earlier this week and it was perfect! I work and go to school full time so I like making stuff in my slow cooker to freeze/eat dinner at work before class, and this was perfect. I’ll never buy the canned Progresso version again!
I made your soup! Wow!! It was awesome! I’ve shied away from crock pot chicken soup because I love to sautee the veggies first in olive oil. I love the flavor of doing that, but I was in a massive hurry this morning and found your recipe I pinned. I threw it together in 15 minutes and left the house while it cooked (I didn’t have chicken breasts thawed so I used thighs) It is WONDERFUL!!(wish I had homemade broth on hand at the time but I didn’t). I think I even prefer this recipe over my sautéed one:) The broth in your soup picture looks watery but following your recipe mine is much darker. I’m sure it depends on the kind of broth used. Mine was not low sodium so I probably don’t need to add the salt next time. Anyway, LOVE the recipe and thank you!!
I must have used the wrong rice? My rice did not cook
I substituted orzo for the rice. I threw it in an hour before end of cooking time. I also try and buy organic celery. Non-organic celery has a chemical/pesticide taste. It is worth buying organic even though price is higher. Do a taste test on the celery… notable difference. Thanks for great recipe! Yum!
good job your article is very helpful.in this article i got large of information.
This looks soo good! Do you think you could use long grain rice if you don’t have the wild rice? Or would I need to cook it first then add it after everything is done?
Thank you for this recipe Josh. I love using a crockpot to cook in bulk and that night put in the freezer for quick last minute meals. I would never have though that rice could hold up to crockpot cooking. I assumed it would turn out mushy. Making this tonite!!
The rice was so tough and crunchy! What did I do wrong?
What spices would you recommend to kick this up a notch? It was a little bland for me. Thanks!
You can add more thyme if you wish!
3.5 hours on high at sea level was not enough time for the carrots, and barely for the rice. I transferred over to the stove top and simmered/boiled for the last 45 minutes.
To spice up a notch, I added the following:
– 1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon of curry
– 1/4 teaspoon paprika
– <1/4 teaspoon allspice
– more pepper and salt
Turned out great… thanks!
Agreed. After 3 1/2 hours on high, my veggies are still hard. 🙁
I’m trying this tomorrow night! I can’t wait to try it and be able to post about it on my food blog about what I thought of it!
Can I use already cooked rotisserie chicken?
Wow I tried it really nice
I love this recipe! Have a question regarding a substitution . I have leftover cooked turkey meat from a Holiday party . Could I use that in this recipe instead of raw chicken? At what point in the cooking process would you add the turkey meat?
I posed a question a few days ago regarding if you could used already cooked meat in this recipe? I have leftover cooked turkey from a party and was wondering if I could use it and if so when in the cooking process do you add it and is it still 2 lbs cooked or less?
best recipe ever!!!
I make this several times a year and everyone loves it. Over time I have made a couple small changes.
1. I never peel carrots.
2. I use minced garlic, mainly because I use *so much* garlic in my cooking my hands would fall off if I had to chop/mince every time. I also always use more than a recipe calls for, this one included.
3. Since I almost never have thyme in the house, I use the premixed Italian seasoning.
4. I never add salt & pepper to anything because my SO will add salt no matter what.
5. I usually also add baby Bellas, because baby Bellas rule.
6. A few have commented that 3 1/2 on high wasn’t long enough for the carrots to cook through and I’ve found that to be the case as well, so I plan for 4 hours (8 hours if on low). I shred the chicken half hour before it’s done, then put it back in for the last half hour.
7. Some have asked (and didn’t get replies) if you can use pre-cooked chicken or turkey. I’ve done both, once using meat from a store bought whole cooked chicken, a few times with chicken or turkey my mom had canned. I added the meat about halfway through the cooking time and it worked out great. (If using home canned, definitely drain it first. I made the mistake of not doing that the first time and it ended up a little fatty/greasy.)
I’ve also done two crocks at once and frozen the soup from one pot after it cooled, which is a great option for those times you need a quick meal option.
Making this soup now and smells yummy but mine does not look as clear a broth as the picture and just had to skim and strain off lots of ‘chicken scum’. How do you avoid that?
Please could someone tell me how to avoid ‘chicken scum’ with this recipe?
Soup was tasty but didn’t look as clear as the the picture.
I belie if you remove the skin and any excess fat on the chicken, you will avoid the scum.
I have about 1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs that I would want to use…How long would you recommend cooking the soup in that case? I’m estimating around 6 hours on low…
We love this recipe! 🙂
Camp opens April 15th and the soup sounds great,may half to try it sooner because Spring is chilly. tHANKS!
I don’t have a crockpot but I’m interested in one — how did you work all day when the recipe says leave in the crockpot for 6.5 hours? Are there crockpots that allow you to set them safely for longer, like 9 hours? Thanks!
I always do 8 hours on low and it has been sometimes longer than and turned out totally fine. You can also use still frozen chicken breasts, if you’re worried about the meat cooking too long. They DO make crockpots with timers, I believe. There are also ones You can actually control remotely from your phone!
Serving size and calorie amount?
Are you using skinless/boneless breasts or just skinless??
boneless skinless
Made this yesterday, and it is truly delicious.
I love my slow cooker and use it religiously. This is probably my fav chicken and rice recipe. The only thing I do differently is I only use parsley, garlic cloves, salt and pepper. And I use brown unbleached rice instead of wild rice. If I’m going to be home sometimes I will use no yolk egg noodles instead of rice but if you do that wait to put in the noodles until the last 20-30 minutes or you’ll have mush. And to the one asking about subbing chicken thigh for breast.. You can use what ever chicken you like but keep in mind thigh have a lot of fat content and if breast moistness is the problem I normally cook mine the night before then add everything to it the next morning and it’s done in about 3 hours on high and my breast as always nice and tender and juicy.
Glad you like the recipe!
Made this last night. It was delicious! It cooked to the perfect texture, not mush like so many slow cooker recipes. Easy and definitely a keeper. Thanks!
Hi there,
My kind of cooking ! Forget the sugar, honey and chocolate on fresh vegetables and every other herb to kill the taste of whatever you are trying to cook. Keep it simple and pure! First time out with this, but I know it’s going to be good!
I made this recipe using Minnestalgia Wild Rice from blazewildruce.com It came out fantastic. Inhave stomach issues and this recipe is both tasty and easy on the guts
I would like to know the nutritional value of this
Hi would like reci
Hi! You mention it has 8 servings. How big is a serving? One cup? Thank you!! Making this this week. 🙂
Just put this soup together to surprise my girlfriend with a delicious smelling soup on this chilly rainy day for when she gets home from work. I followed the recipe but added a couple red potatoes that were laying around. It was very easy to put together and I’m hoping it tastes as good as it smells!
Enjoy!!
Please include nutritional values such as carbs and calories per serving. Ty
This was super yummy! Made this with Red Lobster knockoff cheddar bay biscuits. It was a satisfying and hearty dinner. http://www.food.com/recipe/red-lobster-cheddar-bay-biscuits-31206?ref=amp&nl=email_share
Glad you liked the soup!
Where can I find the calorie count for this ??
I think those are Chantenay variety carrots
Absolutely delicious!
What if I already already have leftover shredded chicken? How do I modify and cook with it? Can’t wait to try.
This looked so good and made my house smell amazing. I was a little disappointed with the outcome. Way too much stock, and not near enough veggies & rice. My daughters loved it, but my husband and I felt like it needed more.
If your daughters loved it, looked so good and made your house smell amazing–why only give it 1 star?? Sounds like at least a 3 star. Lol
I don’t have a slow cooker. Can I cook this on the stove top or in the over? How long would I need to cook it for?
Made this with WILD RICE, which is black and it turned the whole soup purple.
Still good.
my fault on the understanding of what wild rice is. purple soup has more benefits .
LOL
why is low-sodium chicken broth
We thought that it had way too much chicken, not enough rice, not enough vegetables and the thyme was overpowering. Cooked it on low for 7 1/2 hours.