Best Creamy Chicken Minnesota Wild Rice Soup Recipe (So Rich & Hearty) (2024)

My creamy chicken Minnesota wild rice soup is a rich and hearty chicken soup made with Minnesota wild rice, vegetables, and cream! This native rice has a delectable texture and flavor that is truly unique and so tasty when prepared correctly! Best of all, it's a delicious and satisfying dinner ready to eat in just 30 minutes!

Best Chicken Wild Rice Soup Recipe

My family has been living in the state of Minnesota for almost eight years, so I figured it was time to add a few of the local dishes to the site! This easy, creamy chicken soup is well worth the extra saucepan needed to cook up Minnesota native wild rice!

This wild rice soup is one of my all-time favorite fall soups! Try my classic chicken noodle soup or my best-ever chicken tortilla soup for more tasty cold-weather soups!

🤔 What is Minnesota Wild Rice

Cooking with this rice-that's-not-a-rice was a logical first to me as I absolutely love the texture and nuttiness that the seed head of the aquatic marsh grasses produce. Botanically, Minnesota wild rice isn't a grain, but nutritionally, it has all of the qualities of a grain and is super healthy for you.

It's kind of like quinoa, being a pseudo-grain. It's also one of the only kinds of rice you can get that is arsenic-free.

Minnesota adopted the wild rice variety as their state grain in 1977, and it has been a staple food of the local Ojibwe people for centuries.

💭 Chicken Wild Rice Soup Ingredients, Notes, & Substitutes

• Minnesota Wild Rice - 1 cup of Minnesota wild rice. Raw, rinsed, and cooked as directed below.
• Chicken Stock - 9 cups of chicken broth or stock(divided - 6 cups for the soup, 3 cups for cooking the wild rice)
• Butter - ¼ cup of salted butter or a butter substitute to saute your mirepoix vegetables.
• Yellow Onion - ½ cup of finely diced yellow onion, or white onion is also an option.
• Carrots - 3-4 medium to large carrots, washed and diced (I used a food processor for my onion, carrots, and celery).
• Celery - 4 large ribs of celery, washed and diced (use the green leaves from the celery if you have them).
• Bay Leaves - 2 to 3 whole bay leaves.
• Thyme - ½teaspoon of fresh or dry thyme or a thyme substitute.
• Parsley - 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley, and more for garnish if desired.
• Garlic Powder - ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder or crushed and finely chopped fresh garlic cloves.
• Chicken Bouillon - 1 chicken bouillon cube. I use Knorr brand chicken bouillon cubes, or Better than Bouillon can be used to heighten the chicken flavor of the soup.
• Salt & Pepper - ½teaspoon of salt & pepper or more to taste.
• Dry White Wine - ¼ cup of dry white wine. Pinot Grigio is my favorite, or add additional chicken stock if you don't have wine on hand.
• Cooked Chicken - 2 cups of cooked, chopped chicken. Leftover rotisserie chicken or whole roast chicken works wonderfully.
• Heavy Cream - ½ cup of heavy cream (or Half & Half) or a heavy cream substitute.

*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*

🔪 How To Make Creamy Chicken Minnesota Wild Rice Soup

There's a special way to rinse and cook your rice before making the soup, but otherwise, it's a fuss-free recipe anyone can try! You'll need a fine mesh sieve, measuring utensils, a saucepan, a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, and a large stockpot or Dutch oven to get started.

One pot of this soup makes about 8 servings, and the leftovers taste even more delicious the next day!

Cook The Wild Rice

Step 1: Rinse. Minnesota wild rice should be thoroughly rinsed in hot water using a fine mesh sieve for a minimum of 30 seconds.

Step 2: Add broth. Place 1 cup (160 grams) of rinsed wild rice into a saucepan of 3 cups (709.76 milliliters) of boiling chicken stock, stir, cover, and reduce heat to low.

Step 3: Simmer. Simmer for about 45 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients, then strain off any excess liquid (*see note). Set it aside for use in the soup.

Make A Mirexpoix

Step 4: Make the mirepoix. In a stock pot or a Dutch oven, melt ¼cup (56.75 grams) of butter over medium heat. Add the diced ½cup (80 grams) of onion, 3-4 carrots (183 grams), and 4 ribs (160 grams) of celery celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the carrots are softened, about 5 minutes.

Season, Simmer, & Serve

Step 5: Season. Add seasoning (½teaspoon (0.5 grams) of thyme, 1 tablespoon (4 grams) of parsley, ¼ teaspoon (0.75 grams) of garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon (3 grams) of salt & pepper to taste) as well as the 2 bay leaves (0.2 grams) and 1 chicken bouillon cube (1 gram). Add ¼ cup (59.15 milliliters) of dry white wine and 6 cups (1.42 liters) of chicken stock, then stir to combine.

Step 6: Bring to a boil. Increase heat to high and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 7: Add chicken, rice, and cream. Add 2 cups (280 grams) of cooked, chopped chicken, cooked Minnesota wild rice, and ½ cup (118.29 milliliters) of heavy cream. Continue to simmer until the chicken is heated through, about 4-5 minutes.

Step 8: Taste and adjust. Remove the bay leaves, taste the soup, and adjust the seasoning before serving immediately.

Serve this creamy chicken wild rice soup with a buttered slice of my quick and easy French bread or toasted homemade rustic bread for dunking! Enjoy!

💭 Tips & Notes

• If the instructions for your wild rice vary greatly (i.e., instant wild rice will not take as long to cook, hand-harvested wild rice will need more liquid), follow the cooking times and amounts recommended in the package instructions.
• I like the mirepoix vegetables in this soup finely chopped, so I will often do a rough chop and then blitz them a few times in a food processor.
• Using chicken stock adds another layer of flavor to your wild rice, but I strain the cooked wild rice and discard the stock that was used as it may add a bitter flavor to the soup.
• When I roast a whole chicken, I save the carcass to make my own stock (as time allows), which would be the tastiest base for this soup!

🥄 Make Ahead Options

The Minnesota wild rice can be cooked in advance (if desired) and stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator (for up to 2 days) until ready to use in your soup.

🥡 Storing & Reheating

Store any unused portions of your chicken and wild rice soup in an airtight container and refrigerate cream soups for 3-4 days. I do not suggest freezing this soup, as cream-based soups tend to separate once thawed and reheated.

Reheating Minnesota Wild Rice Soup

To reheat your creamy chicken Minnesota wild rice soup, simply add to a saucepan and heat on low, stirring occasionally, until warmed all the way through (for multiple servings).

You can also microwave individual portions for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through.

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