Creamy Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice (Print version)

Hearty slow cooker soup with tender chicken, mushrooms, and wild rice in a creamy broth.

# What you need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 cups sliced cremini or button mushrooms
03 - 1 cup diced carrots
04 - 1 cup diced celery
05 - 1 medium onion, diced
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Grains

07 - 3/4 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed

→ Liquid & Dairy

08 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
09 - 1 cup heavy cream
10 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter

→ Seasonings

11 - 1 tsp dried thyme
12 - 1 tsp dried rosemary
13 - 1 bay leaf
14 - 1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
15 - 3/4 tsp black pepper

→ Thickener

16 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend

# Directions:

01 - Add chicken, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, wild rice, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper to the slow cooker.
02 - Pour in the chicken broth and stir to combine all ingredients evenly.
03 - Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and the wild rice is tender.
04 - Remove the chicken to a plate and shred using two forks, then return the shredded meat to the slow cooker.
05 - In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour to form a roux and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly golden.
06 - Slowly whisk heavy cream into the roux, heating until thickened, then stir the mixture into the slow cooker.
07 - Stir well, re-cover, and cook on LOW for an additional 20 to 30 minutes until the soup is creamy and heated through.
08 - Remove and discard the bay leaf, taste the soup, and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • The wild rice gives it this incredible chewy texture that regular rice just cannot match
  • It tastes like you stood over a stove all day when really you barely lifted a finger
02 -
  • Wild rice takes longer to cook than you think and undercooked wild rice has an unpleasant crunchy hardness you cannot fix later
  • Adding the cream at the very end instead of the beginning prevents it from breaking or getting a weird separated look
03 -
  • If your soup seems too thick after refrigerating just thin it with a splash of broth when reheating rather than adding water
  • Cornstarch slurry works as a gluten-free thickener but the roux method gives a noticeably richer mouthfeel

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