Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup
This crockpot chicken wild rice soup recipe slow cooks chewy wild rice blend with whole chicken breasts and a pot of vegetables, then finishes with a quick butter and flour roux and half-and-half for a creamy broth that never curdles.
Equipment
- 6-quart slow cooker - a 5-quart works, but fill it no more than two-thirds full
- Fine-mesh strainer - for rinsing the rice
- Medium saucepan - for the roux
- Whisk - for a lump-free sauce
- Chef's knife - for the vegetables
- Meat shredder claws - or two forks
- Ladle - for tempering and serving
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons
Ingredients
For the Slow Cooker
- 1 cup wild rice blend - 170 g, rinsed well
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts - 680 g, 2 to 3 breasts
- 1 medium yellow onion - about 1 cup or 150 g, diced
- 3 medium carrots - about 1 cup or 130 g, sliced ¼ inch (6 mm) thick
- 3 stalks celery - about 1 cup or 100 g, sliced ¼ inch (6 mm) thick
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth - 1.4 L
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt - plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Creamy Finish
- ¼ cup unsalted butter - 57 g
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour - 42 g
- 1½ cups half-and-half - 360 ml
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley - 8 g, for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse the wild rice blend in a fine mesh strainer under cold running water for about 1 minute until the water runs mostly clear. Dice the onion, slice the carrots and celery ¼ inch thick, and mince the garlic.
- Season the chicken breasts with the kosher salt and black pepper and lay them in an even layer in a 6-quart slow cooker. Scatter the rinsed rice, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic over the chicken, add the thyme and bay leaves, then pour in the chicken broth and stir gently so the rice is submerged.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours without lifting the lid. Taste a few grains of rice at the 6-hour mark; they should be tender with a slight chew, and if still firm, cook another 30 to 60 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, confirm the thickest part reads at least 165°F (74°C), and shred with two forks or meat claws. Discard the bay leaves, return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker, and stir it into the soup.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook for 1 minute until lightly nutty and the texture of wet sand. Slowly whisk in the half-and-half and cook 3 to 4 minutes until thickened, then ladle in about ½ cup (120 ml) of hot broth from the slow cooker and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the thickened mixture into the slow cooker and stir until the broth turns creamy and opaque. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes, then taste and add more salt or pepper as needed, and ladle into bowls topped with chopped parsley.
Notes
- Never use instant wild rice; it turns to mush well before the 6-hour mark, so stick with a regular wild rice blend.
- Rinse the rice every time to wash off surface starch that can make the broth cloudy and sticky.
- Hold the dairy until the end; milk and cream break down under long heat, which is why the roux and half-and-half go in last.
- Chicken thighs hold up better than breasts in long cooks because their extra fat keeps them tender; use 1½ pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless thighs and shred the same way.
- Stirring ½ cup of hot broth into the roux first warms the sauce so it blends without separating.
- Fill the crock no more than two-thirds full, since crowding it slows heating and can cause bubbling over.
- Adjust thickness at the end: add warm broth ¼ cup (60 ml) at a time for a thinner soup, or cook uncovered on HIGH for 10 more minutes for a thicker one.
- Season at the end, since broth brands vary in saltiness; taste after the cream goes in and then add salt.
- Store leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze in portions for up to 3 months, leaving ½ inch of space for expansion.
- Wild rice keeps absorbing liquid as the soup sits, so leftovers thicken overnight; a splash of warm chicken broth restores the texture better than water.
- For a dairy-free version, use olive oil in place of the butter and full-fat canned coconut milk in place of the half-and-half.
Nutrition
Serving: 1BowlCalories: 315kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 22gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 465mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4g
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