Creamy Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice (Printable)

A comforting slow cooker soup with tender chicken, mushrooms, wild rice, and 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

# Steps:

01 - Add the 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 everything together until evenly distributed.
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 through and the wild rice is tender.
04 - Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred using two forks, then return the shredded meat to the slow cooker.
05 - Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in the flour and cook the roux for 1 to 2 minutes to develop flavor.
06 - Slowly whisk the heavy cream into the roux and heat until the mixture thickens, then stir it into the slow cooker.
07 - Stir well, cover, and continue cooking 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 the seasoning as needed before serving hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The slow cooker does almost all the heavy lifting while your house fills with the kind of smell that makes people linger in the kitchen
  • Wild rice gives each spoonful a satisfying chew that regular rice just cannot replicate
  • It reheats even better the next day so you are basically meal prepping without trying
02 -
  • Wild rice takes longer to cook than you might expect so do not be tempted to bump up the heat to rush it
  • Adding the cream mixture at the very end instead of the beginning prevents it from breaking or turning grainy during the long cook
03 -
  • Chicken thighs will not dry out the way breasts can over a long cook, so if you are not sure, go with thighs
  • Make the roux low and slow and do not let it darken past a pale blonde or it will taste bitter in the finished soup

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