Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice Soup is hearty, comforting, and packed with tender chicken, earthy mushrooms, and nutty wild rice in a creamy, flavorful broth. Perfect for chilly evenings, it’s a satisfying soup that warms both your kitchen and your soul.

Love More Apple Desserts Recipes? Try My Wild Mushroom, Caramelized Onion and Kale Soup or this Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This hearty soup is perfect for busy nights, with tender chicken, perfectly cooked wild rice, and vegetables that even picky eaters enjoy. It comes together quickly, making dinner stress-free while still feeling homemade. Bonus: it’s flexible enough to use leftovers or frozen veggies, so you can create a satisfying meal with minimal effort.

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Ingredient List

What You Actually Need:

• 2 tbsp butter (or olive oil if you’re out of butter)
• 1½ lb chicken thighs, boneless (thighs are key – don’t use breasts)
• 1 onion, chopped however you want
• 2 carrots, diced small so kids don’t pick them out
• 2 celery stalks, sliced thin
• 2 garlic cloves, just smash them with your knife
• 10 oz mushrooms, any kind from the store
• 5 cups chicken broth (I buy the boxes at Costco)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste from the little can
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp white wine if you have an open bottle
• Fresh thyme sprigs or 1 tsp dried
• 1 cup wild rice, rinsed under cold water
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Fresh parsley for looks
• Salt and black pepper

Why These Ingredients Work

Chicken thighs are the secret. They don’t get dry and tough like chicken breasts do in soup. I learned this from my mom who always said dark meat is better for slow cooking. She was right.

Wild rice tastes nutty and holds up during the long cooking time. Regular white rice turns to paste. Brown rice works too but wild rice looks fancier and makes me feel like I know what I’m doing.

Those mushrooms shrink down and release liquid that becomes part of your broth. That’s where half the flavor comes from. I use whatever mushrooms are on sale – button, baby bella, doesn’t matter.

The tiny bit of tomato paste adds richness without making it taste like tomato soup. My Italian grandmother taught me this trick years ago. She put tomato paste in everything and it always tasted better.

Wine brings out the mushroom flavor more. Don’t buy a bottle just for this recipe though. I only add it if I already have an open bottle from dinner earlier in the week.

Essential Tools and Equipment

One big pot or Dutch oven. That’s literally all you need. I use my 7-quart Le Creuset that I got for my wedding 15 years ago. Still the best pot I own.

Sharp knife for chopping vegetables. Cutting board. Two forks for shredding chicken later. Wooden spoon for stirring.

If you have an Instant Pot or slow cooker, those work too but I like the stovetop method best. You can taste and adjust seasoning as you go.

How To Make Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Stovetop Method

1. Put butter in your biggest pot and melt it over medium heat. Don’t use high heat or the butter burns and tastes bitter.

2. Brown the chicken thighs on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. They don’t need to cook through completely. Just get some color on them. Take them out and put them on a plate. Don’t clean the pot.

3. In the same pot with all those brown bits, add your chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything starts getting soft. This is called a mirepoix if you want to sound fancy.

4. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. They’ll release liquid and shrink down. That liquid is flavor gold so don’t drain it off.

5. Add the smashed garlic and stir for maybe 30 seconds until you can smell it. Don’t let it burn or it gets bitter.

6. Put the chicken back in the pot. Add the chicken broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, wine if using, and thyme. Stir everything together until the tomato paste dissolves.

7. Add the wild rice that you rinsed. Bring everything to a boil, then turn heat down to low and cover with a lid. Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.

8. Take out the chicken pieces and shred them with two forks. They should fall apart easily if they’re cooked enough. Put the shredded chicken back in the soup.

9. Stir in the heavy cream and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper until it tastes right to you. Every brand of chicken broth has different salt levels so you’ll need to adjust.

10. Serve hot with chopped parsley on top if you want to look like you know what you’re doing.

Instant Pot Method

I got an Instant Pot two Christmases ago and finally figured out how to use it for this soup. Use the sauté function to brown the chicken and cook the vegetables first. Don’t skip this step even though it’s tempting – it makes a huge difference in flavor.

Add everything except the cream and parsley. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Let it naturally release pressure for 10 minutes, then quick release the rest. Shred the chicken, stir in the cream, and you’re done in half the time.

Slow Cooker Method

This works but requires an extra step. Brown the chicken and vegetables in a regular pan on the stove first, then transfer everything to your slow cooker. Add the broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire, wine, thyme, and wild rice. Cook on low for 5½ hours.

Shred the chicken, stir in the cream, and cook for another 30 minutes. The slow cooker method takes longer but it’s hands-off once you get it started.

You Must Know

Always rinse wild rice before using it. Wild rice can be dusty and will make your soup cloudy if you don’t rinse it first. I rinse it in a fine mesh strainer under cold water until the water runs clear.

Don’t skip browning the chicken even if you’re in a hurry. Those brown bits that stick to the bottom of the pot are pure flavor. They dissolve into the soup as it cooks and make everything taste richer.

The soup will keep getting thicker as it sits because the rice absorbs liquid. Your leftovers tomorrow will look more like stew than soup. Just add more chicken broth when you reheat it and it’ll thin out again.

Add the cream at the very end and keep the heat low after you add it. If the soup boils after you add cream, it will curdle and look chunky. Still tastes fine but looks gross.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Wild rice should be tender but still have a little bite when it’s done. Start checking it at 35 minutes. If it gets mushy, you’ve overcooked it and there’s no going back.

Taste your soup before adding salt. Some chicken broths are really salty already and you might not need any extra. I learned this the hard way when I over-salted a whole pot.

If you accidentally curdle the cream, don’t throw the soup away. Scoop out a cup of the soup and blend it until smooth, then stir it back in. It helps fix the texture.

Fresh thyme is way better than dried but dried works if that’s what you have. Use about 1 teaspoon of dried thyme instead of the fresh sprigs. Add it with the broth.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

I’ve tried this soup with different types of mushrooms. Baby bellas have more flavor than regular white mushrooms but cost more. Shiitake mushrooms make it taste fancy but my kids complained they were too strong.

Sometimes I add diced potatoes with the carrots if I want it more filling. Red potatoes work best because they don’t fall apart as much.

My sister makes this with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving and says it’s even better than with chicken. I haven’t tried that yet but it’s on my list for this year.

A little fresh sage mixed with the thyme is really good if you have it. Just don’t use too much or it overpowers everything else.

If you like spicy food, add some red pepper flakes with the garlic. My husband likes it that way but the kids don’t so I usually skip it.

Make-Ahead Options

This soup is perfect for meal prep. It actually tastes better the next day after all the flavors have time to blend together. I make it on Sunday and we eat it twice during the week.

It keeps in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in a covered container. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months but don’t add the cream until you’re ready to eat it. Cream doesn’t freeze well and will separate when you thaw it.

I freeze it in individual portions using freezer bags. Lay the bags flat in the freezer so they stack nicely. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat slowly on the stove.

The rice will absorb more liquid as the soup sits, so always keep extra chicken broth on hand for thinning it out when you reheat. I buy the big boxes at Costco and always have some in the pantry.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

If you’re using leftover rotisserie chicken instead of raw thighs, add it during the last 10 minutes just to warm it through. Don’t cook it the whole time or it gets tough and stringy.

The soup will look thin when you first finish cooking but it thickens up as it cools down. Don’t add extra thickeners right away. Let it sit for 10 minutes and see how it looks.

I keep a container of this soup in my freezer at all times now. When someone gets sick or I forget to plan dinner, I just thaw it out and we have something homemade without the work.

My mother-in-law always brings this soup when someone in the family is sick. She makes it without the wine because she doesn’t drink, and it’s still delicious.

Serving Suggestions

This soup is a complete meal. I serve it with crusty bread from the grocery store bakery for dipping. Sometimes I’ll heat up some frozen garlic bread if I’m feeling lazy.

My kids like to put oyster crackers in their bowls. My husband always adds hot sauce to his even though I tell him to taste it first. Do whatever makes your family happy.

A simple green salad on the side is nice but not necessary. This soup is filling enough on its own, especially if you serve it with bread.

How to Store Your Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Leftover soup keeps in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in a covered container. The flavors actually get better after sitting overnight, so don’t be surprised if it tastes even better as leftovers.

For freezing, I portion it into individual servings using quart-sized freezer bags. Don’t add the cream before freezing – add it when you reheat. Freeze flat so they stack better in your freezer.

Thaw frozen soup overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat slowly on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Add the cream at the end and thin with extra broth if needed.

Never reheat this soup in the microwave. It heats unevenly and the cream will separate. Always use the stovetop for reheating.

Allergy Information

For dairy-free, skip the cream entirely or use coconut milk instead. The soup is still good without cream, just not as rich. Coconut milk adds richness without dairy but changes the flavor slightly.

For gluten-free, check your chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce labels. Most are gluten-free but some brands aren’t. Wild rice is naturally gluten-free.

The soup contains dairy if you use cream. No nuts, eggs, or other common allergens unless your broth contains them.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use brown rice instead of wild rice?

Yes but reduce the cooking time to 25-30 minutes. Brown rice cooks faster than wild rice and will get mushy if you cook it too long.

My soup turned out too thin. How do I fix it?

Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with cold water until smooth, then stir it into the soup. Simmer for a few minutes until it thickens. Or just simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to reduce the liquid.

Can I skip the heavy cream?

Absolutely. The soup is still delicious without cream, just not as rich. You could also use milk, half-and-half, or coconut milk instead.

Why did my cream curdle and look chunky?

The heat was too high when you added it. Always add cream at the end and keep the heat on low. If it happens, blend a cup of the soup until smooth and stir it back in.

💬 Made this soup? Let me know how it turned out in the comments!