Name: Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 tbsp butter divided; 16 oz cremini or baby bella mushrooms sliced; 1 medium yellow onion diced; 2 medium carrots peeled and diced; 2 stalks celery diced; 3 cloves garlic minced; ¼ tsp dried marjoram (optional); ⅓ cup flour; 2 cups cooked chicken shredded or cubed; 4 cups chicken stock reduced sodium is preferred; 1 cup whole milk; 1 cup half and half or heavy cream; 1 bay leaf; juice of 1/2 lemon; ¾ to 1 cup wild rice blend (I use Lundberg brand); ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp black pepper; ¼ tsp dried thyme; ¼ tsp dried sage; ¼ tsp dried rosemary; additional salt and pepper, to taste

👨‍🍳 Instructions

✨ Meez Magic · 8 steps → 16 actions

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Immersive step-by-step Cook Mode with timers.

✨ Start Cook Mode

Cook the wild rice according to package instructions and set aside

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat

Add sliced mushrooms and cook until golden brown

Transfer mushrooms to a plate

Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pot, then sauté onions, carrots, and celery until softened

Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant

Sprinkle salt, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, sage, and marjoram over the vegetables

Add flour and stir well, cooking for 1 minute to eliminate the raw flour taste

Return about 2/3 of the cooked mushrooms to the pot, reserving the remaining 1/3 for garnish

Add shredded or cubed chicken to the pot

Pour in chicken stock, whole milk, and half and half and stir well

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer

Add cooked wild rice and stir to combine

Squeeze in lemon juice, then taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed

Remove bay leaf

Serve hot, topped with the reserved cooked mushrooms and accompanied by toasted crusty bread

🎉

You're all done!

Enjoy your creamy chicken wild rice soup — and don't forget to share.

From Cook Mode

Tips as you cook

Gather IngredientsMise en place makes cooking easier
Cook Wild RiceCook rice while prepping other ingredients
Melt ButterUse medium-high for quick melt
Watch out · Brown MushroomsDon't overcrowd for good browning
Remove MushroomsSet aside for later garnish
Sauté VegetablesStir often for even softening
Watch out · Add GarlicGarlic burns fast, watch closely
Season VegetablesBloom dried herbs for more flavor

Swaps, storing and making ahead

Good to know

Swaps

No wild rice blend? A plain wild rice or a mix of wild and brown rice works, though cooking time may vary.
No cremini mushrooms? White button mushrooms work the same way in this soup.

Notes by Meez Magic, written for this recipe. Use your judgment.

The story behind itHistory of Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup and How to Serve ItCreamy chicken wild rice soup is a Minnesota favorite with a surprisingly recent history, traced to a Minneapolis restaurant in the 1970s. Here is where it came from, how cooks vary it, and what to put on the table beside it.

From home cooks