Slow-Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
with bell peppers / baguette
Creamy, savory and with chewy bites of wild rice, there is a satisfying balance of texture and flavor in this slow-cooker version of chicken and wild rice soup.
Smarts: Wild rice lends itself perfectly to the slow-cooker. The firm grains take a long time to cook, but will be chewy and tender after a few hours.
Ingredients
- Onions, medium - 1/2, chopped
- Carrots - 1/2 lb, chopped
- Celery - 1 rib, chopped
- Bell peppers, any color - 1/2, chopped
- Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
- Butter - 1 Tbsp
- Chicken, boneless, skinless thighs - 1 lb (sub boneless, skinless breasts)
- Italian seasoning - 1 tsp
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Stock, chicken - 3 1/2 cups
- Wild rice, uncooked - 1/2 cup
- Evaporated milk, unsweetened (12oz / 255mL) - 1 can (sub regular milk, but the soup will be less creamy)
- Flour (opt) - 1/4 cup
- Baguette, small, for serving (opt) - 1 (sub any crusty bread)
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Onions / Carrots / Celery / Bell peppers / Garlic - Prep as directed. Combine onions, carrots and celery in one container. Store bell peppers and garlic in another container. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Saute mirepoix - Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots and celery (mirepoix) with a pinch of salt. Saute until vegetables soften, 4 to 5 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Slow-cook soup - Combine onions, carrots, celery, bell peppers, garlic, chicken, Italian seasoning, salt, stock and wild rice in the bowl of a slow-cooker. Stir to make sure that rice is submerged in liquid. Cook on low 7 to 8 hours (3 to 4 hours on high).
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Make
- About 20 minutes before serving, transfer chicken to a cutting board and roughly chop. Return chicken to the slow-cooker.
- Pour evaporated milk into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave until it begins to bubble, 1-2 minutes. (Optional step: For a thicker soup, whisk flour into milk. A few small dry spots of flour may remain, but will dissolve into soup as it finishes cooking.) Add to soup. Turn slow-cooker on high and continue to cook soup for 20 minutes.
- Season soup with additional salt, if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve with bread on the side. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
85 reviews
We made this in the Instant Pot and everyone loved it, even our kiddos. No celery, so we used celery salt in place of the regular salt. Also added the peppers at the end with a drained can of corn and evaporated milk/flour mix. I used saute to boil it for about 10 minutes to warm everything and let the flavors meld. Will make a double batch next time for leftovers.
0 HelpfulThis was one of the more bland recipes I've cooked from Cook Smarts. It could definitely use some more herbs or something to punch it up.
0 HelpfulWe used chicken breast instead of thighs because we defrosted the wrong thing and didn't bother with the flour because it was such a great consistency at the end. CookSmarts does it again! Never disappointed when I following these recipes.
0 HelpfulI don't know what I did wrong but mine didn't end up having as much liquid as I would have wanted. I think I must have added too much other stuff and it soaked up a lot of the stock. I'll try and revisit it another time and follow the directions closer or add more stock!
0 Helpful