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It’s that time of year when we all want to to cozy up to another delicious bowl of soup, and this Dairy-Free Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a fantastic choice!
This soup is absolutely phenomenal, creamy while still being dairy-free, and all made in one pot! I let the rice cook directly in the soup and once the rice is tender, I thicken it with a dairy-free creamer and arrowroot starch slurry. The flavor in this soup is ultra-comforting, making this a recipe your whole family will love!
Ingredients:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion
- Carrot
- Celery
- Garlic
- Kosher Salt
- Cracked Black Pepper
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth or sub homemade turkey stock if preferred
- Bay Leaves
- Dried Thyme
- Dried Rosemary
- Dried Oregano
- Cayenne Pepper optional
- Uncooked Wild Rice
- Cooked, Diced Chicken or Turkey you can use rotisserie chicken
- Unsweetened Coconut Milk you can use heavy creamer here if preferred
- Arrowroot Starch
- Lemon Juice
Step-by-step:
step one: sauté the veggies
Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the veggies are just tender, about 5 minutes.
step two: add broth and spices
Add the broth, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, oregano and cayenne. Stir to combine and increase heat so that it comes to a boil.
step three: simmer the soup
Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer over low heat. Add the diced chicken (or turkey) and the uncooked wild rice. Cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. *see note below
step four: increase the heat
After the rice is tender, uncover the soup and increase the heat so that is it simmering more vigorously, but not boiling (about medium heat).
step five: make the arrowroot starch slurry
In a small bowl, combine the dairy-free creamer and arrowroot flour and whisk until arrowroot has dissolved in the creamer.
Step six: thicken the soup
While slowly stirring the soup, slowly pour in the creamer/arrowroot mixture until it is well combined in the soup. Continue to cook the soup, uncovered and simmering, stirring often until it has thickened, 5 to 10 more minutes.
step seven: finish and serve!
Stir in the lemon juice, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs:
Absolutely! I have detailed recommendations for freezing in the “notes” section of the recipe. It is important to know, though, that the rice does drink up tons of the broth so when you thaw and reheat- you’ll need to add more broth to soup it up!
You sure can! I recommend heavy cream or whole milk to maintain that creamy consistency.
The end result of this Dairy-Free Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a comforting bowl of creamy, hearty, and healthy soup. It’s one that the whole family will adore and I can’t wait for you to try it for yourselves! Let me know what you think!
Looking for more great soup recipes? Try these!
Ginger-Scallion Chicken and Rice Soup
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 cup carrot, diced small
- 1 cup celery, diced small
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, or more to taste
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or homemade turkey stock)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1/2 tsp freshly chopped rosemary leaves)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- dash of cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 2 cups cooked, diced chicken or turkey you can use rotisserie chicken
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk (I like Aroy-D brand) you can use heavy creamer here
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice or the juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the veggies are just tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the broth, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, oregano and cayenne. Stir to combine and increase heat so that it comes to a boil.
- Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer over low heat. Add the diced chicken (or turkey) and the uncooked wild rice. Cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. *see note below
- After the rice is tender, uncover the soup and increase the heat so that is it simmering more vigorously, but not boiling (about medium heat).
- In a small bowl, combine the dairy-free creamer and arrowroot flour and whisk until arrowroot has dissolved in the creamer.
- While slowly stirring the soup, slowly pour in the creamer/arrowroot mixture until it is well combined in the soup. Continue to cook the soup, uncovered and simmering, stirring often until it has thickened, 5 to 10 more minutes.
- Stir in the lemon juice, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- To freeze, let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to airtight containers or freezer bags, leaving some space for expansion. Label and date the containers before placing them in the freezer.
- To thaw, move the container to the refrigerator and let it defrost overnight, or for a quicker option, use the microwave’s defrost setting. Further reheat the soup or stew in a pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it reaches a simmer, or microwave it in intervals, stirring in between, until heated through.
- If you feel like the contents of the soup (i.e. noodles, rice, etc.) soaked up most of the liquid, you can add 1 to 2 cups more broth to rehydrate the soup and get it to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Food Photography and Styling by Eat Love Eats.
One of my absolute favorite soups! I missed it on the blog and first saw to in the comfortable kitchen. It’s so easy and delicious as written! I have also used it as my “garbage recipe”- adding all of the fresh veggies that will spoil if not used soon. Bell pepper, mushrooms, kale, spinach, arugula, zucchini, and more have all been added and are scrumptious in different iterations of this soup when I have veggies I don’t want to waste! I like to add the lemon to the individual bowls right before eating. Tonight’s soup had some extra andouille sausage which was so good with the recipes otherwise as written.
Could I add canned coconut milk to this instead of the Nutpods creamer?
yes absolutely! I would add it in when you add the broth so the coconut taste goes away a bit.
Can you do this in the crockpot
yes I think this would work well in the crockpot!
Made this tonight – delish!!! How would you do this in the crockpot with uncooked chicken breast? Do you add rice and the thickening agents at different times or just throw it all in together? Also, could you sub rice for GF pasta?
Hi Melanie– I haven’t yet done it in the crockpot but here is how i would do it:
-throw boneless, skinless chicken breast in the crockpot with all ingredients EXCEPT for the creamer, arrowroot and lemon juice. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4. Once cook time is complete, using tongs remove the chicken and either shred or chop and place back into the crockpot.
Make the slurry with the creamer and arrowroot and stir into the soup and let set for 5 to 10 mins on warm or so to thicken. Stir in the lemon juice right before serving!
Hope this helps!!
Just wanted to say, I made this in the crockpot yesterday and it turned out PERFECTLY!
I made this today after my COVID Booster yesterday. It restored me fantastically.
Soup is delicious! Is it supposed to be pretty thick? My turned out on the thinner side. Wondering if I went wrong somewhere!
Have you ever frozen this? Does it reheat okay?
yes it reheats very well!! Sometimes the rice can drink up a lot of the broth– so you may just need to add more broth when reheating in the future!
Looking forward to making this!!! Do you think I can add raw chicken when I add the rice and just cook it in the soup instead of cooking it ahead of time?
yes absolutely!
Hi Alex! Recipe looks great! Any recommendations for cooking the chicken with the soup broth? I have boneless skinless chicken thighs I need to use but am feeling a little lazy about cooking them beforehand. Thanks!
yes, just toss them in there and once they are cooked through, remove from the soup and chop them up!
Made this for dinner last night and it was DELICIOUS!! Served some sourdough bread with it and it was so cozy!
Extended family members have Covid 🙁
Making this favorite for them now so I can drop some on their porch. Saving some for my daughter and I to eat tonight so we can stay healthy. Thanks Alex, for having so many healthful recipes to keep us well. We love you!
Best soup i’ve ever made hands down. Followed the recipe exactly and it was absolutely heavenly!!