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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.
Delicious! But be prepared the wild rice takes muchhhh longer than 45 minutes if you actually cook on low as the recipe says. I would cook at a slightly higher temp!
Thanks for cooking, Katie!
can you make in slow cooker?
yes you could but you might need to add more broth at the end if the rice soaks it up too much.
You must not forget to double this recipe – because you will want leftovers! A winter staple that is so cozy and flavorful.
We make this almost every week in the winter!! Love it! One note- the wild rice I usually find cooks for significantly shorter- like 15 mins vs. 45!
I made this after thanksgiving and it was excellent!!!!!! Wanting to make it again but don’t have enough wild rice. Can regular white rice work? If so would I just add it later?
white rice is fine as a sub- it cooks more quickly- so should only take 20-30 minutes to simmer until the rice is tender.
This was fantastic! I’ll definitiely be making this again.
This soup is delicious!! I made it with leftover Turkey from Thanksgiving. And used heavy cream (because I already had some) & cornstarch (our grocery didn’t have arrowroot powder). Even my “picky” 10 year old ate it!
My favorite post thanksgiving meal!
Hi Alex!
I’m planning on making this for my SIL to have postpartum. If I’m freezing immediately would you alter the cook time on the rice at all? Wasn’t sure if I should cook “al dente” to avoid it getting mushy when reheated!
@alex I came here to ask about freeze prepping this for my daughter expecting her 3rd child!?
yes- you can freeze this- 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!
Loved the soup and just shared with my sis and mom! I just used canned coconut milk since that is what I had on hand and it worked fine!