Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

A finished bowl of Dairy Free Chicken and Wild Rice Soup on a black and white gingham placemat.

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5 from 44 votes

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Dairy-free

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Servings: people

Author: Alex Snodgrass

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

The rice cook time may vary depending on the type of wild rice you purchase. The back of my box said to cook the rice traditionally, it takes about 45 minutes. Check the back of your box and adjust cook time according to the package instructions.

This soup is absolutely perfect to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, if you want to sub that for the chicken! I love saving all of the bones/carcass from the turkey and making homemade bone broth after Thanksgiving. Using that as the base of this soup + the diced leftover turkey is quite lovely.

Freezer Tips:

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