Old-Fashioned Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

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This creamy chicken and wild rice soup is loaded with tender chicken, rice, and corn in a rich, comforting broth. Perfect for chilly days or when you're under the weather.

When I'm sick, this is the soup I want.

I make a lot of homemade soups, but there's something about this creamy chicken and wild rice soup that I return to again and again. It's thick, hearty, incredibly comforting, and loaded with tender shredded chicken, two kinds of rice, and sweet corn in a rich, creamy broth.

In fact, at almost any given moment, you could open the freezer in my house—or the extra freezer in my garage—and find containers of this soup waiting for me. It's especially wonderful in the fall and winter, but I make it throughout the year. Some comfort foods don't need a season.

Grandma Would Have Made This on the Stove

This is an old-fashioned chicken-and-rice soup at heart. There's absolutely no reason you can't make it in a big soup pot or Dutch oven on the stove.

I happened to use my Instant Pot for this batch because I was in a hurry.

I buy chicken breasts at a local restaurant-supply store where they're usually inexpensive, so my freezer is almost always full of them. Being able to start this recipe with chicken that's still completely frozen is one of the reasons I love using the pressure cooker.

I don't even have to plan ahead. Frozen chicken, broth, onion, and seasonings go into the pot, and the Instant Pot does most of the work for me.

This is one of those recipes that practically cooks itself.

Ingredients for Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

You'll find a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here's what you'll need:

• 2 pounds frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 48 ounces chicken broth
• 1 small onion, diced
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 box long-grain and wild rice mix, including the seasoning packet
• 1 cup regular white rice, not instant or quick-cooking
• 1 can (26 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn (Optional)
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• Fresh cilantro, optional

Note: I had some bouillon cubes handy in case I needed more chicken flavor but didn't end up using any in the end. It had plenty of flavor from the chicken and broth, as well as the cream of chicken soup.

How to Make Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Cook the Chicken

Place the frozen chicken breasts into the Instant Pot along with 48 ounces of chicken broth and the diced onion.

Add ½ teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder, black pepper to taste, and the seasoning packet from the box of long-grain and wild rice.

Cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.

Yes, that's a long time for chicken breasts. That's intentional.

I'm not merely trying to cook the chicken through. I want it extremely tender so that it practically falls apart when I shred it.

Once the cooking cycle is complete, release the pressure according to your Instant Pot's instructions. Open the pot and shred the chicken.

Add the Rice

Pour in the long-grain and wild rice from the box, then add 1 cup regular white rice.

I use ordinary long-cooking white rice here, not instant rice.

Set the Instant Pot to the Rice setting and cook for 8 minutes.

Release the pressure when the cycle is finished.

Make It Creamy

At this point, your chicken and rice mixture may look quite thick. Don't worry. You still have more liquid and creamy ingredients coming.

Stir in the 26-ounce can of cream of chicken soup, 10 ounces of frozen corn, and 1 cup of water.

My soup was still so hot after the rice cycle that I didn't even need to turn on the Sauté function. The residual heat warmed the corn perfectly.

Stir in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream at the very end.

Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary, then serve.

If your soup has cooled enough that the frozen corn doesn't heat through, simply switch the Instant Pot to Sauté for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

What to Expect from This Soup

This isn't a thin, brothy chicken soup. It's thick, creamy and hearty—the kind of soup that really fills your spoon.

The hour-long pressure cook leaves the chicken exceptionally tender. The combination of white and wild rice gives the soup plenty of body, and the cream of chicken soup creates that rich, velvety consistency I love.

Then there are those little pops of sweet corn throughout. That's the addition I made to my friend's original idea, and I wouldn't make the soup without it now.

And despite how creamy the finished soup looks, there's only two tablespoons of actual heavy cream in the entire pot.

How to Make Chicken and Wild Rice Soup on the Stovetop

You certainly don't need an Instant Pot to make this recipe.

For a traditional stovetop version, place the chicken, broth, diced onion, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and wild-rice seasoning packet in a large soup pot or Dutch oven.

For the stovetop method, I'd recommend starting with thawed chicken breasts. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer and cook until the chicken is tender and completely cooked through. Remove and shred the chicken, then return it to the pot.

Add the wild rice blend and regular white rice. Simmer gently until the rice is tender, adding additional broth or water as necessary. Because brands of long-grain and wild-rice blends vary, use the package cooking time as a guide and check the rice periodically.

Once the rice is tender, stir in the cream of chicken soup, corn, and enough water to reach the consistency you prefer. Heat through, then finish with the heavy cream.

Want a Thinner Chicken and Wild Rice Soup?

You can absolutely make this soup without the cream of chicken soup.

Leave it out and add additional chicken broth as needed for a lighter, brothier version. You could also use only part of the can if you'd like something in between.

I happen to love a thick, creamy chicken and wild rice soup, reminiscent of the kind I've enjoyed at Panera Bread, so the creamy version is the one I make most often.

Variations and Additions

One of my favorite additions is diced carrots. Add them at the beginning with the onion if you'd like a little extra color, flavor, and vegetables in the soup.

I also love fresh cilantro stirred in at the end. If cilantro isn't your thing, fresh parsley would be a natural substitute.

You can adjust the creaminess by using more broth or water, and you can use leftover cooked chicken if that's what you have on hand. If you're starting with cooked chicken, simply skip that long initial pressure-cooking step.

Can I Freeze Chicken and Wild Rice Soup?

Yes—and I certainly do!

This is one of the foods I intentionally keep in my freezer because I know there will eventually be a day when I'll be very glad it's there.

Allow the soup to cool, then divide it into freezer-safe containers in whatever portions make sense for your household.

Remember that the rice will continue absorbing liquid. Once the soup is thawed and reheated, you'll probably want to add some chicken broth or water to loosen it.

That's normal and doesn't hurt the soup at all.

More Homemade Soups to Try

If you're in the mood for another warm bowl of comfort food, try my Chicken Noodle Soup, Grandma's Creamy Tomato Soup, Loaded Baked Potato Soup, Taco Soup, Creamy Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup, or Pasta Fagioli. You can also visit our Best Soups, Stews & Chili Recipes collection for even more ideas.

Thanks for Stopping By!

If you make this Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice soup and love it please leave a comment or review. And before you go, please pin some photos to your Pinterest boards.

Meet the Cook

Janice is one of the members of the Backyard Texas Grill team. She loves baking. . .and all things soup. Chicken and wild rice is one of her personal favorites.