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Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Creamy mushroom chicken and wild rice soup with chewy wild rice kernels simmered until tender, then finished with heavy cream for a silky broth. Made with cremini and shiitake mushrooms, shredded chicken, and thyme for hearty, comforting texture.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 540
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken breast
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast
Mushrooms
  • 2 cup mixed mushrooms (cremini, shiitake) Sliced.
Wild rice blend
  • 0.75 cup wild rice blend Uncooked.
Carrots
  • 3 carrots Sliced.
Celery
  • 3 celery Sliced.
Onion
  • 1 onion Diced.
Garlic
  • 4 garlic Minced cloves.
Chicken broth
  • 8 cup chicken broth
Heavy cream
  • 1.5 cup heavy cream
Butter
  • 4 tbsp butter
Flour
  • 3 tbsp flour
Dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Bay leaf
  • 1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
  • 0.5 salt and pepper To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the vegetables
  1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, then add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion looks translucent and the vegetables begin to soften.
Cook mushrooms and garlic
  1. Add the garlic and sliced mushrooms to the pot and stir well. Cook for 4 minutes, until the mushrooms release moisture and look tender.
Thicken the broth
  1. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk continuously for 1–2 minutes. Cook until the mixture looks smooth and slightly opaque.
Simmer soup base
  1. Add the chicken broth, wild rice, chicken breast, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot and bring to a simmer. Then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 40 minutes, until the wild rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Shred chicken and finish
  1. Remove the chicken from the pot, shred it, and return it to the soup; discard the bay leaf. Stir to combine.
Make it creamy and season
  1. Pour in the heavy cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then serve hot.

Notes

For the most even cooking, keep the soup at a gentle simmer after adding the broth so the wild rice stays tender (not mushy). Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days; reheat on the stove with a splash of broth or water. Freezing is not ideal because cream can break slightly when thawed, but you can freeze if needed and re-stir while reheating. If you want a lighter option, replace heavy cream with half-and-half and expect a slightly thinner soup.