Steam curls up from the valve and your stomach starts talking back. You spot the little hiss that tells you the pressure's building inside. That sound alone gets ya excited for what’s to come.
In your kitchen, the smells start to sneak out. The garlic, the celery and carrots kinda mingle with the chicken broth you poured in. You notice how the wild rice will soak all that flavor in real good.
When the valve finally drops, you know it’s time. You reach in and feel the tender pull of the chicken, perfectly cooked through. That’s what pressure cooking does for ya – locks in all that yum and breeds some serious broth depth.
What Makes Pressure Cooking Win Every Round
- Your soup’s ready much faster than slow cooking.
- The pressure build squeezes flavor deep into the wild rice and chicken.
- Steam cues tell you when things are just right without peeping too much.
- The chicken comes out tender pull-ready every single time.
- The broth depth makes it taste like you been simmering it all day.
- Clean up’s easier 'cause it’s all done in one pot.
For tips on creating comforting one-pot meals, check out our Cheesy Kielbasa Hashbrown Casserole Dump Meal Recipe that’s all about ease and big flavor.
Everything You Need Lined Up
- ¾ cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups mirepoix (chopped celery, carrots, and onions)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon roasted chicken base
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- Your favorite bread for dunking (essential)
Make sure you rinse the wild rice first. That helps get ridta any grit leftover. The chicken needs to be skinless and boneless so it shreds easily once pressure cooked.
Mirepoix brings that base flavor real good with celery, carrots, and onions chopped up fresh. The garlic adds a punch that wakes everything up, and the broth is your soup’s best buddy.
You also want your spices ready to toss in: poultry seasoning, garlic and onion powders. Then there’s Better Than Bouillon – it gives that broth depth you’re aiming for. Butter and flour are for thickening later on when you make your roux with milk and cream.
Walking Through Every Single Move
Step one is simple. Dump that wild rice, chicken breasts, mirepoix, minced garlic, chicken broth, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and the Better Than Bouillon straight into your crockpot. No fuss.
Cover it up, and choose low heat for about 7 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5. This gives pressure plentya time to build and work its charm. You'll notice that valve hiss start to sound off just when things get good.
Once the cooking time’s done, take out the chicken breasts. You gotta shred ‘em with two forks until they’re tender pull-ready. This part smells crazy good, trust me.
Put shredded chicken right back into the crockpot to soak in all that broth depth you worked on.
Time for a quick side job. Melt your butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then stir in your flour. Let that roux cook for a minute or two until it’s a tad golden and nutty-smelling.
Slowly pour in the milk while whisking and keep cookin’ until it thickens up, usually ‘bout 3 to 5 minutes. Stir that mix into your crockpot and give it a good stir to bring everything together. Season with salt to taste and warm through before serving.
Quick Tricks That Save Your Time
- Use pre-chopped mirepoix from the store if you wanna cut down on chopping.
- Instead of fresh garlic, garlic paste works fine to save peeling time.
- Prep your roux while the soup cooks, so it’s ready to stir in right away.
- Freeze leftover soup in single servings, so you just pop one in the microwave later.
These little hacks will have you spending less time in kitchen fussing and more time dunking that bread into your soup bowl.
When You Finally Get to Eat
You lift your spoon and catch the steam curling up, carrying all those chicken and veggie smells right to your nose. The soup’s creamy but not too thick, just perfect for dipping that crusty bread.
Every bite has that tender pull of chicken and the little chewy goodness of wild rice mixed in. You notice the broth depth working hard with the poultry seasoning and Better Than Bouillon flavor mingling on your tongue.
It’s like a hug on a chilly day, soothing and warm from the first spoonful. The creaminess melts into every part, making you wanna go back for more 'cause heck, it just feels right.
Keeping Leftovers Fresh and Ready
Leftovers? No problem. You can keep the soup in an airtight container and stash it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just warm it up gently to keep that broth depth alive.
If you wanna keep it longer, freeze the soup in portions. Use freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty bags and label ‘em. They’ll keep for about 3 months easy.
When reheating frozen soup, thaw overnight in fridge or use your microwave’s defrost setting. Heat slowly on stove or microwave to keep everything tasting fresh and the tender pull of chicken intact.
Your Most Asked Questions Answered
- Can I use brown rice instead of wild rice? You can, but brown rice might take longer to cook and get softer than wild rice, so adjust cooking times or pre-cook it a bit. See our Cheesy Kielbasa Hashbrown Casserole Dump Meal for other rice-based options.
- Is it okay to use chicken thighs instead of breasts? Heck yeah, thighs work real good and might even be juicier, just shred 'em after cooking same as breasts.
- Can I make this soup without Better Than Bouillon? Yep, you can replace it with extra chicken broth or bouillon cubes, but it’s great for boosting that broth depth.
- How thick should the soup be? It’s creamy but still kinda pourable. The roux and cream help make it cozy without being gluey.
- Can I freeze the soup? For sure, just freeze in portions and thaw before reheating. It keeps flavor and texture pretty well.
- What if my soup is too thick after reheating? Just add a splash of chicken broth or water to thin it out back to your liking.
Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl Large
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- ¾ cup wild rice uncooked, rinsed
- 1 pound chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 2 cups mirepoix chopped celery, carrots, and onions
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon roasted chicken base
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour all-purpose
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- bread for serving, optional
Instructions
Instructions
- Add wild rice, chicken breasts, mirepoix, garlic, chicken broth, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and bouillon base to the crockpot.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4–5 hours until chicken is tender and rice is cooked.
- Remove the chicken, shred it using two forks, and return it to the pot.
- In a saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour to form a roux; cook 1–2 minutes until golden.
- Whisk in warm milk gradually and cook until thickened, about 3–5 minutes. Season with salt.
- Stir the creamy mixture and heavy cream into the crockpot and combine thoroughly.
- Warm through and serve hot with crusty bread, if desired.
