Minnesota Chicken Wild Rice Soup (Thick & Creamy)
Minnesota wild rice soup is a rich and creamy soup that’s loaded with veggies, chicken, and wild rice, the Minnesota state grain.
Why Make Chicken Wild Rice Soup?
There are plenty of wild rice soup recipes out there on the internet. What’s unique about this recipe?
It’s thick, rich, and creamy. That’s how I’ve always eaten it in Minnesota, and in my opinion, there’s no other way.
This recipe calls for a pint of heavy whipping cream. But to really get it creamy, we’ll need more than just cream. I thickened this soup with a bit of corn starch.
Every spoonful of soup is filled with different flavors and textures, from the firm, nutty wild rice to the crunchy water chestnuts.
Note: Wild rice soup can be frozen. It makes a great dish to bring over to a friend who just had a baby, a new neighbor, etc.
Another Minnesota and Upper Midwest soup I love is booyah. It’s a thick and hearty meat and vegetable soup that is typically served in the fall.
Ingredients For Minnesota Wild Rice Soup
- Wild rice: Learn how to make perfect wild rice, the essential ingredient in wild rice soup
- Chicken: You can cook your own or use leftover or rotisserie chicken
- Heavy cream: While less expensive half-and-half will work, I always use heavy cream to make the richest wild rice soup
- Chicken broth: The broth gives this soup great flavor
- Vegetables: This soup contains onions, carrots, celery, and water chestnuts
- Corn starch: The secret ingredient to make an extra thick and creamy soup
- Spices: A simple medley of spices round out the flavor in this soup: Black pepper, garlic powder, and parsley
- Apple cider vinegar: Just a splash, for a tiny bit of acidity to break up all that creaminess
Customizing Chicken Wild Rice Soup
The recipe below makes my all-time favorite chicken wild rice soup. I grew up eating this in small-town Minnesota, where everyone had their own take on the soup. But for the most part, most chicken wild rice soups taste quite similar.
But you don’t have to stick strictly to this recipe. Here are some customization options:
- Substitute ham or sausage for the chicken
- Add more or less spice
- Add mushrooms
- Add a large spoonful of sour cream instead of the apple cider vinegar
- Serve with hot sauce on the side
Love Wild Rice? Try These Recipes:
- Wild rice hotdish – Another Minnesota favorite!
- Fruited wild rice bowls
- Creamy Hawaiian coconut chicken soup (with lots of toppings)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use half-and-half instead of heavy cream?
A: Yes, half-and-half will work as a lighter, less expensive substitute, though the soup won’t be quite as rich and thick as the heavy cream version. If you go this route, you may want to increase the corn starch slightly to help compensate for the lower fat content.
Q: Can Minnesota chicken wild rice soup be frozen?
A: Yes, this soup freezes well, making it a great make-ahead option or a meal to bring to a new parent or new neighbor. Cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container, and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating gently on the stove.
Q: What can I use instead of chicken?
A: Ham or sausage both work well as substitutes and are common variations on this soup. Simply swap in an equal amount of cooked, diced ham or browned, sliced sausage in place of the chicken.
Q: How much dry wild rice do I need to get 4 cups cooked?
A: About 1 cup of dry wild rice will yield roughly 3.5 to 4 cups cooked, which is the perfect amount for this recipe
Q: Will the apple cider vinegar curdle the cream?
A: No, as long as you’re using heavy whipping cream, the fat content is high enough that the small amount of vinegar in this recipe won’t cause curdling. If you’re substituting a lighter dairy option like half-and-half or milk, there’s more risk of curdling, so you may want to reduce the vinegar or leave it out.
Made This Soup?
I’d love to know how it turned out – leave a star rating and let me know if you tried any of the swaps (ham instead of chicken, half-and-half instead of cream)!
Minnesota Wild Rice Soup
Note: One cup of dry wild rice will yield between 3.5 and 4 cups of cooked wild rice - the perfect amount for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
- 32-ounce package chicken broth (or equivalent water + chicken bouillon cubes)
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups cooked chopped chicken
- 4 cups cooked wild rice
- 1/4 cup corn starch, mixed with 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Saute onion in butter until softened - about 3 minutes. Add carrot and celery, stirring, until softened - about 4 minutes.
- Add water chestnuts, chicken broth, and heavy cream. Cook until simmering. Add chicken and wild rice.
- Mix corn starch and cold water in a small bowl until corn starch is dissolved. Slowly stir into simmering soup. The soup will start to thicken once the corn starch is added.
- Add vinegar and spices to soup, adding more if desired. Serve.
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Yummy!!!! Makes me so hungry.
Do not use vinager….it kernals
Hi Sarah – The soup shouldn’t curdle if you’re using heavy whipping cream. You could certainly cut the apple cider vinegar down to 1 teaspoon or leave it out altogether (although it really wakes the flavor up!) – Thanks for your comment.