Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 6-8 oz chicken breast
- 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
- 1 medium/large carrot, chopped
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
- ⅔ cups onion, chopped
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms (optional)
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups of fat-free chicken broth
- ¼ cup dry white wine (I used a nice buttery tasting chardonnay)
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried sage
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon of thyme)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-4 tablespoons butter
- Additional salt/pepper to taste
- Parsley or even cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- In your slow cooker, add the rice, carrot, celery, mushroom, garlic, and chicken. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Pour in the chicken broth and wine.
- Sprinkle in your seasonings, and cover with the slow cooker lid.
- Turn your slow cooker on either low heat for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-5 hours.
- The chicken will be finished cooking before the rice. I checked my chicken after 3 hours of cooking. Cook until the chicken registers at 165 or is no longer pink in the middle. Put the chicken on a plate, cover with tin foil, and set aside.
- Once the wild rice is fully cooked, shred the chicken with 2 forks (or your fingers) and return the chicken to the crockpot. Disregard the bay leaf. Plop in 4 tablespoons of butter, and gently mix until the butter is completely melted.
- Taste for seasonings, see notes, ladle into soup bowls, garnish with fresh parsley or even cilantro, and enjoy!
Notes
I coined this recipe as 10 ingredients or less because a lot of people have the dried herbs, butter, salt, and pepper already stocked at home.
Note, once the soup was finished, I thought the soup tasted great, but there was missing something. Most people grab for the salt but wait on the salt. There are numerous ways to help elevate and balance flavors without additional salt.
A well-balanced meal will have notes of salty, sweet, and sour. I added the following ingredients to achieve that balance:
1 tablespoon miso paste for additional salt. Note, soy sauce works well too.
A splash of rice wine vinegar for additional acidity. Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar work great too. The acidity helps wake up the flavors for a more vibrate dish.
1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce. Sriracha gave the dish a little heat, and also added a bit of sweetness.
My garnish was cilantro. Cilantro was great in this soup, but many folks think it tastes like soap. The cilantro gave the soup a slight sweetness and freshness, but if you hate cilantro, parsley is amazing too. If you prefer a creamier soup add a cup or 2 or heavy milk or cream at the end. Since I didn't have cream or milk, I added butter, which added some creaminess. I should mention, the longer the soup sits, the thicker it will become. If you have leftovers, you may need to thin the soup out with additional water, broth, or milk.
A splash of rice wine vinegar for additional acidity. Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar work great too. The acidity helps wake up the flavors for a more vibrate dish.
1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce. Sriracha gave the dish a little heat, and also added a bit of sweetness.
My garnish was cilantro. Cilantro was great in this soup, but many folks think it tastes like soap. The cilantro gave the soup a slight sweetness and freshness, but if you hate cilantro, parsley is amazing too. If you prefer a creamier soup add a cup or 2 or heavy milk or cream at the end. Since I didn't have cream or milk, I added butter, which added some creaminess. I should mention, the longer the soup sits, the thicker it will become. If you have leftovers, you may need to thin the soup out with additional water, broth, or milk.