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Chicken and wild rice soup is a hearty soup made with creamy broth, tender vegetables and rustic wild rice. It is so good it is guaranteed to become a family favorite.

Instant Pot chicken and wild rice soup in a yellow bowl

Chicken Wild Rice Soup (Instant Pot Recipe)

I love all things soup, and there is nothing more satisfying than a comforting bowl of chicken and wild rice soup. Tender bits of chicken with hearty vegetables and wild rice all swimming in a creamy broth. This soup is perfection. Nothing is better on one of those nights when the air starts to chill and you want a warm comforting hug from your dinner.

One thing I love about this chicken and wild rice recipe is how versatile it is! This is my go to recipe when I am taking dinner to someone else because it is so easy to work around food allergies. If they are gluten free, I thicken it with cornstarch and water in place of the flour and butter. If they are dairy free, I add extra broth and leave out the cream. (Even though that’s not quite as good).

This is an Instant Pot recipe, so it comes together super fast, but you can easily make this recipe on the stovetop as well.

chicken and wild rice soup in a yellow bowl

Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup ingredients

  • Chicken Broth
  • Frozen Chicken Tenders- Yes, for this Instant Pot recipe they need to be frozen. Using fresh chicken or leftover chicken would change the cook time resulting in undercooked rice. If you have some leftover cooked chicken you are needing to use instead, you could add it after the soup has cooked.
  • Carrots- you’ll want these carrots roughly chopped.
  • Celery – The celery will be chopped, as well!
  • Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice- You want to make sure to get the box with the seasonings.
  • Heavy Cream- You can substitute half and half if you would like, but it won’t have the same THICK creaminess.
  • Butter
  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Pepper
chicken and wild rice soup prior to cooking in the Instant Pot

How to make Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup

  1. Begin by adding the chicken broth, frozen chicken tenders, carrots, celery and the box of wild rice with the seasonings into the liner of your Instant Pot.
  2. Seal your Instant Pot and set it to cook on HIGH for 6 minutes with a 6 minute NPR.
  3. After 6 minutes NPR, manually release the remaining pressure.
  4. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
  5. Change your Instant pot settings to the middle sauté setting and add the cream. Stir well to combine.
uncle ben's boxed long grain & wild rice

6. While the soup is coming back to a simmer, combine the melted butter and flour to form a thick paste.

7. Once the soup is boiling again add the paste. Stir well until the paste has melted and integrated into the soup.

8. Allow to soup to boil until it has reached your desired thickness. If the soup thickens too much, just add a splash of milk to thin it down again.

9. While the soup is thickening, cut the chicken tenders into small bite sized pieces and return it to the soup.

10. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Instant Pot chicken and wild rice soup scooped up

How to make Chicken Wild Rice Soup on the stove

You can easily make this recipe on the stove top if you would rather.

  • Add the chicken broth, thawed chicken, carrots, celery and the box of wild rice with seasonings to a pot and let it boil. When the chicken is cooked through, remove the chicken and proceed with the recipe as written.

The Instant Pot definitely speeds up the process, but it is absolutely doable on the stove top as well.

And there you have it. This soup is so warm and so comforting, it is like your favorite hoodie in a bowl…only it tastes much better.

pin image or Instant Pot chicken and wild rice soup

How to serve Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup

I love to ladle the cozy soup into a large bowl topped with fresh herbs before pairing it with some homemade bread (like my crusty artisan bread), homemade dinner rolls, and a side salad with fresh fruit. This is a meal that everyone at the table will love.

How to store Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup

Be sure to cool the soup and then transfer it to an air tight container before storing in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Chicken Wild Rice Soup (Instant Pot) FAQs

Why is my Instant Pot chicken tough?

Tough chicken in an Instant Pot can result from overcooking. To prevent this, ensure you’re using the correct cooking time and release method for your recipe. For chicken soup, cook for the recommended time, then use a quick release to stop the cooking process promptly.

How do you keep rice from getting mushy in soup?

Follow the cook time in this recipe as well as the brand of rice and you will be just fine!

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5 from 13 votes

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Instant Pot and Stovetop Recipe)

Chicken and wild rice soup is a hearty soup made with creamy broth, tender vegetables and rustic wild rice. It is so good it is guaranteed to become a family favorite.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 6 frozen chicken tenderloins
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 (6 oz) box uncle ben's long grain & wild rice , with the seasonings
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions 

  • Add the chicken broth, chicken tenders, carrots, celery, box of rice and the seasoning packet into the liner of your Instant Pot.`
  • Set your Instant Pot to pressure cook (manual) on High for 6 minutes with a 6 minute NPR, release the remaining pressure after the NPR.
  • Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot, set aside.
  • Add in the heavy cream, stir to combine. Press cancel on your Instant Pot and then press the saute button (at the middle setting).
  • While your Instant Pot is coming to a boil, combine the butter and flour until you create a thick paste.
  • Once the soup is simmering, add the paste to the soup, stirring until the paste has melted.
  • Allow the soup to simmer until it has thickened to your family's liking.
  • Chop the chicken tenders into small, bite sized pieces and stir into the soup.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 509mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 4939IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 1mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Karli Bitner

This blog is a little glimpse into my kitchen, family & life. I hope you’ll giggle the days away with me and enjoy the craziness that goes on at my house. If you are Cookie obsessed like I am, check out my Sister Site, Cookies for Days.

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Recipe Rating




20 Comments

  1. Hi Jen- with the Instant Pot, in order to cook different components at the same time they need to have the same cook time. Both the rice and the frozen chicken call for the same cook time so we are able to cook them at the same time. If we used thawed chicken either the chicken would be over cooked with the rice perfect or the chicken would be perfect and the rice would be crunchy. I hope that makes sense!

  2. 5 stars
    My husband hates it when I make soup, but this soup he LOVES. He will eat the entire pot if I let him 😉

  3. 5 stars
    This soup is SO GOOD!!! Plus, I had everything I needed for it, so I didn’t even have to go to the store…WIN.
    Do you think I could double it in my 8 Qt cooker? My husband and I finished this in 2 days (with a little help from the neighbor) and I was hoping to freeze leftovers LOL

  4. 5 stars
    This was easy and delicious! I didn’t have tenderloins so used thawed chicken breasts and increased the NPR by a few minutes.

  5. Love this recipe except how do you easily remove frozen chicken tenders from the package??? That was quite a hassle and I felt so silly. Am I missing something?

  6. 5 stars
    My whole family enjoys this soup. I cut a pound of chicken into bite size pieces before cooking so that I didn’t have to remove and cut after cooking. I also use a can of fat free evaporated milk in place of the cream. It will be in our weeknight rotation all winter. Thanks Karli!

  7. 5 stars
    Any issue with using Rice a Roni brand instead of Uncle Ben? It has a seasoning packet. Cant seem to find Uncle Ben’s recently