Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken (Printable Version)

Hearty slow cooker soup with tender chicken, mushrooms, wild rice, and a rich creamy broth.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 cups sliced cremini or button mushrooms
03 - 1 cup diced carrots
04 - 1 cup diced celery
05 - 1 medium onion, diced
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Grains

07 - 3/4 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed

→ Liquid & Dairy

08 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
09 - 1 cup heavy cream
10 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter

→ Seasonings

11 - 1 tsp dried thyme
12 - 1 tsp dried rosemary
13 - 1 bay leaf
14 - 1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
15 - 3/4 tsp black pepper

→ Thickener

16 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour

# How To Make It:

01 - Add the chicken, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, wild rice, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper to the slow cooker.
02 - Pour in the chicken broth and stir everything together to combine evenly.
03 - Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and the wild rice is tender.
04 - Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred using two forks, then return the shredded meat to the slow cooker.
05 - Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to form a roux and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
06 - Slowly whisk the heavy cream into the roux and heat until the mixture thickens, then stir it into the slow cooker.
07 - Stir well, re-cover, and cook on LOW for an additional 20 to 30 minutes until the soup is creamy and heated through.
08 - Remove and discard the bay leaf, taste the soup, and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The slow cooker does nearly all the heavy lifting while your kitchen fills with the kind of smell that makes people linger near the stove
  • Wild rice gives it an earthy chew that elevates way beyond ordinary chicken soup
02 -
  • Wild rice takes longer to cook than you might expect so resist the urge to check too early or you will second-guess yourself
  • The roux step feels fussy but skipping it leaves you with a soup that tastes good but never quite achieves that rich, spoon-coating body
03 -
  • If your wild rice is still crunchy after the full cook time, just keep going because different brands vary wildly in how long they need
  • Cornstarch slurry works as a gluten-free thickener but add it at the very end and do not boil afterward or the texture turns odd

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