This instant pot chicken and wild rice soup is so darn good! It’s flavorful, comforting and the perfect dish for cooler weather. It is also gluten-free and dairy-free and you’d never know it!
I really think you’ll love this soup. The wild rice adds a nutty, earthy flavor to the soup and great texture too. Chicken and mushrooms make this dish feel nice and hearty. This soup also has tons of flavor: lots of garlic, fresh thyme and sage and spices.
the answer to all of your holiday problems… soup!
This soup is the solution to all your holiday problems. Seriously, let me give you some examples:
- What the heck do I do with all my leftover Thanksgiving turkey? Leave the chicken out of the recipe and stir some cooked turkey in at the end! Problem solved!
- What the heck do I feed my visiting family/guests before/after/during the holiday (think: Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve/Day)? THIS easy no-fuss, one-pot meal! Problem solved!
- How do I keep my family from discussing politics at the dinner table for just one night? TALK about how FANTASTIC this soup is! Chicken and wild rice soup to the rescue! Problem solved!
a very special (gluten-free) roux made with a potato!
You know what really bums me out? When restaurants put flour in soup. I mean, what is up with that? I get the concept of a roux, but you can thicken soup in so many other ways! My recipe for wild rice soup is flour-free. NO GLUTEN ALLOWED IN THIS SOUP.
I use a vegetable to make a “roux!” I make my “roux” by blending a cooked potato with coconut milk (you can definitely use heavy cream or whole milk if you’re not dairy-free). I know what you’re thinking… “Ashley, you are brilliant! Also, I didn’t know you could read minds!”
Yes friends, not only can I read minds – I can also predict the future. My prediction: you will make and love this soup. Come back and tell me if I was right!
Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 ½ pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 (8 ounce) package portabello mushrooms, sliced
- 1–2 tablespoons minced garlic (I use 2 tablespoons but we are garlic lovers!)
- 1 Serrano pepper, minced
Spices
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme plus extra for garnish, to taste
- 2 teaspoon minced fresh sage
- 2 teaspoons salt, adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 cups chicken broth or bone broth
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 1 medium potato (leave whole)
Add later:
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk (or you can use heavy cream/milk)
- 2 tablespoons ghee, butter or sustainable palm shortening, optional
Instructions
- Rinse the wild rice and drain.
- Add all of the ingredients to the pot except for the potato, coconut milk and mix well.
- Place the potato on top of the mixture.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 30 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure.
- Remove the potato and place it into a blender along with the coconut milk. Pour this mixture back into the pot along with the butter and mix well.
- Garnish with fresh thyme if desired and serve.
Notes
I buy cultivated wild rice from Trader Joe’s but I bet this would also be great with hand harvested wild rice if you can get your hands on some (lucky ducks!).
How much wild rice – it is not listed in the ingredients.
Hi Linda 🙂 it is listed underneath the spices but to answer your question, 1 cup of uncooked wild rice. hope that helps!
This was delicious, I just had turkey stock which turned out great. I quartered my mushrooms as I like them chunky. I had a Trader Joes wild rice mix. I did add fresh spinach after it was cooked. Will definitely do again, even picky grandson ate it.
★★★★★
Linda, I’m so happy to hear that you and your grandson liked the dish! Thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
I cannot wait to try this – it sounds amazing!!!! Probably a dumb question but…you peel the potato, right?
Kira, I can’t wait to hear what you think! I actually leave the peel on but you can definitely peel it too!
Finally got to make this last night and I LOVED it!! So delicious! I’m having leftovers for lunch today! 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Kira, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Thank you Ashley, for another delicious gluten-free, dairy-free recipe that doesn’t sacrifice taste. I made this soup for dinner this week. It was amazing- so flavorful and creamy!
April, I’m so happy to hear that you liked it! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
We are trying this tonight! I thinking I’m being obtuse, but just want to confirm… Do you add the chicken raw?
Hi Emily! Sorry for the late reply but yes you add raw chicken 🙂 I hope you loved it!
My family has requested that this be made at least once a month, if not more. We have several picky eaters, but everyone finished their bowls. The leftovers the next day were even better – and did not last long! I didn’t have fresh thyme or sage, but the dry varieties worked fine. I also was out of white potatoes, so I substituted a sweet potato – and I think I’m going to use a sweet potato again in the future. So good! This soup is excellent on chilly nights when you crave something savory and hearty. You will not be disappointed!
★★★★★
Hannah, I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out for you and your family! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this, but I have one question – can I use a sweet potato instead of a regular potato? Thanks!
Hi Angie! I’m sure that using a sweet potato instead of a white potato will work just fine and taste great too! Let me know how it turns out for you 🙂
This soup was amazing! I left out the white potato, and just added a little more coconut milk. I also threw in some vital proteins collagen bone broth. It was delicious, and so easy to make. I will definitely be making this more often.
★★★★★
Konika, I’m so happy to hear that you liked it! Great to know that it works well without the potato! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
This is delicious!!! Such a hearty, healthy soup! I made a few adjustments: I had 4 bone in chicken thighs. I cooked them first – with some carrots,celery and onion. Then I had broth for th soup. I took the meat off the bones and cut it into bite sized pieces. I didn’t weigh it – just put all the meat in the pot with the rest of the ingredients. Rather than coconut milk, I used a combination of almond milk and soy creamer for the milk requirements. I had two red skinned potatoes ( each a little smaller than my fist). When the soup was done I put them (skin and all) in my Vitamix along with the milk ( I used a little more milk than in the recipe). then put that mixture back in the pot! My husband love it. We had it for dinner last night and I put four more containers in the freezer for meals in the future! This recipe is a real winner!
Susan, I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband liked the soup so much! And thanks for sharing your adjustments – those will be helpful to other readers, I’m sure!
Hi there! This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. About how many servings does it make? If I need to double the recipe, what would the cooking time need to be changed to? Thank you!
Thanks Sou! This recipe makes about 6-7 cups worth – if you double the recipe, keep the cook time the same. When you double a recipe, the pressure cooker takes longer to reach pressure but the settings for this recipe will remain the same. Let me know what you think of it!!
Made this last night. It is delicious. My husband really liked it as well. And I am really liking using the instant pot. So please keep the instant pot recipes coming. Thanks Ashley!
★★★★★
Ginger, that’s great to hear! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
No pressure cooker…want to make this! Help 👍
I haven’t converted to the instant pot yet. How do you convert this to a pot on the stove or crockpot?
Hi Laura, wild rice takes about an hour to cook on the stovetop so you can certainly make this – it’ll just take a bit longer. You may also need to add more liquid as that boils off when simmering on the stovetop so I’d just keep an eye on it and add liquid as needed. Hope that helps!
How many servings?
Made this for the first time tonight and we LOVED it! Delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Phyllis, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Can I ask what kind of wild rice you used? or if there is a brand you recommend? I’m always nervous that different brands cook differently. Thank you!
Hi Haley! I buy the cultivated wild rice from Trader Joes (here’s a link: https://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/3230). Whole Foods sells it too! I buy the all black wild rice (not mixed). Hope that helps 🙂
Also, (sorry!) can I leave the mushrooms out without it affecting anything (the thickness?) too much? Would I need to add anything else to it as a substitute?
You can leave the mushrooms out 🙂
Can this be made without a pressure cooker? I don’t have one
Hi Tammy, yes you can make this on the stovetop. Wild rice takes about an hour to cook on the stovetop. You may also need to add more liquid as that boils off when simmering on the stovetop so I’d just keep an eye on it and add liquid as needed. Hope that helps!
I am making this as part of our Christmas lunch meal. I don’t see how many servings it makes, but I have a bad feeling i’ll need to run to the store and pick up some more wild rice so that I can triple this recipe (We’re having 18 people). Its smells amazing as it cooks on the stove top. Packed with flavor. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Katie, I hope everyone loved it! This makes quite a bit of soup, but for 18 people – yes – you may want to at least double it. Tripling it would be safe… let me know what you ended up doing!
Can you substitute the potato for the cauliflower? Trying to make this Keto friendly!
I haven’t tried it that way but if you do, please let me know!
I made this with leftover ham in place of the chicken and it was absolutely amazing! So much flavor. Picky husband and toddler approved. 😊
Abby, that is awesome! I actually have a ham and wild rice soup recipe if you’ve still got your ham bone and are looking to make another batch 🙂
Amazing! I made this tonight for my family-husband and two tween girls-and they LOVED it. I did too! My oldest even said she liked it so much she was going to do all the dishes herself as a thank you for such a great meal. Thank you!
Jenn, I’m so happy to hear that you and your family loved the recipe!! Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out for you all 🙂
This is the most amazing soup I’ve ever had. Highly recommend.
Sara, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
This is getting up to pressure in my IP at the moment! I can’t wait to try it.
One thing I’ve been noticing is that you have ad boxes on your printable recipes now and they sometimes cover the recipe (I’m using Chrome on Windows). For example, the coconut milk and butter are both covered up on my print out with a longer ad box! I knew from originally needing the recipe online that I needed coconut milk but the amount wasn’t there. I tried it again tonight to see if it was a fluke and this time a rectangle one appeared on the second page. Gratefully it isn’t covering ingredients or directions this time!
Thank you so much for letting me know! Emailing my ad company about this right now! Let me know how the dish turns out 🙂
Probably a silly question, but the chicken gets thrown in raw, correct? (I’m new to this whole instant pot thing.) Thanks!
No questions are silly! Yes, add the chicken raw 🙂 Let me know how it turns out for you!
Hi my family ( wife, 5 y.o. and 2 y.o.) and I love this soup. I just leave out the red pepper and serrano and just add it to my own so, the kids don’t think it’s spicy. And we normally double it so, we do half rice and half quinoa.
Justin, I’m so happy to hear that your whole family likes this soup! I like the half rice and half quinoa idea – I will have to try that some time 🙂
We made this tonight, and I think it’s absolutely wonderful. It reminds me conceptually of many brand-name canned soups with chicken and wild rice, except many times better! Your prediction is so right. 🙂 Another recipe of yours that makes me proud of the food we cooked!
★★★★★
Thanks Matt! I’m so glad you made it and liked it 🙂 Thank you for letting me know how it turned out!
This recipe is AMAZING! There’s a ton of flavor and the potato blended with the coconut milk makes for a great, creamy base. I’ve just started getting into cooking and I feel like this is the first website of recipes that actually taste restaurant quality without being unhealthy. My boyfriend’s been so happy with my cooking progress and LOVED this recipe in particular!
★★★★★
Kate, that’s so great to hear! And thank you for the compliment! I do try to keep things relatively healthy – or at least healthier 🙂 So glad your boyfriend is enjoying your cooking too! Let me know what you guys think of any other recipes you try from my blog 🙂
Awesome recipe for lactose intolerant. Subbed dry herbs for fresh and used veggie broth, also hen of the woods mushrooms for portabellas. I’ll omit crushed red pepper next time because kids don’t prefer spicy. Just a fantastic recipe. Thank you!
★★★★★
AMAZING! I recently had to give up dairy and soy as my newborn has allergies and this was such a great meal that I could actually eat! Yum! I am even more excited for leftovers 🙂
★★★★★
Ash, I’m so glad you liked this soup! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you! All of my recipes are soy-free and I have a ton of dairy-free options so hopefully you’ll find more recipes here that you like 🙂
My husband had 2 wild geese for me to cook so I looked for a chicken recipe because that made sense. I found this recipe and couldn’t wait to try it. I’ve never cooked or eaten goose. I cooked the breast ahead of time and it is exactly like roast beef. No joke. But it was the last ingredient for me to chop so I was committed. So, imagine your soup with big chunks of roast beef! Still good, but kinda weird! But the flavors! Oh, so good! I thought creamy wild rice soup was just gone for ever being a dairy free home. This was amazing! But I will for sure use chicken or turkey next time!
★★★★★
Oh wow, that sounds really interesting! I’ve never eaten geese before. I’m so glad you liked it!
The mushroom+wild rice combo sounds really divine! Any suggestions on how to adapt this for a vegetarian audience? Do I have to reduce the cooking time if I leave out the chicken?
You can leave out the chicken – keep the cook time the same though – that’s how long it’ll take for the wild rice 🙂 Hope you love it!
So good!
★★★★★
so happy to hear that!
I dont have an instant pot. Any ideas on how to make this in a slow cooker?
Just found out I am allergic to dairy and I have been gluten free for a while. This was just what I was looking for. Hearty and creamy. Any other soup recipes I should try? Thank you!
★★★★★
TJ, I’m so glad you liked it! I have a ton of soup recipes you should try – check out my recipe index, you can search by diet! Here are all of my gluten free soups: https://myheartbeets.com/recipe-index/#dairy-free/soup
This soup IS AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! Flavourful, hearty, and pure comfort food without the guilt! I doubled the recipe and will be freezing half of it. I made a few minor modifications: I took a handful of thyme and tied it up and put it into the soup (I’m terrible at picking off those leaves), instead of the potato, i used a head of cauliflower (without the leaves of course), and it was perfect. Had the creaminess, and no taste of cauliflower. 🙂 I have LOVED every recipe that I’ve tried here (butter chicken, beef stroganoff, chicken bhuna masala). Can’t wait to try more!!! The flavour for everything is ON POINT! Thank you!
★★★★★
Ann, I’m so happy to hear that!! Love that you used cauliflower instead of potato – I will have to try it that way the next time I make this! Thanks for sharing 🙂 And I’m so glad you’ve liked the other recipes of mine that you’ve tried!!
hi…this soup looks amazing. I have a question. Is this recipe Keto friendly. I dont a lot about keto diet and have just started cooking for my daughter. The recipe has wild rice and potato, which she doesnt eat in her diet. Please advice..
PS: ive never tried wild rice
Hi – nope this is not keto friendly… if you check my recipe index, you can see what recipes of mine are low carb/keto 🙂
How many servings does this recipe make?
I’d say 5 servings.
Love this recipe and have made it several times. Thank you!
★★★★★
Anna, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Is it possible to make this without an instapot? My daughter raves about this soup but I don’t have one.
Yes, definitely! It will just take longer on the stovetop that’s all 🙂
This is full of flavor, easy, healthy, and delicious! Thank you so so much for sharing this. I didn’t use butter because I forgot to buy it at the store – and I do not think it made a difference.
★★★★★
Robin, I’m so happy to hear that you liked it so much! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This is so delicious! Do you think it would freeze well?
★★★★★
Thanks Mary! I think it’d be fine to freeze 🙂
Hi Ashley,
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I am a newbie with the instant pot. This was my virgin attempt in using it for the first time. I followed the recipe except I misread the bag of tri-color quinoa and used it instead of wild rice, both from Trader Joe’s. It turned out fine though. I used cauliflower and milk to thicken the soup from a tip from one of your reviewers. My family really liked it. I want to try more of your instant pot recipes. Thanks a million!
Chris, I’m so happy to hear that you liked this recipe so much! And that’s great to know that quinoa works well with this 🙂 Can’t wait to hear what you think of my other recipes!
We love this soup and have made it several times using both regular and sweet potatoes (I prefer sweet). One crazy question – We’re entertaining 8 people – one of them is vegan and I was hoping to be inclusive without having to cook a separate meal. How do you think it would turn out without the chicken? It would suddenly be vegan if we used veggie broth. Do you think it would still be almost as delish? I could increase mushrooms or add tofu or something – what do you think?
Lindsay, I’m so happy to hear that you like this soup! I’ll have to try it with sweet potatoes some time! I think it’d still be great even without chicken! And yes, consider adding more mushrooms or tofu! If you add tofu, maybe stir-fry it first then add it right before serving!
This was amazing! Thank you for sharing! I used the cauliflower that others recommended and subbed Coconut cream for a perfect thickener! Plenty for a few fridge meals and lots to freeze!
★★★★★
Marla, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how the soup turned out for you 🙂
Cannot wait to try this! What size insta pot do you need? Thanks!
Hope you love it! I have and use a 6 quart for all of my recipes but I’m sure an 8 qt would be fine too!
I bought all the ingredients tonight so I may wake up to put my crockpot together and, lo and behold, you call for an Insta Pot! Am I correct in thinking I can follow the recipe but need to bake my potato beforehand? Very excited to try this 🙂
Erika, you can definitely use a crockpot! And yes just blend the cooked potato with coconut milk and mix it in at the end 🙂
This recipe quickly became our new family favorite. Having had given up dairy 3 years ago, I was missing a soup with a rich creamy consistency. This is comfort food!
★★★★★
Gaylene, that’s so great to hear! I’m so happy you liked the soup 🙂
This soup is AMAZING! Thank you so much for such an incredible, comforting, delicious recipe! Blending a potato in at the end is genius! This is going to become a staple. 🙂 I already can’t wait to eat it again tomorrow.
★★★★★
Marie, so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how the chicken wild rice soup turned out for you!! 🙂
Not sure if you will get this since it’s Thanksgiving Day. Making this soup for our meal. I scrolled through the recipe and comments, but didn’t find this details.
How much (~servings) soup does this make?
Hi there, we have a potato allergy in the family. What would you suggest as an alternative?
Hmm, well it won’t taste quite the same but maybe cauliflower or parsnip and then adjust spices at the end if needed? Please let me know how that goes if you try.
Do you have to use fresh thyme and sage? Or, can you use dried?
Lisa, you can use dried 🙂
This soup is incredible! The flavors were so dynamic, and all ages from 5 to 65 could not get enough of it. I used dried spices and cut the measurements in half. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Kiana, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for letting me know how much everyone enjoyed it 🙂
I just made this and it is delicious. I could not find plain wild rice at the store, so I bought a harvest rice mix which includes wild, white, and brown rice. I followed the rest of the recipe but it did not come out as a soup. I think the rice absorbed too much water. I did not end up doing the coconut milk and potato thing because it is already rich and creamy. Next time I make it, I will add more water, decrease the cooking time, and add more mushrooms because mushrooms are my favorite! It is so flavorful though. I am leaving it as is and will add broth if I want it to be a soup. Even though it was not as I thought it would be, it is delicious.
★★★★★
Julia, good to know it still turned out fine, thank you for sharing 🙂
I omitted the mushrooms and pepper and added peas and corn instead. It was a big hit with my kids and husband! Thank you! So great to have a creamy soup that’s gluten free!
★★★★★
Ali, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you and your family enjoyed this soup 🙂
Delicious! Finally made it this week (with chicken breast), and we’ve been enjoying it for lunch last few days. Thanks you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Hi Katya! I’m so happy to hear that you made and liked this! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
If I use chicken breasts instead of thighs, should I shorten the cook time in the instant pot?