Restaurant-worthy Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with velvety cashew cream for a nourishing, dairy free spin on the classic! Warm spices and plenty of veggies (plus lean chicken breast) make me crave this comforting soup all season long. Gluten free and freezer friendly.
My mumsy was in town while I was testing this gorg recipe and she deemed it her favorite soup I've ever made. If that isn't the ultimate seal of approval, I don't know what is!
What could be better this time of year than perfectly cooked veggies, tender chicken, and chewy wild rice all cozied up in a creamy base? Nothing, I tell you!
Like my brothy healing chicken and rice soup (brothy!) and creamy lemon chicken orzo soup you all go crazy for, we're layering oodles of flavor for a filling soup that fits the bill for dinner TONIGHT. Did I mention it makes insane lunch leftovers?
The low down on key ingredients
- Raw cashews: My tested and perfected way of achieving that epically creamy texture ideal for this soup without any actual cream. I'm in a serious relationship with cashews...
- Chicken: I developed this recipe with a pound of lean raw chicken breast (the dietitian in me loves that this soup is protein packed!). I tested this recipe with pre-cooked shredded chicken like rotisserie and it worked--just add it after the 35 minute mark. I love the flavor chicken adds when it cooks in the soup, though!
- Wild rice: My cashew cream of mushroom soup with wild rice made me fall hard for the nutty flavor and slightly chewy texture this lends. I tested this with 100% wild rice and a blend, and it works with both! You can double checking the package's cooking instructions, but the cooking time listed in the recipe should work either way.
- Reduced sodium soy sauce: My secret weapon for extra umami and depth of flavor in soup! Don't skip it. It really brings this soup to life.
Let's make it!
Wouldya just look at that pot of creamy soup heaven?!
Storing leftovers
Keep leftover soup in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bonus points if you transfer it to a glass Tupperware versus keeping it in the soup pot forever like me, LOL.
You can freeze the cooled soup in a gallon freezer baggie and store it frozen for up to 3 months.
I hope you're as obsessed with this delish soup recipe as I am!
I'd be super grateful if you'd take a moment to leave a quick star rating and review below. Comments mean the world to me and your honest feedback helps me to continue to share recipes you'll crave!
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Cozy Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (no cream!)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soups
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Restaurant-worthy Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with velvety cashew cream for a nourishing, dairy free spin on the classic! Cozy spices and plenty of veggies make me crave this comforting soup all season long. Gluten free and freezer friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 tbsp butter or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 medium carrots, diced small
- 4 ribs celery, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt + lots of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried sage
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I use Better Than Bouillon)
- ¾ cup wild rice blend
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
Instructions
- Place cashews in a small bowl. Cover with very hot water.
- Warm oil or butter in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, salt (you can always start with less and add more at the end to taste) and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add thyme, sage, broth, and rice. Bring to boil over high heat then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 35 minutes.
- Add raw chicken, making sure its submerged. Continue cooking, covered, for another 20 minutes.
- Turn off heat. Remove cooked chicken from pot and place in a shallow bowl to cool before shredding.
- Meanwhile, drain cashews and place in a high-speed blender or Nutribullet with 1 ½ cups water. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour cream into soup along with soy sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve piping hot!
Lin says
Mine was not as pretty as yours as I made it with Black Rice so the chicken and broth was purple! It was so delicious and I will be making it again soon! This was the creamiest cashew cream I have ever had and made the soup so rich. Its a great recipe for my anti-inflammatory diet. I used fresh thyme along with some dried since I did not use any salt. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Yummm that sounds soo good, thank you Lin!
Lindsey H says
So flavorful and rich in the best way even without the dairy. A soup season staple in our house!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
I’m so so glad this was a winner for fam, thanks a ton Lindsey!
Mackenzie says
So delicious! I made it exactly as suggested. The entire family enjoyed this one and makes great leftovers as well.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Love that Mackenzie, I'm glad it was a hit with the whole fam!
Debra Opalach says
Best soup for a chilly day or night.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Yayy that makes my day, thanks Debby!
Allison says
Been obsessed with making a huge batch of soup on Sundays to feed my partner and I for days! This one really hit the spot and felt so decadent but nourishing.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Amen--decadent and nourishing is the dynamic duo! I'm thrilled you loved this one, Allion!
Nova Gallicchio says
This was delicious and so easy! I decided to just use regular cream instead of the cashew cream because I had some and it saved me a step. I will definitely make this again, and probably double the recipe next time so we have more for leftovers.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Heck yes, love this so much Nova! Did you use half and half or heavy cream? This will be helpful for other readers!