A bowl of creamy soup is so comforting on a chilly day. This dairy and gluten free chicken wild rice soup is free of the top 8 allergens but as delicious as any cream-based soup. The best part is it’s made in a slow cooker making it a true “fix and forget” meal perfect for dinner on a busy evening.
Chicken wild rice soup is a cream-based soup so it usually has dairy milk and wheat flour to thicken it. It might seem impossible to have a creamy soup that is dairy-free and gluten/wheat free but I’m here to tell you, it’s not!
Allergy friendly ingredients
To make this soup like traditional chicken wild rice soup, we need to use a couple of allergy friendly substitutions.
Broth
If you have a wheat allergy or gluten intolerance, be sure to choose a chicken broth that is gluten/wheat free. Here are a few options:
Bouillon granules - I use this most often because it takes less room in my pantry and I can mix up as much as I need. Orrington Farms makes a variety of bouillon granule options - all of them are gluten free.
Chicken stock in a carton - Using stock is more convenient (no mixing like the granules). Kitchen Basics and Swanson are two brands that are allergy-friendly and gluten free.
Homemade chicken stock - this is obviously the most time consuming but also the most delicious! Check out this article to learn how to make it.
Dairy free margarine
To make the soup creamy, I make a thick, (dairy free) cream sauce and stir it into the soup. Some kind of fat is needed to make this sauce. I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread. If you don’t have Earth Balance, you could use extra virgin olive oil or another type of cooking oil.
Gluten free flour
I use gluten free flour to thicken the cream sauce. You can use any all-purpose gluten free flour that you have on hand. Even plain rice flour would work.
Dairy free milk
You can use any kind of dairy free milk for the sauce. I have used oat, rice, and soy milks in this recipe and all work great. Just be sure to choose the plain, unsweetened variety.
Recipe tips
Cooking this in a slow cooker is the best way to go because it is easy and fuss free! When you get home after a long day, all you have to do is shred the chicken, add the wild rice, and make the cream sauce to add to the soup!
If you didn’t get the soup in the slow cooker early enough to be done in time for dinner, you can use your pressure cooker (see directions below).
For the wild rice, you can add ½ cup of uncooked wild rice to the slow cooker along with an additional 2 cups of broth or water.
When I make the soup in the pressure cooker, I always add cooked rice at the end. I haven’t tried adding uncooked rice to the pressure cooker for this recipe.
A super convenient option for the rice are steamer pouches! I recently came across these at Target and most often use one of them for this recipe because they’re so convenient, easy to find, and relatively inexpensive.
This is one of my favorite soups to make if I know I won't have much time to cook dinner when I get home at after work. It takes about 15 minutes to shred the chicken and make the sauce to add to the soup so it's super fast!
And, if you don't have time to make the sauce, it is still good without it! It is just missing that creamy texture.
I hope you enjoy this chicken wild rice soup as much as we do! It's a dish you can serve to anyone, food allergies, or no food allergies!
More soup and stew recipes
📖 Recipe
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Dairy and Gluten Free)
Equipment
- Slow cooker or pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup onions diced
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1-½ cups carrots chopped
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons sodium-free seasoning Such as Mrs. Dash or Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1-½ cups cooked wild rice see notes in post
- ¼ cup dairy free margarine
- ¼ cup all-purpose gluten free flour
- 1 cup dairy free milk substitute
Instructions
Directions for the slow cooker
- Place the chicken, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, and seasoning in a slow cooker. Add the chicken broth. Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker and place on the cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken into smaller pieces and return to the slow cooker. Next, add the cooked wild rice and stir to combine.
- In a small saucepan, melt the margarine over medium heat. When melted, sprinkle the flour over the margarine and whisk to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then whisk in the dairy free milk until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the mixture to the slow cooker and stir to incorporate into the soup. Serve immediately.
Directions for a Pressure Cooker:
- Add 1 cup of water to the pot and place the chicken breasts on the trivet. Cook under high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow steam to release naturally. When done, remove from the pot and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Using the saute setting, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook until the carrots are tender and the onion translucent. Add the bay leaves, seasoning, broth, and wild rice to the pot. Cook using the soup setting for 10 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally.
- While waiting for the pressure to release, melt the margarine over medium heat in a small saucepan. When melted, sprinkle the flour over the margarine and whisk until smooth. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then whisk in the dairy free milk until it is smooth and thick. Stir the mixture into the soup until incorporated. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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Leslie says
The is is one of our favorites! Love that it is a creamy soup without dairy!
Kristi says
So glad to hear it, Leslie!