Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Photo by Cathy Behrens

“I have never tasted a creamy wild rice soup in any restaurant that is as good as my Mom’s chicken wild rice soup,” Megan Behrens said of the recipe her mother, Cathy, adapted from a Betty Crocker cookbook three or four years ago. “It’s my favorite soup recipe,” Cathy added. “It’s so easy and so good! I make it quite often.” CJK

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken 

and Wild Rice Soup

(Cathy Behrens)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Photo by Cathy Behrens

1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans condensed cream of celery soup

2 cups fresh carrots, sliced

1 cup half-and half

Additional half-and-half or milk, optional

Spray stoneware crock of a 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with no-stick spray. Place chicken pieces in crock.

In a large bowl, whisk garlic powder into chicken broth. Stir in wild rice, onion, soup and carrots. Pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on “low” for 7 to 8 hours. Close to serving time, stir in half-and-half; increase setting to “high” and cook, covered, about 15 to 20 minutes.

If the soup is too thick or to cool it for eating, slowly add more half-and-half or milk and gently stir to desired consistency or temperature.

Yield: 8 servings

A note from Cathy: At times, I’ve used chicken bouillon mixed with warm water in place of the chicken broth. I always use chicken breasts when I make the recipe.

It’s easy to reduce the ingredients for this soup to make two to four servings. If you do, use a smaller slow cooker and cook on “high” for four hours.

A note from Carol: Wild rice soup is one of my all-time favorites! Cathy’s recipe in the “Fruit of the Spirit” cookbook published by St. Donatus Parish in Brooten, caught my attention right away. It looks so delicious and, after talking with Cathy and Megan, I’m convinced it’s also a cinch to prepare. I plan to make it for supper tomorrow night — I can hardly wait to taste it!

When Cathy learned that I wanted to feature her recipe on FFF, she was a “sweetheart” and not only cooked a batch of her special soup but also took the pictures of the ingredients and the enticing finished product! 

Members of St. Donatus Parish in Brooten, Cathy and Megan (23) are both graphic designers who freelance from their home. They specialize in graphic and website design, illustration and photography. They also have an online business together called Foto Odyssey Design where they design high-end digital templates for professional photographers. Products in their design lines include albums, boutique cards, image boxes, wall riders and many other items. Custom branding for businesses and individuals is another service they provide.

In the next year or so the mother/daughter team hopes to begin taking trips to other countries, serving the poor and needy through mission work. They might help dig wells in third-world countries, assist in building schools or work in orphanages. As they travel they will also glean cultural designs and inspiration for their business and translate their experiences into new design lines with authentic ethnic flavor. Ten percent of the profits from each line will go back to the particular mission where they volunteered.

Keep your eye on Cathy and Megan — they are women of faith who love life, care deeply for others and are out to “pay it forward” with their God-given talents. 

To order the “Fruit of the Spirit” cookbook, contact the St. Donatus Parish office at stdonatus@tds.net or 320-346-2431. They are on sale for $20 each or two for $30. (Shipping and handling is $5 for one book or $7 for two.)