Slow Cooker Chicken & Wild Rice Soup is a comforting classic! Chicken thighs and wild rice are cooked low and slow with vegetables, herbs and chicken bone broth until perfectly decadent. Grab a bowl and ladle yourself some Chicken & Wild Rice Soup straight from the slow cooker!

This post and recipe is sponsored by Smart Chicken. All words and photographs are my own. Thank you so much for supporting the brands that make KJ & Company possible!

What Sets Smart Chicken Apart

Ok, listen up, if you’re purchasing chicken, it needs to be Smart Chicken! And that’s something that I don’t even have to be paid to say! My family and I have been using and cooking with Smart Chicken for YEARS. Literally: it’s all my Grandma and Mom will use, and now me! We can even go as far as saying that we have family friends who were farmers for Smart Chicken. I can remember watching my Mom in the kitchen unwrap the chicken with the classic blue packaging growing up, or my Grandma sharing with all of us when she found a grocery store when it went on sale. To say it’s a family favorite is an understatement.

So, what does set Smart Chicken apart? Let me tell you!

Air Chilled:

Did you know that all other chicken companies submerge the chicken in water bath solution to chill the meat? And that the meat absorbs 8-12% of that liquid? No thank you! Smart Chicken goes above and beyond to pay extra attention to detail by using a 100% Air-Chilled Process. That means the end result is a pure product that has exceptional taste, texture and quality without any yucky stuff added. You can read more about their process here!

No Antibiotics:

Want to know what else is great? NO antibiotics are ever added! Here’s what they have to say about the matter:

“Smart Chicken® has never changed its position on antibiotics; the company does not administer antibiotics to chickens that become Smart Chicken and never has. Antibiotics are simply not part of our equation for producing wholesome, high-quality chicken and, in line with that philosophy, all Smart Chicken products are USDA Process Verified no antibiotics ever.”

How great is that?! They have a wealth of knowledge if you want to read more about their commitments to creating the highest-quality products that they can.

All in all, Smart Chicken is the only way to go!

What Kind of Chicken to Use

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the perfect option for this recipe because they stay nice and tender all while being loaded full of flavor.

Naturally more flavorful than white chicken meat because of the higher fat content, the chicken thighs give the sauce an extra depth of flavor that you can’t miss.

Cooked together in the slow cooker with diced onion, carrot, celery, warm herbs and bone broth, the chicken becomes fall-apart tender. Which is perfect! Use a couple forks to shred the chicken into the soup and you are set to go.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders are also a great option because they cook quickly, shred easily and are classically delicious!

Either option you choose (light or dark meat), it is a scrumptious outcome!

Chicken Bone Broth vs. Chicken Stock

You may be asking yourself, what’s the difference between chicken bone broth and stock and why does it matter? Well, let’s dive into it!

First off, the main difference between the two is the cooking time. Often, chicken stock is simmered for a few hours, whereas bone broth is simmered for many hours. Talk about dedication when making bone broth!

Then comes the nutritional qualities. They are both essentially made with the same ingredients, but since bone broth is cooked so much longer, it has a much more dense, nutritional-packed outcome. Which makes it perfect for sipping on it’s own or using in recipes!

Next is the color difference. Due to the cook time differences, chicken stock is going to be a lighter color than the chicken bone broth.

Finally, let’s see what Smart Chicken has to say about their Organic Classic Chicken Bone Broth:

“It’s hard not to smile after a taste of Smart Chicken Classic Bone Broth. Expect a robust chicken flavor wrapped in a dark, herbal aroma. This broth is richer than traditional chicken broth, but it still gives you the same cozy familiar feeling.

Get all that flavor in one convenient package—just pour, heat, and enjoy, or use in your favorite recipes as a replacement for water or stock.

The best tasting broth starts with the best ingredients. Here at Smart Chicken, we are committed to quality at every step. From our humane farming practices to our state-of-the-art facility where we pioneered air-chilling in the USA, a focus on quality has been our priority from the very beginning”

There’s nothing more comforting than a slow cooker on your countertop full of Chicken & Wild Rice Soup. The heartwarming aromas fill your house and make you anxious for dinnertime to arrive. With cooler temperatures and family gatherings, I can’t think of a better way to get a comforting bowl of soup on the table!

Looking for other recipes to use Smart Chicken? Check these out!