This easy chicken and rice soup is comfort food at its best. It's a nourishing soup with simple ingredients that comes together quickly. Forget the canned stuff, if you have a little time on your hands make your own comforting chicken rice soup.
Sure, we take a short cut using pre-packaged chicken broth, but the fresh vegetables, chicken breast and rice ensure that this soup tastes like it was made from scratch, yet it’s easy and doesn’t take long.
This soup is great for using leftover rice. It also stretches a pound of chicken, making a wholesome soup with easy to find, affordable ingredients.
If you're a fan of homemade chicken soups try this chicken egg noodle soup, a from scratch Cuban-style chicken soup recipe that includes a homemade flavorful broth. And if you prefer creamy chicken soup, try this chicken and wild rice soup that's sensational.
What’s great about this soup
- It makes good use of leftover chicken, and rice but can it can easily be made with fresh rice and poached chicken without too much extra work.
- This delicious soup is a wonderful way to get vegetables in without getting complaints.
- It’s an easy, budget-friendly soup that’s perfect for chilly days and cold nights.
Ingredients
- Chicken – We use boneless, skinless chicken breast in this recipe. You can start with raw chicken breasts and poach them for the soup (see cook’s note) or use rotisserie chicken instead to save on time. Just remove skin and bones and shred or dice it. You can also use cooked, boneless, skinless chicken thighs if preferred.
- Rice – Use cooked, long grain white rice, jasmine rice, or brown rice. Make it fresh if you are not using leftovers. You can make it a day ahead, cool it quickly and refrigerate. Heat it thoroughly before using. If you need a rice recipe, check out this post on how to make white rice for perfect rice every time.
- Vegetables – Yellow onion (or white), carrots, celery, and garlic add flavor and texture.
- Spices – This wholesome soup is seasoned simply with pepper and salt, if needed at the end.
- Oil – We use olive oil to sauté the vegetables. Any oil that is suitable for sauteing can be substituted.
- Chicken broth – Use homemade or your favorite brand. Substitute with reduced sodium broth if you are sensitive to salt and adjust it at the end, if needed.
- Garnish and serving – Garnish the soup with fresh parsley, or your favorite fresh herbs and serve it with lime wedges and a side of hot sauce for a little kick!
Cook’s note
I like using poached chicken to make this soup. It’s simple and takes less than half an hour. Poaching is cooking food in liquid on moderately low heat until cooked through. The liquid used is normally water, broth, or stock and can be flavored with aromatics, herbs, and spices. If you do poach the chicken do not discard the cooking liquid. Strain it and use it for the soup. For easy step-by-step instructions visit this poached chicken recipe.
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Gently cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stir frequently.
- Then, add the garlic and black pepper to the pot and cook for 1 minute, stir almost constantly.
- Next, add the chicken broth while stirring and gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the broth to a boil. Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and simmer the soup for 10 minutes.
- Lastley, add the shredded chicken and cooked rice to the pot. Raise the heat and let it come back to a simmer. Cover the pot, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook the soup for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep it at a simmer. Raise or lower the heat as necessary.
Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference, we did not add extra salt to ours. Wait until the end to add extra salt to the soup because packaged chicken broth contains a good amount already.
Plate the chicken and rice soup, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve with lime wedges and hot sauce if desired. A squeeze of lime juice and a dash of hot sauce give the soup a little zip!
Storing instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To freeze the soup, cool it quickly and place in a freezer safe container. Remember to leave an inch or two to allow for expansion. Freeze for 2-3 months.
Gently, reheat it in a covered saucepan over medium-low to low heat until heated through (at least 165°F), stir occasionally. Or reheat it in the microwave. It may be necessary to add a few tablespoons of broth or water when reheating because the soup may thicken when stored.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
Frequently asked questions
Keep this soup simple by using leftover boneless, skinless chicken and leftover rice. That way you are not starting from scratch. Add fresh vegetables and good chicken broth for a tasty soup.
Absolutely! Substitute brown rice, jasmine, even orzo (rice shaped pasta) will work well. Regardless of the rice you use make sure it is fully cooked before adding it to the soup.
Lime juice and hot sauce will perk up the flavor. Saltine crackers and crusty bread are great for dipping. And if you want to make this a complete meal serve it with a side salad or a grilled cheese sandwich.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 small Onion finely diced
- 2 large Carrots sliced into rounds or half rounds depending on their size (about 1 cup)
- 1 large Celery Rib sliced or diced (about ½ cup)
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 6 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 pound Cooked Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts shredded or diced
- 1-1½ cups Cooked White Rice long grain white rice, jasmine rice, or brown rice will work well
- Salt to taste if needed at the end
- Parsley for garnish
- Lime Wedges for serving optional
- Hot Sauce for serving optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Gently cook the vegetables for 5 minutes until the onions start to soften, stir frequently.
- Add the garlic and black pepper to the pot and cook for 1 minute, stir almost constantly.
- Next, add the chicken broth while stirring and gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the broth to a boil.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and simmer the soup for 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken and cooked rice to the pot. Raise the heat and let it come back to a simmer. Cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook the soup for another 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep it at a simmer. Raise or lower the heat as necessary.
- Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference, we did not add extra to ours.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with lime wedges and hot sauce, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Jean Brownlee
GREAT RECIPE I BAKED IN THE CHICKEN BREASTS IN OVEN WITH OIL,GARLIC POWDER ,SALT PEPPER TILL PINK WAS GONE
I ADDED ROASTED GARLIC , COOKED THE RICE SEPARATELY, ADDED 1/2 C EMULSIFIED DICED CANNED TOMATOES, 1/2 CAN NIBLET CORN,SQUEEZE OF LEMON AT THE END OF COOKING
TURNED OUT GREAT