This is the best chicken soup! Homemade Chicken and Rice Soup is a simple to make comfort food staple that’s perfect for a cool day. A hot pot of Chicken soup with rice packed with fresh vegetables and savory herbs can be ready in less than an hour.
Chicken and Rice soup is one of my favorites when I’m feeling a bit under the weather, and I make it whenever one of my kids has a cold too. There’s something so comforting about a bowl of hot chicken soup, and the addition of rice makes it filling and nutritious too.
Similarly, I really enjoy all types of chicken soup in the winter months. Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo and Instant Pot Chicken Noodle are excellent comfort food soup options too. Want something different? Check out all of my Soups here.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Classic Comfort Food. Familiar flavors, textures, and ingredients make this a soup that everyone enjoys. Your house will smell so good while this is simmering too.
- One Pot Meal. Every part of this recipe cooks in just one soup pot! No need to do lots of dishes, especially if you’re making this soup because you’re sick.
- Cooks Quickly. Chicken Rice Soup doesn’t need to take long to taste amazing! This one is ready in 45 minutes, tops.
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Olive Oil and Butter: Yes, we’re using both! This combination will help us sautee our vegetables and add silky flavor and texture to the soup.
- Onion, Carrot, Celery, and Garlic: The four key vegetable ingredients to any good soup. Not only are they delicious, but they will make your whole house smell amazing.
- Flour: This is used as a thickener to give the soup a light, silky, creamy texture.
- Stock or Broth: Canned, boxed, or homemade chicken stock can be used to make this simple soup. Use whatever is easy and available.
- Chicken: I like to use chicken breasts because they are really simple to cook. Thighs or other chicken cuts can be used as well.
- Herbs and Seasonings: Bay leaf, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper give this chicken and rice soup tons of savory, comforting flavor. Fresh parsley is a beautiful garnish.
- Rice: Long grain white rice adds bulk and delicious carbohydrates to this filling chicken soup.
How to Make Chicken with Rice Soup
- Saute Vegetables: Heat oil and butter over medium high heat, and cook the onion, carrot and celery until they are slightly softened. Then add the garlic and cook briefly, just for about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Simmer Chicken: Pour in Chicken Stock, bay leaf, dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken breasts, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cook Rice: Add the rice and continue to cook, uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the rice is done. Stir regularly to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Shred Chicken: Remove the soup from the heat, remove the bay leaf, and take the chicken out. Check to be sure it reaches a temperature of 165°F/74°C, then shred it and return it to the pot.
- Finish Soup: Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings as needed. Optionally, stir in fresh parsley and a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to add a fresh flavor.
Recipe Tips
- Take a Shortcut: Using a pre-cooked grocery store rotisserie chicken will save you time and energy.
- For Clear Soup: The flour in this recipe thickens the soup and gives it a slightly creamy texture. If you prefer a clear broth, just leave it out.
- Lemon Juice: For an extra kick and a bright flavor, add a tablespoon of lemon juice at the end of cooking.
Tip!
Use thighs instead of breasts to give this soup an extra rich flavor. Chop them or shred them after cooking.
What to Serve with Chicken and Rice Soup
Soup and Salad: Such a classic combo to enjoy for lunch or dinner. Try a Kale Salad or a delicious Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad. Don’t forget to make some Homemade Croutons or this delicious Garlic Bread.
As a Full Meal: To turn the soup into a meal, I like to serve it with sandwiches. Make Cuban Sandwiches, or Tuna Melts. Kids will love it if you serve soup with Oven Baked Chicken Tenders on the side.
Variations
Use other grains. Barley, farro, quinoa, or even small pasta can be used in this soup instead of rice.
Use Leftover Chicken. Leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or even leftover holiday turkey can be used to create this soup. Simply skip the step that has you simmer the chicken, and add your meat in with the rice to warm it through.
Adjust the Seasonings. You probably already know what you like to put in a soup when it comes to herbs and spices. Add your own spin by trying something different. Dill, basil, or homemade Italian Seasoning could work.
FAQs
For chicken soup with perfectly tender rice, it’s best to eat this soup shortly after cooking it. If the rice sits in the soup for too long, it will soak up the broth and become mushy. If you think you’ll have leftovers, I suggest cooking the rice separately and adding it into each bowl as you serve.
Brothy soups are often one of the first things I want to eat if I haven’t been feeling well. Rice is a key part of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), and is shown to have a positive effect on digestive upset.
Any long grain white rice will be perfect in this soup. I prefer a plain rice rather than basmati or jasmine, as I think that the soup flavor can overpower them. Those kinds of rice have their own flavor which is better enjoyed in other recipes.
Brown rice can also be used, I suggest cooking brown rice or other grains for soup separately and adding them in at the end, as each has its own cooking time.
If you enjoy soup with rice in it, this Stuffed Pepper Soup might be your next favorite!
If you freeze a soup with rice in it, the rice will definitely turn to mush by the time you thaw it to eat again. For freezing, I recommend making the soup up to the point when you add the rice and then freezing. Finish cooking by bringing the soup to a boil, adding the raw rice, and cooking according to the recipe directions.
Enjoy this comfort food perfection! Chicken and Rice Soup is so perfect for warming you up on a cold day.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Chicken and Rice Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ medium yellow onion diced
- ½ cup carrot peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour use gluten free AP flour to make it GF
- 6 cups chicken stock/broth
- 1 pound chicken breasts skinless and boneless
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup long-grain rice uncooked
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley optional
Instructions
- In a dutch oven, over medium high heat. Heat olive oil and melt the butter.
- Add onion, carrot and celery, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add flour, stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour chicken stock, add the chicken breasts, bay leaf, dried herbs, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes.
- Add the rice and cook uncovered while stirring regularly for 15 minutes (you don’t want the rice to stick to the bottom of the pot).
- Remove from heat, discard bay leaf, take the chicken out (and make sure it reaches 165°F/74°C) and shred it then return it.
- Taste the soup and adjust seasonings to your preference. If using fresh parsley, stir it in. For freshness, you can stir in 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.
Notes:
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Savannah says
Excellent recipe for a snowy day! I added more garlic because it is both delicious and a great immune boost during the cold months. Hard to go wrong with a Little Sunny Kitchen recipe and this is no exception.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you! I love making soup when it’s cold and snowy too 🙂
Lady Di says
Hi, made this soup today very simple and very good also, I used half and half for the cream and milk.. thank you for sharing 🙏♥️🇨🇦
Billie says
I made it in the instant pot, minus onions and garlic. It was awesome. Plan to make it again soon!