I love creating cozy soups and stews more than almost any other type of recipe. This simple, old-fashioned chicken and rice soup is a personal favorite of mine, with all that comfort food flavor and down-home goodness I grew up enjoying during cold Minnesota winters. My family loves when I make it now and I appreciate that I don’t need to gather any specialty ingredients and can get a batch cooking quickly from things I typically have on hand.
Recipe Highlights
Comforting and nutritious: I love that this soup provides 29 grams of protein in a modest 1 ½-cup serving. It feels like I’m getting a well-rounded meal that supplies so many of the nutrients I need from whole foods like chicken, veggies, and rice.
Budget friendly: This soup won’t break the meal planning budget since it calls for simple, easy-to-find ingredients and pantry staples like dry seasonings, rice, and broth.
Ready in less than 1 hour: I make this pot on the stovetop where it needs to simmer for just about 35 minutes of cook time. That means that I can be making it casually while I complete other kitchen tasks, like tidying up dishes and making some sides.
Naturally gluten free: For those who love comfort soups like chicken noodle soup, but want a gluten-free option, this soup is a great choice since rice is a naturally gluten free grain. This soup is also naturally dairy-free since it doesn’t call for any butter or cream.
Main Ingredients And Substitutions
This delicious soup recipe is a classic that I love to make every winter, but it’s also good just about any time of the year, especially when someone I love needs comfort from the inside out. Here are my notes about the main ingredients:
- Chicken thighs – I use skinless boneless chicken thighs because they have slightly higher fat than boneless skinless chicken breasts, which makes them more flavorful and less likely to dry out in a soup recipe. Chopped chicken breasts can be used, as can pre-cooked chicken. If using raw chicken breast pieces, I suggest adding them after the soup has come to a near boil in Step 7 and just letting the pieces simmer for about 20 minutes in Step 8. If using pre-cooked shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken, add it at the very end, after the rice is tender. Then heat the soup for just another minute or two, until the chicken is warm.
- Chicken broth – store-bought low-sodium chicken stock is the main soup liquid. But if I have it on hand, I prefer to use homemade bone broth for even more depth of flavor that is so worth it, in my opinion.
- Rice – I prefer long-grain white rice for this soup, but I’ve also made it with basmati rice and jasmine rice. I haven’t tested this recipe with brown rice, but it should work fine, though it will take a little longer for it to cook and get tender.
- Seasonings – I call for dried herbs, including dried parsley, dried thyme, and dried sage. During one of my tests, I was out of those herbs, so I used poultry seasoning in place of the sage and I used herbes de Provence in place of the dried parsley and thyme, which tasted so good
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Bring It Together In One Pot
What I love most about this chicken and rice soup recipe is that everything cooks in one pot, so I don’t need to dirty an additional skillet or bowl. Here are the basic steps:
- Saute the veggies: I start by sauteing the onion, carrots, and celery in hot oil in the Dutch oven until they start to get tender.
- Add the chicken: Then I add the chopped chicken thighs and garlic. I cook those until they’re just starting to brown, but aren’t cooked through at this point.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Next I add the uncooked rice, all of the dry spices, and the chicken broth.
- Let it simmer: I cover the pot and increase the heat so that everything gets hotter. I bring the liquid almost to a boil, but before it’s fully boiling, I reduce the heat to low and keep the soup at a low simmer for about 20 minutes, stopping when the rice is cooked. By avoiding a full boil, I’m able to ensure the rice is tender without the chicken overcooking or getting dry.
- Adjust the liquid: At this point, I add more broth, knowing that the soup will absorb more broth as it cools. But that’s an optional step. For those who prefer a thicker, less brothy soup, skip the additional broth.
- Garnish and serve: When the soup is still hot, I ladle it into bowls and garnish with whatever fresh herbs I have on hand, typically chopped fresh parsley or fresh thyme. If I have a lemon on hand, I add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavors just before serving.
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
Use More Broth For Meal Prep
When I make this soup ahead of time for meal prep lunches, I know that the rice is going to absorb more of the liquid as it cools. So then I go ahead and add 7 cups of broth, instead of 6. That way it’s the perfect consistency when I reheat it later in the week and pack it in to-go thermoses for my high schooler and husband to take to lunch.
Complete The Meal
Personally, I think the perfect complement to this meal is a fresh green salad (I love this arugula salad year round and this pear salad in the fall). And then I always add a loaf of fresh baked bread, like sourdough, garlic bread, or a whole-grain baguette.
Sides like these ensure the meal is filling, comforting, and satisfying, yet still feels light and not too heavy.
More Chicken Soup Recipes To Try
Storing And Reheating Leftovers
This recipe is freezer friendly and one that I often portion into my favorite souper cube silicone trays and stash in my freezer to warm up on a cool day. Then, I simply reheat the soup directly from frozen in a saucepan on the stovetop. I place it over medium-low heat until it’s hot throughout, adding more broth as necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
I think the most common mistake is probably overcooking the soup. And that can result in chicken that is too dry and rice that is too mushy. To avoid that, bring the soup to a near boil. But then reduce the heat so the liquid maintains a low simmer. This helps ensure that the rice is cooked through while the chicken remains tender and moist.
Yes, water can be used in place of the chicken broth, but the soup won’t be as flavorful right away. If using water, I suggest doubling the seasonings and/or using some chicken bouillon to season the liquid as it cooks.
To make this soup in the crockpot, place the chicken pieces in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, dry seasonings, and bay leaves. Pour the broth around the ingredients and stir gently. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours. When the cooking time is up, remove and discard the bay leaves. Add the uncooked rice and stir well. Place the lid back on the slow cooker. Then, cook on HIGH for 45 minutes to 1 hour more, until the rice is tender.
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Chicken And Rice Soup Recipe
This is a classic, old-fashioned chicken and rice soup recipe that provides those cozy, comfort flavors we all crave, generation after generation. Make it easily on the stovetop from simple veggies, dry seasonings, broth, chicken, and rice.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 medium carrots, thinly sliced (~1½ cups)
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced small (~1 cup)
- 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced (~1 cup)
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅔ cup dry long-grain white rice
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried ground sage
- ½ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 6–7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
- Optional for garnish: Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the pot is hot, add the oil and swirl the pot to coat.
- To the pot, add the carrots, onion, and celery and cook until the onions just start to become translucent, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken pieces and garlic to the pot. Continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring to separate the chicken pieces.
- Add the uncooked rice, parsley, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper; stir to combine.
- Pour 6 cups of broth over the chicken and vegetables and stir well to combine. Add the bay leaves.
- Place the lid on the pot and increase the heat to high. Bring the soup just to a boil.
- Once the soup is almost boiling, reduce the heat to low to keep the soup at a low simmer.
- Simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, 20-22 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. If a brothier soup is desired, add the remaining 1 cup of broth. Remove the bay leaves.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and, if desired, garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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Notes
Substitutions:
– May substitute white basmati rice or jasmine rice for the long-grain rice
– May use boneless, skinless chicken breast instead of thighs
– May substitute 2 teaspoons herbes de provence for the dried parsley and thyme
– May use poultry seasoning in place of the dried sage
– May use homemade chicken broth in place of store-bought broth
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: ⅙ of the recipe or ~1 ½ cups
- Calories: 295
- Fat: 8 g
- (Sat Fat: 2 g)
- Sodium: 419 mg
- Carbohydrate: 24 g
- (Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 3 g)
- Protein: 29 g
- Cholesterol: 107 mg
Dietary
The photos in this post were taken by Kaitlin of Creating Kaitlin.
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