This chicken and rice soup recipe is the perfect recipe for a chilly day. Chicken, vegetables, and brown rice are simmered in a flavorful broth and finished with a touch of creaminess.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Classic and savory, this homemade soup is packed with fresh and flavorful goodness.
- Skill Level: Made in just one pot, it’s easy to prep, and cleanup is a breeze.
- Budget Tip: It’s budget-friendly; stretch it even further with extra veggies, rice, or broth.
- Swaps: It’s versatile, feel free to add in your favorite veggies or even leftovers.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve it with a salad and some crusty bread for a perfect meal.
What You’ll Need For Chicken and Rice Soup
- Chicken Broth: I prefer low-sodium chicken broth as the base of this soup, so it isn’t too salty. You can also make a homemade chicken broth. While it’s optional, heavy cream or evaporated milk adds a touch of creaminess.
- Seasoning: The seasonings are simple with parsley and thyme, but feel free to add other dried or fresh herbs or bay leaves. Garnish with fresh parsley.
- Vegetables: Celery, onion, and carrot add both flavor and nutrition to this soup.
- Chicken: Use raw boneless skinless chicken breasts; simmering them in the soup adds flavor to the broth. Bone-in or boneless chicken thighs can be used. Or add bacon for a chicken bacon soup!
- Rice: Brown rice is a hearty boost of fiber and holds its texture well. You can replace it with long-grain white rice, wild rice, or basmati. Adjust the cooking time as needed.
Shortcuts
- Use leftover cooked rice; it can be added about 5 minutes before serving.
- Use rotisserie chicken, leftovers, or cooked chicken in place of chicken breasts. Add it once the rice is cooked.
- Avoid standing at the stove and make this soup in the crockpot.
How to Make Chicken and Rice Soup
- In a pot or Dutch oven, sauté the vegetables in oil (full recipe below).
- Add broth, uncooked chicken breasts, and rice, then simmer until the rice is tender.
- Shred cooked chicken, stir it back into the pot, and finish with cream or evaporated milk.
Serve with dinner rolls or a chunk of crusty bread for dipping.
Storing Leftovers
- This chicken rice soup is perfect for meal prep because it freezes well. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To freeze leftovers, cool the soup to room temperature, then place it in freezer bags. Seal completely and lay flat to freeze in a thin layer. This will help the soup thaw quickly when you need it for dinner.
- The rice can absorb liquid as the soup sits; if needed, add additional broth or water to reach the desired consistency.
More Cozy Chicken Soup Recipes
Did you enjoy this Chicken Rice Soup? Leave a comment and rating below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 large carrots peeled and diced
- 1 rib celery diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 5 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts uncooked
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup evaporated milk or cream, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 3-4 minutes, until onion is translucent.
- Add garlic, parsley, and thyme, and cook 1 minute.
- Add broth, chicken, rice, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables and rice are tender and chicken has reached 165℉.
- Remove chicken from pot and shred. Add back to the pot with evaporated milk or cream if using.
Video
Notes
Store soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Chicken breasts can be replaced with chicken thighs. Add it to the soup 10 minutes later.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 332 | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 607mg | Potassium: 803mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5250IU | Vitamin C: 5.2mg | Calcium: 150mg | Iron: 1.6mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Lunch, Soup
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
First time trying this recipe (even though I made alterations to it) and it was so delicious! I had rotisserie chicken bones with a bit of meat left on it in the freezer, so I made my own broth (5c). I didn’t have chicken breasts, so I used 4 small boneless thighs instead. I added 3cups of chicken broth and 1/2 cup pearled barley to the pot before it was simmering. At the end, I added 1 cup of frozen chopped kale pieces. I used the entire can of evaporated milk so I didn’t waste the extra 100ml. It was so delicious! I loved the fact your recipe was so easy to follow and I could add extra favourite ingredients to it. I made sure to share your recipe! Thanks so much!
I left out the milk and added cilantro, a chopped handful, 1 chayote squash, chopped. used 1/2 cup of white rice, I like it soupy. added oregano, 1 tablespoon, used Better then bullion, 1 tbl for 2 cups of water, added 7 cups. turned out delicious. took a pic but could not add it.
I left out the milk..added 1/4 stick of butter and 1 TBSP lemon juice
This was so easy and so delicious. Even my picky 6-year-old loved it. To me, it tastes like chicken pot pie without the crust. I only had white rice on hand, so that’s what I used and it turned out great. I will definitely be making this again!
Excellent recipe. I usually leave the evaporated milk out of the recipe to make it lighter and it is still delicious. My seven year old is very picky and he absolutely loves this soup.
INSTEAD OF USING BROWN RICE CAN YOU USE WHITE BASMATI OR WILD RICE
If using wild rice, I would cook the wild rice blend, and add near the end. Other readers have used Jasmine and loved the soup. I love brown, so probably would pick the wild rice blend! Enjoy Marion!
Could you use cooked chicken in the chicken and rice soup?
You can definitely use leftover cooked chicken in this chicken soup recipe. Simply swap it for the fresh chicken breasts and away you go!
Do you cook the rice before adding to soup? Is it 1 cup cooked rice or add it uncooked?
I add 1 cup of uncooked rice in step 3 and then cook until tender. I hope this helps Kathy!
Hi Holly!
I love your recipes & this one’s another winner! They are ALWAYS easy to read AND prepare, & I especially like that even I – not a great cook but a good cook can make them. My husband loves them…& we know how wonderful it is to please & have a happy husband! Did you know you can make a difference in people’s lives sharing creative recipes?!! Thank you so kindly!!
This made my day! Thank you so much for the kind words. I am so happy to hear you are enjoying the recipes ❤️
I have not yet but was wondering if could use soy milk instead of evoprated milk
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. You could also leave the milk out if you’d like.
Adore this recipe! I sometimes have part of a BBQ supermarket chicken, and cooked brown rice left in the fridge at the end of the week. I make this, dump in the shredded leftover chicken and rice, and voila – fast dinner, leftovers for the freezer, and nothing going to waste. Easy and delish, thank you!
Great tip on the leftover chicken Alli, thank you for sharing!
Amazingly yummy! Love it. I prefer a little less cream and a squeeze of lemon at the end for some acidity. YUM! Thanks for the recipe❣️
Ashley, you didn’t include how to prepare the 2 main ingredients of the dish: the chicken and rice. You’re better than this Ashley.
You add the chicken and rice to the pot in step 3. You don’t need to do anything to prepare them aside from add them to the pot.
Hi Mark,
I’m not a great but a good cook. Holly’s recipes are always clear for me & easy step by step. In this one, simply add the chicken (specified uncooked) & rice (not specified to be cooked so uncooked into the liquid to be cooked for 30 min. explains it naturally.) Perfect! (Also, recipes like this, such as a soup, aren’t precise like baking, so alterations such as leftover chicken, rice, etc. can be made easily.)
Can the milk be left out completely??
It sure can!
can heavy cream be used instead of evaporated milk?
Christine, you can use heavy cream in place of evaporated milk. Enjoy!
The pictures shown sure dont look like it does at the end when you add the evaporated milk. Wish I had just left the milk out, now my husband thinks it looks like some kinda of cream soup and isnt interested.
Hi Nova,
Hmmm – my husband is a cream or no cream guy, so I being a “cream & butter lover” made the recipe as instructed & we loved it. Nice thing about these recipes is that often you may adjust it per your taste. She definitely helps simple cooks like me with her creativity!
Easy hearty delicious soup!
yum
When do you put chicken breast in pot? From the beginning when veggies are cooking?
The chicken is added in step 3 along with the broth. Enjoy!
Too much evaporated milk, I’d probably do half a cup. Also, brown rice took significantly too long to cook I think white rice is the faster option. Ends up with a very thick consistency I’d definitely go for less rice next time. Overall, it was delicious I made it to my taste step by step I didn’t take the recipe too literally except for measurements.