Chicken and Rice Soup is a cozy, homemade meal that’s easy to make and always hits the spot. Tender chicken, hearty brown rice, and vegetables simmer together in one pot for a flavorful, comforting soup. Keep it brothy or stir in a little cream for a rich finish.
Serve it with crusty no-knead bread or fluffy dinner rolls and a simple green salad.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Chicken and Rice Soup
- Flavor: Savory, comforting flavor with tender chicken, brown rice, sweet carrots, and subtle notes of garlic, parsley, and thyme.
- Why Make It: Cooking the chicken and rice directly in the broth builds rich flavor while keeping cleanup easy.
- Budget Friendly: Rice and vegetables help stretch two chicken breasts into six hearty servings.
Total Time: 45 Mins Servings: 6 Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Total Time:
- 45 mins
- Serves:
- 6 servings
- Rating:
- 4.9/5
Ingredient Notes
- Vegetables: Cut the carrots and celery into small, even pieces so they cook evenly and you get tender vegetables in every spoonful. Use prechopped vegetables to save prep time, or stir in frozen mixed vegetables towards the end.
- Chicken Broth: Reduced-sodium broth or homemade chicken stock gives you more control over the salt level. Keep extra on hand at the end to add if the soup is too thick.
- Chicken Breasts: Use raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts so they can cook directly in the broth and shred easily. Boneless chicken thighs are another option; just check that they are cooked through before shredding.
- For an easy shortcut, add shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover baked chicken breasts once the rice is tender.
- Brown Rice: Use uncooked long-grain brown rice. Different varieties can have different cooking times. Instant rice is not a direct substitute.
- Evaporated Milk or Cream (Optional): Add evaporated milk for a lighter soup, or heavy cream for a richer, creamier soup. Be sure to use evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed milk.
How to Make Chicken and Rice Soup
- Sauté the vegetables and add the seasonings.
- Add broth, chicken, and rice (full recipe below). Simmer.
- Shred the chicken and return it to the pot.
Prefer to use your slow cooker? Try my Crockpot chicken and rice soup.
Save It for Later
- Refrigerate: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 4 months. Leave out the dairy when possible and add it after reheating.
- Thaw: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Warm on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring and adding broth as needed.
More Chicken Soup Favorites
Did you enjoy this Chicken and Rice Soup? Leave a comment and rating below.
Chicken and Rice Soup
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 to 4 minutes, until the 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
Nutrition Information
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.