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.
I want to make this for 4 adults as a main course and one of the adults does not eat vegetables. Should I double all of the ingredients as I need to use 4 chicken breasts? I also figure I will not shred the chicken breast fur the person who does not eat vegetables to make sure they get enough to eat
We’ve only made this as written however, you’ll just want to ensure you have enough liquid to cover the chicken breasts completely. Let us know how it goes!
hi–I have made the crock pot chicken noodle soup and it was yummy==now on to the chicken rice soup: can i use frozen peas and carrots and balsamic rice? {and I do plan to NOT use the milk}
I think that would work just fine. The frozen veggies might need a little bit less time so you might want to add them in the last 15 min or so. Let us know how it goes!
Can you use riced cauliflower instead of rice?
While I have only made this recipe as written, I think cauliflower rice would be a great low carb addition!
I plan to make this soup for dinner tomorrow and have one question. The recipe calls for two chicken breasts. Is that two whole breasts or two halves? Boneless or bone in? Skin on or skinless? I guess that’s three questions. Thanks.
The recipe uses 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (halves). I’m sorry for the late reply Marti. Hope you enjoy the soup!
I was making this soup for meal preps for the week. My daughter decided to taste it and before I knew it, both of my picky kids were eating it straight out of the pot on the stove! Thanks!
I am so glad your family liked this recipe Lisa!
Made this tonight. I REALLY like how this soup came out. Thank you for a simple delicious recipe!
You’re so welcome Rhonda. I’m happy to hear that you love the soup!
My husband and I absolutely loved this soup. The taste was wonderful. I used the evaporated milk in my soup and got busy with grandkids after I added it. When I got back to my soup, it looked, well… nasty! I think the milk separated. Can that happen if it is left to cook too much? It also seemed like the rice absorbed too much water and it resembled mushy oatmeal. So the presentation wasn’t the best, but we ate it all – it was delicious. :-)
Beth,
It does sound like it overcooked, but I understand how busy things get with little ones! I am glad that despite the appearance your family still enjoyed this recipe!
Your chicken and rice soup is the best soup I can remember having in a long, long time. I didn’t use the evaporated milk but still needed some liquid so I added 2 cups of boiling water with a large boullion cube. Thank you, it was so good!
You’re so welcome, and thank you Mary!
We enjoyed this recipe. However, I used exactly one cup of evaporated milk and mine looks more white than the picture. Maybe I’ll do half the amount next time or any other suggestions?! Yours looks more delightful.:)
Glad you enjoyed it Mandy. I can’t say for sure why yours was a bit whiter but yes, you could certainly use a bit less next time (or try a bit of heavy cream in a smaller proportion).
Mine was very white as well! But it was still very good and my kids liked it
Mine was white too. The picture looks like mine BEFORE the milk. Doesn’t look too appetizing. like
I’m making this right now. It smells delicious. I’ll comment again after dinner!
Can’t wait to hear how you like Kristina!
Hello, I made this for dinner tonight and it was very good. I did however boil the chicken breasts first before adding it to the soup then i cut the chicken into bite size pieces I also skipped the milk.
So glad you enjoyed the soup Judy!
I did make this as written BUT I found I was out of evaporated milk, so I had to use 1/2 & 1/2. I also had to use more broth, about 3 cups, to get this “soupy”. Added a small amount of cayenne when served. It was wonderful! Will definitely make again.
Glad you enjoyed it Deb!
This soup was delish. Based on other reviews, I changed up the cooking times a bit. I simmered veggies 20 mins before adding chicken and rice, then simmered another 25 minutes. Based on what I had on hand, I substituted saffron rice for brown rice and regular milk instead of evaporated. Added 2 bay leaves. Will definitely make this again.
Sounds great Amy!
I can’t imagine what I did wrong. I followed the recipe to a “T” and the veggies and rice absorbed ALL the liquid. I make a lot of soup and knew going in that 5 cups of broth wasn’t going to be enough liquid. In the end, I added 4 more cups of broth so I’d have the consistency of soup. This in turn I’m sure diluted the flavor of the thyme and spices. It’s certainly edible but I was expecting much more.
That’s disappointing, I can’t say for sure what went wrong as most readers have had success with this recipe. Did you use long grain rice (not minute rice)?
Can I use regular milk instead? I don’t have condensed milk.
This recipe has only been made as written. I do think it should work just fine or you could skip the dairy if you prefer.
We are not eating dairy…..do you think I could skip the milk?
You sure can Danielle. You could also use a dairy substitute if you prefer, but this may change the taste. Enjoy Danielle!
This was amazing! I had leftover rotisserie chicken and used that rather than chicken breast. We agreed that it was the best Chicken and Rice Soup that we have ever had!!
So glad you loved it, rotisserie chicken sounds like a great idea!
How big is a serving?
Hi Jessica, a serving is about 1½ cups of soup. Enjoy!
Hello do I put the chicken in raw and uncooked?
Yes, it goes in raw and uncooked.
Hello. Making this soup today. Taste good so far but haven’t added the Evapirated milk yet. All is done but may need about ten more minutes to finish the rice. I am wondering if you can tell me about the Evaporated milk? Does it make it a more creamier consistency or thickens the soup up or adds more flavor? Thank you. Taste great so far. Can’t wait to dig in! Enjoying on our first snowy day here in MI.
It adds a bit of creamy texture and richness to the soup. Stay warm and enjoy your soup! :)
Winner! Made this last night and my kids loved it! I used rotisserie chicken I happened to have and instant brown rice. Both of these made a quick recipe quicker on a busy night.
Thank you Heather! Glad your kids love the soup!