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.
What can I use to inreplace the evaporatored milk?
You can use heavy cream in place or you can leave it out.
Can you use white rice?
Hi Karen, you can use white rice. You’ll likely need to reduce cook time a bit though.
How long should the total cook time be if swapping in rice? I’m worried about undercooking the chicken
Hi Kristina, you will want to cook your chicken until its internal temperature is 165 F.
I used the Mahatima Jasmine rice and cook it for about 25-30 minutes stirring continuously and also used extra broth.
I baked the chicken breasts first and cubed them for a different texture! Also, I replaced the thyme & parsley with a heaping tsp of Poultry seasoning that I had on hand… the soup was delicious! Definitely saving this recipe.
I’ve made this recipe probably seven or eight times and love it! My only issue is that every single time I’ve made it, the rice is not cooking right. I’ve tried all different brands of rice, event the minute rice to see if I could get it to soften! I thought it was maybe user error at first, but my 5th time around I realized it’s definitely just not cooking for whatever reason. Any suggestions? Will it hurt the recipe if I make the rice separately? Thank you!
I can’t say for sure as I haven’t had the same problem but you can certainly cook the rice separately. If you’re cooking it separately, replacing some of the water with broth would ensure it has flavor within the rice as well. Let us know how it goes!
Are the rice and chicken uncooked when you add to the soup?
Yes, the chicken and rice are added uncooked.
I boiled the chicken first and took it off the bone and then add non-cooked rice . The rice will get cooked with the broth wile boiling.
Did I miss the chicken preparation part?umpkin
The chicken is added in Step 3 and cooked in the boiling broth. In step 5 we remove the chicken and shred it before adding it back into the soup. Hope that helps!
Can this be done in the slow cooker and if so for how long?
Hi Heather, I have only made the recipe as written. But you may enjoy Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup, Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup, or Crockpot Chicken and Rice.
Yes I did it on high for just over an hour
Hi, I haven’t tasted it yet and to be honest it’s because the color of the broth now. I know silly but I don’t like eating white things. It did look just like the picture but then I added the evaporated milk and I didn’t even add the whole amount it said. Do you know why mine would look so different? I mean we are talking not even remotely the same. I’m so disappointed it didn’t turn out like yours ☹️
Oh no, I am sorry to hear that, Heather! I am not sure why it doesn’t look like our photos. You could add some additional chicken broth to tone down the color, to I know you have already added it but you can always omit the evaporated milk next time to avoid a white color to your soup.
Do you use long or short grain brown rice?
We use long grain brown rice for this recipe, Carolyn.
My family LOVED this recipe and it was so easy. I cut the amount of thyme in half – because I don’t like it – and used a bit less pepper. Perfectly delicious. Thanks for great recipes for busy families.
Made this on Sunday for my fiancé’s lunches this week and damn it turned out so good! I added some cayenne pepper for heat, but otherwise followed recipe to a T. Definitely a keeper- thank you! ♥️
So happy to hear that Steph, glad you enjoyed it.
I’m making this for my husband’s lunch. Did your rice expand sitting in the frig? I’m wondering if I should make the rice separately.
Thank you
Julie Burns
Hi Julie, the rice does absorb some of the broth as it sits in the fridge. If cooking the rice separately, I would recommend cooking it in chicken broth so it is full of flavor still.
Why the milk? I made the soup today and it was all good till I added the milk. It curd in the broth. I checked the date on milk and it’s good. Also smelled leftover milk and tasted it, it was good. What did do wrong?
Hi Bill, the recipe calls for evaporated milk, which should not curdle. This is a canned milk (not the sweetened condensed kind), and it adds a bit of creamy texture and richness to the soup. You could definitely try it with a dash of heavy cream if you prefer. If you leave it out it will change the texture of the soup, but should still be delicious. Hope that helps.
I am wondering – can you use brown Minute Maid rice ???
Hi Christine, Minute Rice will cook too fast to be added in step 4. If wanting to use minute rice, I would check the cooking time on the box and add it towards the end to prevent it from overcooking and ending up mushy.
I love it!!! Omg yay! I am in no way a cook, and I feel like my older kids just get whatever to eat and my 1 year old wants actual meals so tonight I cooked this so tomorrow it is ready! She will love it!! Great simple recipe!! Saved in my bookmarks forever now lol!
I also would like to add I did not have parsley or thyme, I also cut my chicken into cubes before cooking n did not shred but still looks like pic! ;) just big chunks of chicken lol
That is awesome Alexis! I am glad she will love it :)
I have made this recipe countless times for new moms, friends going through chemo, and my family. It is so simple to make but delicious and nutritious. I’m particular about giving people food that’s flavorful without lots of fat and this recipe fits the bill. I’ve started using Costco’s packages of rotisserie chicken breasts to save a step when I make this.
Looks nothing like the pic… Pictures help, so be true to what u r putting out, this was a very important meal, and i choose your recipe , because of the picture!! But it is good..
Glad you enjoyed the soup! I take pictures of the food when I make the recipe, so it looks exactly like that for me Lori :)
Super easy and super quick! Great flavor.
If using fresh chicken breasts, do you cook them first?
This recipe uses fresh, uncooked chicken breasts. They are cooked in the soup, then shredded. Enjoy Cheryl!
I enjoyed this soup!! It tasted just like I was hoping it would from the way it looked in the picture. What a perfect, filling, comfort food! I made this for myself while my family ate something else. We’re not great at trying new recipes. Now that I’ve tasted it, I’ll definitely be making it for them!! Thank you for sharing it!
This was so simple to put together and everyone loved it. It was creamy, the rice gave it a rich nutty flavor and the vegetables were scrumptious. Thanks for this lovely soup that will become a staple in my home.
So glad to hear that you love the soup! You’re welcome Rebecca.