Easy Chicken Rice Soup Recipe

Quick, easy, healthy chicken and rice soup is perfect for chilly days. It’s super satisfying, comforting, nourishing, and can be made with raw or leftover ingredients for the ultimate low-fuss soup!

With the weather chilly and sniffles/bugs on the rise, it’s the perfect time to enjoy low-fuss, delicious, wonderfully cozy and comforting, stick-to-your-ribs soups like minestrone, hearty ramen, and my current ultimate favorite – homemade chicken and rice soup!

Simple, old-fashioned chicken and rice soup recipes are comfort food at its finest, prepared using inexpensive kitchen and pantry ingredients. They combine flavorful chicken broth with juicy, tender chicken, hearty rice, and flavorful veggies. Plus, this soup comes together really quickly!

It’s also simple enough for even the most novice cook to prepare. With minimal chopping and options to use raw ingredients or leftovers, this easy chicken and rice recipe is perfect for when your energy is low. Plus, you can prepare it on the stove-top or in a crockpot as a crowd-pleasing soup the entire family will enjoy.

The Chicken And Rice Soup Ingredients

Learn how to make a cozy, comforting chicken and soup recipe with just a few simple ingredients.

• Chicken broth: I prefer homemade chicken broth, but you could use a store-bought regular or low-sodium chicken broth if preferred.
• Chicken: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts to cook directly in the soup. However, you could also use leftover chicken (chicken thighs or breast meat, shredded) to stir in during the last few minutes.
• Rice: I like to use medium or long-grain white rice or jasmine rice for this chicken rice soup recipe.
• Mirepoix: I used a classic cooking base of onion, carrot, and celery for a super flavorful chicken soup rice recipe.
• Garlic: Fresh is best, though you can use powdered garlic in a pinch. Adjust the amount to taste.
• Parsley: Fresh parsley adds a subtle yet noticeable “fresh” aromatic element.
• Oil: Use neutral cooking oil, like olive oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, etc.
• Salt & Black pepper: To season the rice chicken soup to taste. For extra umami flavor and color depth, use soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-free) instead of salt.

What Kind Of Rice Is Best For Soup

In this case, the best rice for soup is long-grain white rice like jasmine rice or basmati rice. It holds its shape far better than shorter-grain rice and cooks in time with the chicken.

However, if you’re using leftover cooked rice or plan to cook it separately, then add it when serving, any medium to long-grain rice will work – brown rice, wild rice, black rice, etc.

You could also transform rice and chicken soup recipes into a chicken noodle soup recipe by swapping the rice for noodles (egg noodles work particularly well). Refer to the package instructions for their cooking time.

How To Make Chicken And Rice Soup

First, prepare the various vegetables and ingredients. Finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery, and mince the garlic. Also, rinse the rice in a colander until the water runs clear and set it aside to drain.

Next, heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the prepared vegetables and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes or until the onion begins to turn golden.

Next, add the chicken breast and cook for 3-4 minutes, flipping it once to gently sear the outside.

Add the chicken broth and rice, stir, and bring it to a boil. Then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer (about medium-low). Cover and cook for around 30 minutes, or until the vegetables and rice are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the pot and use two forks or a mini food processor to shred it. Then add it back to the soup along with the fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!

I like enjoying a bowl of this chicken and rice stew/soup alongside some bread (like a slice of a crusty loaf) optionally slathered in butter.

How To Add Rice To Soup: Cooked Or Uncooked

There are two ways to introduce rice to this chicken soup with rice: uncooked or cooked.

Cooked: If you have leftover cooked rice or want to avoid it soaking up too much of the broth and becoming mushy, then it’s best to stir separately cooked rice into the soup when serving.

Note that if you’re adding cooked rice, you won’t need as much broth to make the soup. I recommend reducing it to 3-4 cups.

Uncooked: For ease, I love to cook the rice directly in the chicken broth. Just note that if you store the soup and rice together, it will continue to soak up the broth and become very soft.

Can You Freeze Chicken and Rice Soup?

You can freeze this simple chicken soup recipe in Ziplock bags (leaving headspace), spreading it into a thin, flat layer for up to 3 months.

When freezing the rice directly into the broth, it can become very mushy and will continue to soak up broth while it freezes/thaws. For that reason, it may be best to strain the broth and store the solids and broth separately in the freezer. OR, you can omit the rice from the soup and only stir it in upon serving.

FAQs

More Simple Soup Recipes

• Cream of Chicken Soup
• Chicken tortilla soup
• Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
• Potato Leek Soup Recipe
• Carrot Ginger Soup
• Simple Lentil Soup
• Vegetable Chickpea Stew

If you try this easy chicken and rice recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!