Chicken and Rice Soup
This hearty, perfectly seasoned chicken and rice soup is filled fluffy rice, tender chicken, and wholesome veggies. It’s ready in less than an hour!
Perfect for using cooked chicken (like a rotisserie chicken!), this soup is fantastic with leftover turkey, so keep it in mind if you have leftovers after Thanksgiving!
Why I Think You’ll Love This Soup
- It is hearty and so nourishing.
- The soup comes together really quickly and can be kept warm for several hours before serving.
- It is perfectly seasoned with easy-to-find pantry staple spices, and it is so delicious.
- If you’re serving gluten-free, dairy-free, or egg-free eaters, this soup is perfect. Make sure to source gluten-free broth, if needed, and skip the Parmesan for dairy-free friends.
- Because the rice is cooked separately from the soup, you can use whatever rice you love best. White rice, jasmine rice, basmati rice, brown rice, wild rice blend. Lots of options to choose from!
This chicken and rice may look unassuming. And it kind of is! But it is a soup that proves to be so much more than a sum of its parts. It is one of the yummiest soups ever! And so filling and perfect for the chilly fall and winter months.
How to Make Chicken and Rice Soup
- Cook the rice in a separate pot – start it cooking before you start cooking the soup so they finish at the same time.
- For the soup, start by sautéeing vegetables in a bit of olive oil.
- Add seasonings and broth and simmer until the veggies are tender.
- Stir in chicken and lemon juice (if using).
- Scoop a spoonful of rice into a soup bowl. Ladle soup over the rice.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and/or Parmesan cheese, if you’d like.
Cooking the rice separately means the rice is perfectly soft and fluffy without becoming bloated and mushy from absorbing too much liquid in the broth. I promise it is worth the extra step! (You guys know by now that I’m never going to create extra steps unless they are 100% worth it…so trust me on this one!)
A Few Quick Additional Tips
- For leftovers, refrigerate the rice and soup separately so the rice doesn’t get soggy. Once both the soup and rice are fully chilled, they can be combined into one container and refrigerated together.
- I usually use low-sodium broth since that’s what I keep on hand. If using full-sodium broth, decrease the salt in the recipe to 1/2 teaspoon and add more to taste, if needed, at the end.
- To make-ahead of time, cook the rice in the Instant pot since it can stay warm for a long time. Make the soup per the recipe and then cover and keep warm on the stovetop or transfer to a slow cooker and keep warm for several hours.
Easy, fast, super nourishing dinners are the best this time of year, and this chicken and rice soup is fantastic. It is a huge family favorite around here. Not only are the flavors exceptionally yummy, but I love that we can each dish up our soup servings with the rice-to-soup ratio that speaks to our soul.
Love this soup so much – and hope you do, too!
What to Serve With This:
- 1-Hour Breadsticks or Easy Drop Biscuits
- Sliced cheddar cheese (sounds weird, but we love the bite of salty cheddar with this soup)
Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
Rice:
- 1 ½ cups white long grain, jasmine or basmati rice (see note)
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced carrots
- ½ cup finely diced celery
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ÂĽ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock (see note)
- 3 to 4 cups cooked, chopped chicken
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (optional)
Optional Garnishes:
- Fresh chopped parsley
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Start the rice cooking before making the soup. For the rice, combine the rice, water and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a vigorous simmer over medium-high heat. Stir once, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot. Cover and immediately turn down the heat to just below medium (enough to maintain a simmer but not burn the rice). Cook for 16 minutes. DO NOT LIFT THE LID. Let the rice sit, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff and serve with the soup.
- For the soup, in a 6-quart pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to turn translucent.
- Add the garlic, salt, parsley, turmeric, basil, oregano, and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly, for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the broth and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the chicken and lemon juice (if using). Heat through. Season to taste with additional salt, if needed (don't over salt the soup as the rice also has salt added).
- To serve, scoop a spoonful of rice into each bowl and ladle in soup over the top. Garnish with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired.
- For leftovers, refrigerate the rice and soup separately so the rice doesn't get soggy. Once both the soup and rice are fully chilled, they can be combined into one container and refrigerated together.
Notes
Rice: Other types of rice can easily be subbed for the white rice (like brown rice or wild rice blends). Cook the rice according to package instructions and fluff before serving with the soup.
Instant Pot Instructions for the Rice: To cook the rice in the Instant pot, add the white rice, water and salt to the Instant pot insert, seal the lid, and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure. Fluff and serve with the soup. For brown rice, use the same water/rice ratios and cook for 22 minutes.
Broth: If using full-sodium broth, decrease the salt in the recipe to 1/2 teaspoon and add more to taste, if needed, at the end.
Serving: 1 serving (about 1 1/2 cups soup), Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 1527mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g
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Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
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