Easy Chicken and Rice Soup is a quick and simple soup recipe that the entire family will love. This brothy and nourishing soup recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight supper, or feeding someone under the weather.
“This is a new staple in my house. I’m not sure how the small amount of ingredients end up so flavorful but it’s pretty amazing. Great weeknight meal!”
Soup season is 12 months a year at my house, and the recipe that makes the most appearances – even during the dog days of summer – is my Chicken and Rice Soup recipe.
This brothy and nourishing soup features everyday ingredients like vegetables, chicken, rice, and chicken stock, but I’m not exaggerating when I tell you my children lick their bowls clean of it.
Whether you’re craving something ultra-comforting, feeding a sick friend or family member, or simply only have 30 minutes to get dinner on the table — Chicken and Rice Soup is the answer!
Watch How to Make It
Main Ingredients Needed
Browse the comments section of this post and you’ll see that readers have added everything from celery to spinach, dried and fresh herbs, plus peas to this soup over the years. It’s a fabulous recipe to customize with extra veggies in particular, though here’s what you’ll need for the base recipe:
- Aromatics: onions, carrots, and garlic build the base of this cozy soup.
- Homemade Seasoned Salt: adds tons of flavor to each bowl.
- Chicken breasts: this recipe calls for diced raw chicken breast, though you could stir in pre-cooked shredded or diced chicken from a roast chicken at the end to warm through. If I have time, I’ll occasionally use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs cooked using this method.
- Long grain white rice: like jasmine rice or basmati rice, vs a short grain rice like arborio rice or sushi rice. Lundberg Jasmine Rice is my go-to. Whatever brand you go with, be sure it’s high quality to avoid mushy rice.
- Chicken stock: I like to use chicken stock (homemade is great) for max flavor, though chicken broth is fine too. Feel free to use low-sodium chicken broth or stock if needed.
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Step 1: Saute the vegetables.
Start by heating a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
Add chopped carrots and onion, season with homemade seasoned salt and pepper, then place a lid on top and cook until the vegetables are very tender, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Can I Make this in the Crock Pot?
I don’t advise cooking white rice in the crock pot, as it’s very tricky to control the texture and timing with the chicken and vegetables.
Step 2: Add chicken stock, rice, and chicken.
Add chicken stock or broth to the pot then turn the heat up to bring to a boil. Add long grain white rice then stir to combine. Next add diced chicken breasts that have been seasoned with more seasoned salt and pepper then stir to combine.
Do I Cook the Rice Before Adding it to the Soup?
No, the rice will cook in the soup. If you have cold, leftover rice you’d like to use instead, stir that in at the end to warm through. Note: you will need less broth since the pre-cooked rice will not soak up much of the broth.
How do You Keep the Rice from Getting Mushy?
Be sure to use high quality rice in this soup recipe. If you use minute rice, or any other type of par-boiled rice, it will turn out mushy.
I’m brand loyal to Lundberg rice and like their White Jasmine Rice in this recipe. Trust me, rice quality makes a huge difference!
Do I Cook the Chicken Before Adding it Into the Soup?
No. Diced raw chicken breasts are seasoned with seasoned salt and pepper then added to the soup raw, where they poach in the hot broth.
Step 3: Simmer the soup.
Turn the heat down to medium then simmer the soup for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is tender, stirring every so often.
Serve with Gluten Free Focaccia, Gluten Free Flatbread, or Gluten Free Biscuits and you’re set!
How to Store
Scoop leftover chicken and rice soup into individual-sized storage containers then store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave with an extra splash of chicken stock or broth until hot.
Can I Freeze this Soup?
I find even high quality white rice can become mushy once frozen then thawed, so I don’t recommend freezing this soup.
More Easy Soup Recipes
- Gluten Free Lasagna Soup
- Pastina Soup
- Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
- Gluten Free Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Creamy Wild Rice Mushroom Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Ham and Bean Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped, ~1/2 cup
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped, ~1/2 cup
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- homemade seasoned salt and pepper
- 2 chicken breasts, ~1lb, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 8 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 cup long grain white rice, Lundberg Jasmine Rice recommended
Directions
- Add the extra virgin olive oil to a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add he onions and carrots, season with seasoned salt and pepper, then stir to combine. Cover the pot with a lid then saute until the vegetables are very tender, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic then saute without the lid on for 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat up to high then add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the rice then stir to combine. Season the chicken with seasoning salt and pepper then add to the broth and stir to combine. Turn the heat down to medium then simmer, uncovered, until the rice is tender, 15-20 minutes. Taste then add more seasoned salt and/or pepper to taste, then ladle into bowls and serve.
Notes
- The rice will continue to soak up the broth as it cools so keep extra on hand for reheating leftovers.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Great soup! I swapped the rice for quinoa and it freezes beautifully. So easy. It was a real gift for my daughter who had a bad cold. She’s not gf, but at every spoonful.
I’m so glad to hear that, Deb – I hope she’s on the up and up!
Thank you so SO much! You saved my butt, tell ya! I used to make this recipe almost exactly, after refining one of those super full chicken and rice soups with tons of veggies during Covid when we were broke lol and I thinned it down To just onion, broth, chicken, rice and seasoning. My husband wanted it every single week lol. But then life got back to life. And I forgot all about it and even though I’d cut the recipe to a simpleton one, I would still refer to the recipe I’d found for measurements and stuff. But he recently started asking for it again During this last winter storm that swept the nation haha. So I googled and googled and could. Not. Find. It! So I figured since we had all the stuff these days, id just make the full soup I found prior. He said it was Good but it wasn’t THE soup. So I came to try again and found yours and it’s literally almost identical! The only two differences were that the other had zero garlic (I added it today Anyway lol so I hope he doesn’t notice or care) and the other one had a roux. This one’s even easier! Yay!!! Thank you so much! And all the comments say it’s awesome! Wooo!
Oh I LOVE to hear this, Samantha!! I have found myself in this situation several times. Still searching for the recipe for a chocolate oatmeal carmelita-type bar from like 20 years ago, ha! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This is the best chicken and rice soup for kids who do not like too much spice and herbs or veggies. I removed the carrots to serve it to the anti-carrot kids. But the flavor is so good. Also omitted onion but the homemade seasoning gave the right amount of onion. I also only had a generic jasmine rice on hand so I soaked and rinsed it to break some of the starch down. It was not mushy, it was perfect ! I will make it again! Thank you!
LOVE to hear this! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Love this soup it is sooooo good. I do freeze it in individal size portions and I have no problem with mushy rice. I use a good qualify rice. The rice soaks up the broth so it can be more like chicken rice which my husband likes it this way. I add a little more chicken stock or broth to make it more like a soup again.
Perfect!! So glad this is a winner for your fresh, frozen, and thawed, Terri! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Super easy & delicious! Make sure you use some of the homemade seasoned salt suggested in recipe. Great gluten free chicken & rice soup!!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Julie! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Do you rinse the rice with water before adding it to the chicken stock or just add it straight from the bag?
Add straight from the package. :)
Waaaaaaay too much rice for this soup! Ended up with gummy rice with a little liquid. Will not make this again!
Jennifer, is it possible any of your ingredients were mismeasured? I just made this soup this week (as I do most weeks in the fall and winter) and got the same results shown in the photos here.
I’ve been making this recipe for over a year now and it has become both my go-to comfort soup and my tastiest meal-prep! I add chili powder for lots of kick! Thank you for posting this recipe, it’s so easy! ☺️
I’m SO glad this has become a go-to of yours, Caroline! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!