Oh, hi! I’ve temporarily resurfaced from the depths of my soup pot to share a must-try recipe for Cheesy Chicken and Rice Soup with you!
I started cooking today with every intention of making a big pot of my Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup to have on hand for lunches all week, but started craving something a bit creamier…and made with rice instead of noodles…and cheese. There had to be cheese!
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Soup is what I came up with, and it is so hearty, creamy, and delicious that I literally had to override control of my right hand with my left to stop eating it spoonful by steamy spoonful straight from the soup pot, and pour myself a dang bowl already. That’s how good this soup is!
I’m not sure what I like best – the creamy rice, tender vegetables, flavor-packed broth, or the cheese. Probably the cheese.
How to Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice Soup:
Start by prepping the vegetable base. I pretty much use 1 stalk celery, 1 large carrot, and 1/4 small onion as the base of all of my soups, and this one is no different.
Add the vegetables to a large soup pot over medium heat with 1 Tablespoon each butter and extra virgin olive oil then saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves then cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
After the vegetables are soft, add 3/4lbs cooked diced or shredded chicken.
To the chicken and vegetables add 6 cups chicken broth, and 1/3-4 cups skim milk.
Followed by 1 bay leaf and a 2×2″ parmesan cheese rind. The cheese rind is optional, btw, but it adds SO. MUCH. FLAVOR. I get a big package of them from Whole Foods for super cheap and keep on hand in the freezer to pull out when I’m making soups.
Bring the soup to a boil then stir in 1 cup long grain white rice, place a lid on the pot, then cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is just barely tender.
Finally, whisk together 1/4 cup milk with 1/4 cup gluten-free or all-purpose flour in a small bowl, then stream into the soup and cook for 5 more minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste. The addition of this milk/flour slurry makes the soup wonderfully thick and creamy, without having to add any heavy cream.
Right now the soup is absolutely delicious on its own. You could serve as-is and have one of the best bowls of soup ever – BUT – the addition of 8oz shredded cheese takes this soup straight over the top.
I use a mixture of both smoked and sharp cheddar cheeses, and parmesan cheese, which I stirred into the soup until smooth, then served. Whatever you use, just make sure it’s freshly shredded/grated – it will make all the difference in the world!
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Cheesy Chicken and Rice Soup
Description
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Soup is hearty, creamy, and delicious. The ultimate in comfort food!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 small onion, minced
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- salt & pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4lb cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups skim milk, divided
- 1 bay leaf
- 2x2" parmesan cheese rind (optional)
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1/4 cup gluten-free or all-purpose flour (I like Bob's Red Mill White Rice Flour)
- 8oz shredded cheese (I used a mix of smoked cheddar, sharp cheddar, and fresh grated parmesan)
Directions
- Melt butter and oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, season with salt and pepper, then saute for 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add garlic cloves then cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken, season with more salt and pepper (if chicken is unseasoned) then stir to combine.
- Add chicken broth, 1-3/4 cups milk, bay leaf, and parmesan cheese rind, if using, to the pot. Turn heat up to bring to a boil then add rice and stir to combine. Place a lid on top then turn heat down to medium-low and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender.
- In a small bowl whisk together remaining 1/4 cup milk with flour. Stream into soup, stir to combine, then cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Turn off heat and remove pot from burner then add cheese and stir until smooth. Let soup sit and thicken for 10 minutes then serve.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
See how thick and creamy this soup is?! All from a little skim milk and flour, and a modest amount of cheese – especially when you consider how many servings a big pot of Cheesy Chicken and Rice Soup makes. Such a winner, this one. I hope you love it!
Kari 02.21.2014
Whoa, this was good, and you weren’t kidding about it being thick! I used brown rice so I simmered for 45-50 minutes. Also, I added the shredded chicken at the end so it wouldn’t get dry.
Thanks!!
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Cayla 01.30.2014
Delicious recipe!
Jennifer Goodson 12.15.2013
I’ll be using my gluten free flour and then it’s Gluten Free. Easy Peasy!
Adele Aiken 11.12.2013
Maybe I missed something but I believe this recipe uses flour so how is it gluten free???
Iowa Girl Eats 11.13.2013
This recipe is not gluten free. I’m not sure where you saw that?
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[…] one of my Top 3 soup recipes, Cheesy Chicken & Rice Soup is, you guessed it, cheesy, creamy, and thick. Total comfort food. You will go back for bowl after […]
Iowa Gator 09.29.2013
This soup is delicious! Will this freeze well? Not that it will stay around that long, but I’d love to make some in advance. Thanks!
Iowa Girl Eats 09.30.2013
I’ve never tried with this particular soup, but sometimes “creamy” soups don’t thaw very well. Let us know if you try it though!
pkrause7pkrause7 11.07.2014
Do you thnk it would freeze well if you make it up to the flour addition step and freeze, then go from the flour addition step for final prep after thawing the frozen soup?
This recipe looks amazing…I’ll be making it on my next soup day!!!
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes you post…some of them are now family favorites!
Kristin 11.12.2014
It could work! The rice would probably get a little gummy from freezing/reheating. Otherwise, I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t work!
Janet R 09.23.2013
I skimmed the comments to see if my question was there… is it 3/4 of a chicken or 3/4 CUP shredded chicken? Just clarifying! :)
Iowa Girl Eats 09.23.2013
GREAT question – I totally left off the “lb” in the recipe. It’s 3/4lb chicken!
Erin 02.01.2014
Approximately how many cups of shredded chicken is 3/4 of a lb.? I don’t have a kitchen scale! Thanks:)
Kristin 02.02.2014
1-1/2 – 2 cups!
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Carol Matheney 01.20.2013
This could be sacrilege, but this soup is great with 6 to 8 oz of Velveeta. . . .
Caitlin 12.11.2012
I totally tried to make this tonight and it didn’t thicken up!! What did I do wrong? :(
Iowa Girl Eats 12.12.2012
Oh no! Is it possible you left out the flour?
Caitlin 12.12.2012
No I definitely did do the flour and milk thing but I eyeballed the 1/4 cup of milk and flour. Maybe I didn’t let it cook long enough? I also didn’t cook the rice, I just used the brown rice from Trader Joes that you find already cooked in their freezer section. I also left out the chicken. I can’t imagine that would have a huge effect?
Iowa Girl Eats 12.16.2012
The rice starch released during cooking helps thicken the soup, so that’s probably what it was.
Chandra 12.09.2012
Made this for dinner tonight, Awesome!!!! Big hit at my house!
Michelle 12.04.2012
Made this soup the other day. DELICIOUS!! Thanks for the great recipe.
Debbie Zeman 11.28.2012
This was so amazing, thank you so much! My family all loves your recipes and I get to cook! My husband has always been the cook so I think he is enjoying me cooking :). Also, I believe when you print out the recipe, it says use chicken broth and flour and in your blog, it says to use flour and milk. I did the flour and milk and it was awesome! Thanks again!
Kristina 11.27.2012
This soup is fantastic! The only thing I did differently was use brown rice instead of white and I used 3 large frozen chicken breasts that I had cooked before and just shredded. Definitely my new favorite comfort food! I have tried so many chicken soup recipes in search of the perfect one and this is it!
Tricia H 11.24.2012
I made this tonight with leftover turkey tonight and it was SO GOOD!! My husband said it was the best soup he ever ate!! Loved it! Thank you!
Amanda O. 11.23.2012
I made this with leftover turkey tonight…delicious! My boys ate it up and my husband wants more to take for lunch on Monday!
em @ simplypresent 11.22.2012
Thank you for sharing!
The last picture you posted is my favorite – very artsy.