The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in many ways when it comes to my darling children — including the fact that they all love soup as much as their Mama.
I don’t make the rules, I just cook the soup!
One of our all time favorite chicken soup recipes is Chicken and Rice Soup. This brothy, nourishing soup features fresh vegetables, tender chicken, long grain white rice, and chicken stock—and I am not exaggerating when I tell you that my children lick their bowls clean of it. It’s SO simple, yet has the most soul-satisfying taste.
The best part? Chicken and Rice Soup takes one pot, 30 minutes, and a handful of everyday ingredients to make. Cancel your current dinner plans – you’re having soup for dinner tonight!
Watch How to Make It!
What is Chicken Rice Soup Made Of?
Take a look at 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:
- Extra virgin olive oil: To saute the vegetables. Feel free to use butter instead (or add it in anyway!)
- Onion: Finely chop a yellow onion, or use a shallot if you prefer.
- Carrot: A vegetable my kids love in soups, so it had to be included in here. I often use shredded carrots as a quick and easy swap.
- Garlic: Gives this soup a craveable scent and flavor.
- Pepper and Homemade Seasoned Salt: My homemade seasoned salt is made from just 4 ingredients and adds so much flavor with nearly zero effort.
- Chicken: Diced chicken breast gives this soup protein and staying power.
- Long grain white rice: Be sure to use long grain white rice like jasmine rice or basmati rice, vs a short grain rice like arborio rice or sushi rice. You CAN use brown rice, but you’ll need to simmer it for much longer, and use more broth.
- Chicken stock: Since there are so few ingredients in this soup, I like to use chicken stock (homemade is great!) for max flavor, though chicken broth is just fine too. Feel free to use low sodium chicken broth or stock if needed.
Do You Cook the Chicken Before Adding it Into the Soup?
Nope! Simply dice up chicken breasts, season them with seasoned salt and pepper, then stir the pieces into the hot, boiling broth. The chicken will poach as the soup cooks. Diced, boneless/skinless chicken thighs could be used as well.
Alternatively, you could use pre-cooked shredded or diced chicken from a rotisserie chicken or slow cooker chicken. Stir it in at the end to warm through.
Should You Cook the Rice Before Adding it to the Soup?
The rice will cook in the hot chicken stock, soaking up all the tasty flavors as it softens. That said, if you have leftover cooked rice you want to use instead, you may do that, but know that you won’t need as much stock or broth since the cooked rice won’t soak as much of it up.
How do You Keep the Rice from Getting Mushy?
My #1 tip for ensuring your rice doesn’t get mushy in this soup is to use high quality rice. If you use minute rice, or any other type of par-boiled rice, it will turn out mushy!
I am brand loyal to Lundberg Family Farms rice products, and find their California White Jasmine Rice is the best rice for this recipe. Trust me, rice quality makes a huge difference!
How to Make Chicken and Rice Soup
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 onions, 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.
Step 2: Add chicken stock, rice, and chicken. Next add chicken stock or broth then turn the heat up to bring to a boil. Pour in long grain white rice then stir to combine, and then add chopped chicken breasts that have been seasoned with more seasoned salt and pepper then stir to combine.
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. At the end, I like take the pot off the heat then place a lid on top for 5 minutes or so to let the rice soften completely. Serve with Gluten Free Focaccia, and you’re set!
How to Store
This soup re-heats fabulously. Cool the soup down until it’s nearly room temperature then scoop into airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop. You might need to add an extra splash of chicken stock or broth when reheating.
I find that cooked > frozen > thawed > reheated white rice doesn’t hold up so I don’t recommend freezing this soup recipe!
More Easy Soup Recipes
- 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
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Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
Description
Easy Chicken and Rice Soup is a quick and simple soup recipe that the entire family will love. Nourishing, satisfying comfort food in a bowl!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 2-3 medium-sized carrots, peeled then thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- homemade seasoned salt and pepper
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 64oz (8 cups) chicken stock or broth
- 1 cup long grain white rice
Directions
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrots, season with seasoned salt and pepper, then stir to combine. Cover the pot with a lid then saute until vegetables are very tender, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic then saute without the lid on for 30 seconds.
- Turn heat up to high then add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add rice then stir to combine. Season chicken with seasoning salt and pepper then add to the broth and stir to combine. Turn heat down to medium then simmer, uncovered, until rice is tender, 15-20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat then place a lid on top and let sit for 5 minutes. Taste then add more seasoned salt and/or pepper to taste, then ladle into bowls and serve.
- Leave a comment and star rating if you loved the recipe! Thank you for considering!
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Bonnie 04.04.2016
I can’t believe how big Lincoln is. He is such a doll.
I am going to make this soup tomorrow. Thanks for sharing.
http://www.bornagainint.org/ 03.22.2017
Carol emailed me about your surgery. We will be thinking about you tomorrow and add our prayers to those of so many others. Keep up your good spirits.Love,Janet & Michael
Amanda 04.04.2016
This was really good! I added celery because I love celery in soup but otherwise, spot on!
Jessica 04.03.2016
I just made this soup tonight. It was so easy to make and it is delicious! Thank you for a fantastic recipe!
Kristin 04.04.2016
You bet, Jessica, I’m so glad you liked the soup!
Sally 04.03.2016
This was DELICIOUS! It made about six servings. Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
Sally 04.03.2016
ps – I love carrots in soup, so doubled the carrots and next time would triple them. I used four carrots total (1 cup after chopped)
Kristin 04.04.2016
I’m so glad you loved it! Sometimes I double the carrots too because Lincoln loves them so much. :)
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul 04.03.2016
This looks yummy!
Aleks 04.03.2016
This soup looks absolutely delicious! It looks so healthy! It doesn’t matter it is April as a good soup is always good for your stomach compared to all the fried stuff we eat! Keep those soup recipes coming :-)
Emily @ Life on Food 04.03.2016
I still need me some soup. I could honestly eat soup all summer long. It is still cold in New England. We are getting snow as we speak. Soup is good.
Kathy 04.02.2016
I made your soup today and it is so easy and delicious! Thank you! The next time I make it I would love to freeze some to have on hand. Do you think it would freeze well?
Kristin 04.04.2016
I’m so glad you loved it!! I would hesitate to freeze only because I think the rice would turn into mush, unfortunately!
Michelle 04.02.2016
Our house has been sick all week. This soup was a perfect feel better meal :) Our two year old LOVED it!
Kristin 04.04.2016
Oh I’m so glad to hear it – hope you are all feeling better this week!
Lecy | A Simpler Grace 04.02.2016
This soup looks amazing and so much easier than a lot of other soup recipes. Can’t wait to try it!
Jessica 04.01.2016
I am curious do you not feed your son gluten either? I worry about this because he could become intolerant when he actually isn’t allergic. It would be terrible for him to grow up with this if isn’t an actual problem. Can you imagine being 21 again and not being able to enjoy a sip of beer? Just food for thought…
Kristin 04.02.2016
Gluten intolerance isn’t caused by not eating gluten, but he does eat it – just not at home. I kept getting horribly sick from cross contamination so we have to keep a GF home!
Trisha 04.01.2016
I feel you on the meal planning, or lack thereof. I love to eat. But I also love variety. And how can I commit to tacos on Tuesday if I feel like spaghetti instead. But if I don’t use the leftover beef by Thursday it will go and, and so on…
So we usually end up winging it too. But I need to work on the stocked pantry thing. I went to make soup the other day and didn’t have chicken broth. WHAT?! Who doesn’t have chicken broth?? Me, apparently.
Trisha 04.01.2016
Oops. It will go *bad*.
Christie 04.01.2016
Kristin! Your blog is the first place I stop when I am meal planning. I wrote a blog post about my two-week menu and referenced IGE as a great place to gather recipes. So let’s be real, you may not be a good meal planner, but you inspire others to do it, so I think you can relax and drink a mojito about it. You’ve done enough!
Rustling up More and More Soups | Pearltrees 04.01.2016
[…] Easy Chicken and Rice Soup. Easy Chicken and Rice Soup is a quick and simple gluten-free soup recipe that the entire family will love. Healthy comfort food in a bowl! I know, I know, a soup recipe on April 1? This is no April fools joke – I just couldn’t bear the thought of waiting another six or seven months to share the recipe for Easy Chicken and Rice Soup with you! […]
Terri 04.01.2016
This looks delish. I’ll save it for next winter as we’re officially out of homemade soup season at my house. :-)
julie brietzke 04.01.2016
Do you cook the chicken or add it to the pot raw?
Lisa 04.01.2016
I am curious about this as well. I’m assuming raw because it’s chopped small and would cook in the broth easily?
Kristin 04.01.2016
Yep, add it raw!
deb 04.01.2016
Hi! I absolutely love your blog and your writing! You are awesome!! Quick question on this recipe – is the chicken breast cooked or uncooked when you add it? Thanks so much!
Sara 04.01.2016
Looks like something my family would love! The chicken is uncooked?
Kristin 04.01.2016
Yep! It cooks in the broth.
Polly 04.01.2016
This definitely looks like something I would make! I love hearty chicken soup. Pinning this for later!
Vivian | stayaliveandcooking 04.01.2016
What a great idea to fool your parents like that: I’m sure if I tried anything like it they would pay me back BIG TIME! Soup is definitely not a joke: I love them in any form.
And I pinned that seasoning, what a smart idea!