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.
I made this and my whole family loved it but I guess my pot was not heavy enough since when I added the onion and carrots and turned down the heat and put the lid on, I burned some of the union and had to fish it all out, clean the pan and proceed. Nevertheless, the final result was marvelous. Question: Do you have nutrition information on this recipe?
This was seriously so good. My husband doesn’t love soup… this recipe he says was a keeper!!
Thanks for saving my soup life lol!
My pleasure!! So glad it was a hit, Crystal!!
Can I use stock cubes instead of chicken broth ???????
Sure! In the end you just need the amount of liquid specified in this recipe.
I’m making this soup today…
This was a wonderful jumping off point for me!! I am a trucker that cooks on her rig using a multi cooker. So I followed the basic outline of this recipe but had to make some substitutions because I am on a truck with limited time and a small fridge/ freezer (7 cu ft). I try to make as much ahead of time as possible and then use minimally processed foods to make my meals. My modifications were to use roasted chicken breasts I’d prepared and frozen, one cup of a packaged organic brown rice/quinoa mix, frozen California mix, 1/2 an onion, 32 ounces of a low sodium organic chicken bone broth, sea salt, fresh black pepper and garlic powder. I’d sautéed California mix in my multi cooker last night that had been seasoned with a no salt creole seasoning mix I make. So those went into my pot along with most of the carrots & cauliflower from the frozen California mix.
I tried to stay as close to the essence of your recipe as I could using the limited ingredients I keep on my truck.
I LOVED THIS!!! Next time I’m home I will stock the ingredients required for this. The next time I may add a small amount of ground thyme or thyme leaves. But since I have to get my veggies in at each meal I will probably continue with the Cali mix or other frozen veggie mix.
I know this wasn’t strictly your recipe but it is definitely an inspiration for a healthy meal that’s a much better option than truck stop food.
Oh! I served with cheese toast made in my air fryer using a slice of whole grain seeded bread.
I don’t eat gluten free or low carb but manage my carbs since I am prediabetic. It was very easy to modify your recipe and others on your website to meet my unique cooking situation and health needs.
Thanks so much for the work you put into your website.
I STILL RATE THIS A FIVE!!
Jo
Sounds delicious, Jo!! And I love how you’ve shown this recipe can truly be prepared anywhere!!
This is my favorite soup, I make it so frequently for meal prep! It’s so simple and delicious, plus I always have the ingredients on hand!
Also I noticed in the comments that several folks had asked how much of your seasoning did you add to your soup but no replies were given?
Thanks for your prompt response.
Katherine
Salt is added to taste, Katherine. :)
I made this delicious chicken and rice soup on Wednesday and made another pot today. Delicious! Easy! I’ll be using this many more times.
I’m so glad you loved it, Fran! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Can i use Mahatma Basmati rice and can it be cooked in the stock along with the chicken?
That should work, and yes you would cook it as per the recipe instructions.
Great soup! My husband really enjoyed it and I felt a lot better serving this over the salty can version.
Yes I can relate! So glad you guys enjoyed this recipe, Tracy!
(The reason for adding the spinach and celery was to amp up the nutrients. My son and his fiance just came down with covid and can’t taste or smell so I needed a tempting, healthy comfort food. It worked!! Thank you because there has been so little I can do for them except drop off food on the porch! Black Bean Soup is next, then Phad Thai. So excited! BTW my other son lives in Iowa so am turning him on to your website as well. Way too much info? Yes I’ll stop but thanks for helping me help my kids?)
Added 5oz bag of baby spinach and 2 stalks of minced celery. The response by all who tried it,
“best soup I’ve ever had!” This will be made over and over at our house. Thanks for a great recipe!
So thrilled to hear it, Sarah!! I’ll have to try those additions!
I love this recipe so much I have made it 3 weeks in a row. It also helped my parents while they were recovering from COVID, so thank you! I’m curious how much is in 1 serving?
I’m so glad to hear the soup is helping your parents, Marie, and I hope they recover quickly and completely! ❤️ I don’t calculate nutritional information for my recipes so the serving sizes are my recommendation for how much each recipe will serve. That said, for this recipe I estimate 1-1/2 – 2 cups to be considered a serving. :)
This was so easy to make and is delish! It will be my go to chicken and rice soup forever! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
I would love to make this soup, looks yummy. May I add potatoes! If so when and how many? Family thanks you.
This was super easy and super fast!! Tastes wonderful and makes plenty for leftovers. You know soup is always better the second day!!
I am about to make this with a sheet pan dinner’s worth of roasted chicken thighs, carrots, celery, and potatoes. I’m may leave out the potatoes for the rice (good idea?). The future will tell. I love your site. ?
Delicious! My kids loved it!
Loved this soup !! My toddler approved!! How long is this soup good for in the fridge ?
Two or three days!
Thanks! This is super easy and delicious!
This is by far the best chicken soup we’ve eaten; can’t believe how easy it was and THAT I MADE IT!!! I used rotisserie chicken, added a half cup of frozen peas and a couple handfuls of fresh spinach. Also, can’t eat onions so didn’t use, but didn’t miss those, at all. My kids will be home for the holidays and plan to make this for them! Great, easy, quick ❤️❤️❤️