Chicken and Rice Soup

Hearty, nutritious, and flavor-packed Chicken and Rice Soup is loaded with veggies and can be prepared in one pot!

Serve this soup with some dinner rolls and this Italian Salad.

Chicken And Rice Soup

While I adore a good chicken noodle soup (with Creamy Chicken Tortellini being a personal favorite), swapping out the pasta for rice is fun. Chicken and Rice Soup is thick and hearty, featuring crisp, tender veggies, firm, chewy rice, and juicy, shredded chicken.

It’s seasoned lightly with dried Italian herbs and flavored with robust chicken broth. Plus, this soup is quick to make, relatively hands-off, and prepared all in one pot.

Few things are better than dunking a crusty slice of bread into this soup and topping your bowl with some finely grated Parmesan cheese — yum!

Ingredients In Chicken and Rice Soup

• Unsalted Butter and Olive Oil: Used for sautéing vegetables; butter adds flavor, olive oil prevents burning.
• Diced Vegetables (Onion, Carrot, Celery) and Minced Garlic: Form the flavorful base; garlic enhances depth.
• Italian Seasoning, Chicken Bouillon Powder: Enhance overall flavor; bouillon adds chicken flavor.
• Dried Herbs (Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Parsley): Add complexity and varied herbal notes.
• Salt, Freshly Cracked Pepper: Essential seasonings to enhance flavor.
• Chicken Stock/Broth: Forms the rich, chicken-flavored liquid base.
• Bay Leaf: Adds subtle flavor and aroma.
• Rice (Basmati): Provides texture and makes the soup filling.
• Rotisserie Chicken: Adds protein, making the dish hearty.
• Frozen Peas: Contribute color, texture, and sweetness.

How To Make Chicken And Rice Soup

1. Sauté Veggies: Melt butter with olive oil in a pot. Sauté onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until crisp-tender.
2. Prepare Chicken: Shred or chop rotisserie chicken.
3. Add Seasonings: Mix in Italian seasoning, chicken bouillon, thyme, basil, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper.
4. Cook Rice: Add chicken broth and a bay leaf, bring to a boil. Add rice, simmer on low until tender.
5. Finish Soup: Stir in chicken and peas, cook briefly.
6. Serve: Optionally top with fresh parsley, thyme, and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy immediately for best taste.

Serve This Soup Alongside

• A good crusty baguette, homemade honey whole wheat bread, or soup crackers/saltines
• Some kind of salad, like this roasted veggie salad or this kale couscous salad
• For additional veggies, try roasted broccoli or roasted asparagus on the side

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4.89 from 9 votes

Chicken and Rice Soup

By Chelsea Lords

Hearty, nutritious, and flavor-packed Chicken and Rice Soup is loaded with veggies and can be prepared in one pot!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup EACH: diced yellow onion, diced carrot, diced celery (1 onion, 3 celery stalks, 2-3 large carrots)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (~2-3 cloves)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon EACH: Italian seasoning, chicken bouillon powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon EACH: dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon EACH: fine sea salt, freshly cracked pepper
• ▢ 2 containers (32 oz. EACH) chicken stock (or chicken broth)
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 1 cup rice (I use basmati rice)
• ▢ 2 and 1/2 cups prepared rotisserie chicken, chopped or shredded
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas
• ▢ Optional: 3 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley, 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, Parmesan cheese

Instructions 

• VEGGIES: In a large pot over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the diced onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, 7-9 minutes or until veggies are crisp tender. Veggies shouldn't be browning; reduce the heat if they are.
• CHICKEN: Meanwhile, pull the chicken from the bones and shred or chop into bite-sized pieces.
• SEASONINGS: Add the seasonings to the veggies: Italian seasoning, chicken bouillon powder, dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, salt and pepper. (Season to taste with salt and pepper; I add ¼ teaspoon each but adjust depending on saltiness of broth and bouillon powder). Stir seasonings for 30 seconds.
• RICE: Pour in the two containers of chicken broth and add in the bay leaf. Bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the rice and return to a boil. Cover pan, reduce the heat to low (soup should be simmering), and cook for 10-15 minutes or until rice is tender.
• FINISHING: Once rice is tender, stir in chicken and peas to warm through, 2-3 more minutes. Season to taste with any additional salt and pepper if needed. Top with minced, fresh parsley (I add 3 tablespoons) fresh thyme and Parmesan cheese to individual bowls, if desired.
• STORAGE: Best enjoyed the same day it is made or the rice tends to bloat. (See Note 1.)

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Rice: This soup is best eaten the same day it’s made. When stored, the rice continues to absorb liquid, so it bloats and becomes too soft. (It also continues to take on the broth, making the soup turn into a thick stew.) If you aren’t planning on enjoying this soup the same day it’s made, I recommend either cooking the rice separately or halving the recipe. 

Note 2: Rice:  To cook the rice separately, reduce the broth to 1 carton of chicken broth and follow the directions below for cooking basmati rice:

• Measure the rice and rinse it in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs clear.
• Place that rice in a bowl and cover it with water to soak for about 5-10 minutes.
• While the rice is soaking, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
• Once the water is at a rolling boil, drain the rice and add it to the pot.
• Cook without reducing the heat, for 5 minutes (taste and test to make sure it is tender) and then drain and fluff with a fork.
• Simply add a few spoonfuls of cooked rice into individual soup bowls.

Nutrition

Serving: 6servings | Calories: 625kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 1010mg | Potassium: 830mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4217IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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