A Chicken and Rice Soup that will nourish your soul… A recipe with high returns for minimal effort!
This Chicken Rice Soup is made by cooking chicken pieces in the broth which yields a beautiful savoury, golden, flavour infused broth without having to man handle a whole chicken. Skip the rotisserie chicken – this is better!
Chicken and Rice Soup
I know there are plenty of quick and easy Chicken soups “out there” that will have you using pre cooked chicken or poaching chicken breast quickly then stirring it into the soup. And if that’s what your time constraints require, please see Note 1 in the recipe because I’ve given the shortcut steps for this, and you’ll have this soup on the table in 30 minutes. (And it will still be totally slurp worthy).
But for a smidge of extra effort and 30 minutes of hands off cook time simmering chicken pieces, you can have this Chicken and Rice soup with an incredible savoury, golden soup broth with flavour that money can’t buy.
Best rice for soup
Most types of rice is great for soup. White, brown, wild rice, black rice, sushi rice, basmati and jasmine rice are all great. Even risotto rice and paella rice work!
For brown and wild rice, these take longer to cook than the simmer time for the soup. So they will need to be cooked separately before adding into the soup.
Can you put uncooked rice in soup?
Yes – uncooked rice is best to add into soup because it soaks up the flavour of the broth, making it extra tasty!
How to store Leftover Chicken and Rice Soup
Leave the rice in the soup, and you’ll be horrified by the block of jelly-like sludge that you’re faced with the next morning, caused by the rice absorbing all the liquid.
To avoid this, there’s no option other than to use a slotted spoon or colander to separate the broth from the rice, chicken and vegetables and to refrigerate or freeze them separately.
If you’re making the Chicken and Rice Soup to take elsewhere, please see the recipe notes for the best way to do this (it involves using some of the broth + water to cook the rice separately, after which it’s added into the soup when ready to serve 🙂 ).
Add a soup dunker!
Adaptable recipe – make it your own!
This Chicken and Rice Soup recipe is a terrific base for adding your own touch. It’s slurp-worthy delicious as it is, but can take more veggies, more herbs, a squeeze of fresh lemon, or even other cooked proteins. Here are some ideas:
Zest and squeeze of fresh lemon is a beautiful touch of freshness
More veggies (chopped zucchini, stir in chopped kale or spinach, bell peppers)
Sub chicken with other cooked protein (500g/1lb cooked weight)
Add 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 2 sprigs, or a touch of other dried herbs
Try adding a can or two of crushed tomato for a light tomato based soup
For low carb, skip the rice and load up on more veggies. I like to fill it out with meaty veggies like broccoli and cauliflower.
If you’ve made this recipe your own, share what you did in the comments below. Tell us, tell us! We wanna know! 🙂 – Nagi x
Chicken and Rice Soup recipe
Watch how to make it
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Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter (or more oil)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 onion , chopped
- 3 carrots , halved then cut into 1cm / 2/5″ slices (quarter if really thick)
- 3 celery ribs , cut into 1 cm / 2/5″ slices
- 3 tsp Vegeta stock powder , or 2 x vegetable or chicken bouillon cube, or 2 tsp powder (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme, optional
- 1/4 tsp black pepper , finely ground
- 4 cups (1 litre) chicken broth , low sodium
- 4 cups (1 litre) water
- 600 g (1.2 lb) bone in , skinless chicken thighs, 4 x 150g/5oz (Note 1)
- 1 cup (180g) long grain white rice , uncooked (Note 3)
- Salt, adjust to taste
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Place oil and butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 5 minutes until onion is translucent.
- Add carrots and celery, stir for 1 minute.
- Add stock powder, dried parsley, thyme (if using), pepper, chicken broth, water. Stir, then add chicken.
- Cover with lid, simmer on medium low for 30 minutes. Adjust heat so it’s bubbling a nice amount, but not crazy energetically or super slowly. Skim off excess foam build up once or twice (not critical, just makes broth clearer).
- Remove lid, add rice. Stir, cover, simmer 15 minutes.
- Remove soup from stove.
- Remove chicken into large bowl. Shred with 2 forks, discard bones then stir into soup.
- Stir in half the parsley, taste for salt and add if required. Serve, then garnish with extra parsley.
Recipe Notes:
This is just a type of stock powder / bouillon cube in powder form. It’s my favourite for clear soups like this for both flavour and also because it gives it that yellowish tinge that I associate with this soup. It’s sold at supermarkets here in Australia alongside other stock powders & liquid broth, and here it is on Amazon. It’s quite popular in European recipes, from what I’ve seen. However, any vegetable or chicken bouillon cube (crumbled) or powder is perfectly fine to substitute. 3. RICE: Any ordinary white rice is ideal here – long grain, medium, short grain, sushi rice, jasmine and basmati. Quinoa could also be used. Paella and risotto rice are not suitable. Brown and wild rice needs to be added 5 minutes after the chicken is added (it needs 40 minutes to cook). 4. STORAGE: Use a slotted spoon to separate the rice and all soup contents from the broth. Store in separate containers, otherwise you’ll end up with a stodgy mushy rice block! Refrigerate then reheat soup first, then add the rice and stuff. Taking it somewhere? Here is what I do: Cook it all the way to the end but do not add rice. Cook the rice separately as follows: Place 1 cup rice in a saucepan with 1 cup of finished soup liquid plus 1/2 cup of water. Cover with lid then bring to simmer on medium, then cook for 12 – 15 minutes until water is all absorbed (tilt to check). Remove from stove, leave covered and stand for 10 minutes. Remove lid, fluff rice, then put rice in a separate container to the rest of the soup. To assemble, heat the soup, then add the rice. 5. Add Ins: See in post for ideas. 6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings (it’s a generous bowl). Reduces to 380 calories if made using 500g/1lb breast.
Nutrition Information:
More soul warming clear broth soups
Quick and easy Chicken Noodle Soup
Made from scratch Chicken Noodle Soup (whole chicken)
Hot and Sour Soup – best Chinese soup for colds!
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Life of Dozer
Nowhere in sight while I was chopping carrots and sautéing onion, then he thunders inside the minute chicken makes an appearance.
Thunders. Not loping or trotting. Thunders. 🙄
I love your recipes.
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
It is easy to cook, and my kids love it!!! My daughter (1.5 years old) ate this twice a day for her meal in 2 days in a row with no complaint at all. In fact, she asked for the soup again. I can’t wait to try other recipes
That’s so great to hear Ling! I’m so happy to hear that! N x ❤️
Delicious and very easy!
Hi Nagi, I made this last night as a Man Flu antidote which he had 2 big bowls. It was delicious and aromatic, I loved the addition of rice (jasmine) into the soup. I was originally going to make your Chinese chicken and corn which I’ve done several times now but realised I had exactly 3 stalks of celery leftover in my crisper so they were the game changer!
He says thanks Nagi 🙂 and so do I, as usual for all of your lovely recipes.
MAN FLU! OMG did he come out the other side in one piece?? 😂 I’m so pleased this helped him through that traumatic time. You are VERY good to him Vanessa! 😇
Chemist Warehouse are going to go out of business you know Nagi?! Lots of cases of Man Flu – Type A being treated as we speak with this wonderful remedy!! D x
BA HA HA!!!! Death defying soup??? Saving Aussie blokes all over?? 😂
It’s a public service really… 😉
This has turned into a family favourite thank you Nagi! The thought of making chicken soup from scratch, boiling chicken for hours, skimming fat, straining etc just doesn’t interest me. I can prepare this earlier, add rice last minute after an afternoon of activities and running around with kids and a nutritious and filling dinner on the table in 15 minutes. I think I love you!
this soup looks wonderful. i was surprised to see vegeta in the ingredients list. brought back memories from my childhood, growing up in yugoslavia. it’s the spice that was put in every dish. every soup, stew, casserole, roasted meat, everything 🙂 i even had it sprinkled on a piece of bread with butter. now i don’t use it in my cooking because of it’s ingredients, but you are right, it gives nice yellow shade to soups and great flavor.
Hi Nagi, thank you so much for this wonderfully easy and delicious soup. We just had it for dinner and it’s absolutely divine. I will definitely be making it again and again! 🙌🏻🎉😘
Hi Nagi,
I cooked this wonderful chicken and rice dish last night, and couldn’t stop myself from having seconds and a bit more later.
I used drumsticks, and absolutely enjoyed every spoonful of this scrumptious meal.
Each few days when I try another of your recipes, i think it’s my favourite, until I try yet another.
Until I found your great site early last year I probably cooked more Thai food than anything else, but am now waiting for your latest masterpiece.
Love hearing that Gary! So pleased you enjoyed this 🙂 N x
Nagi, I had a few bone-in chicken thighs languishing in my freezer that were not quite enough for our meal.
Perfect for a batch of this delicious, savoury soup. I found a bit of tumeric root in there as well, which added the necessary sunshine yellow. I used brown basmati which holds up well in the soup.
There’s something about the colour and aroma of this soup that says ‘EAT ME!!!
this is SO yummy – i used chicken thighs because i’m lazy !! mel x
Absolutely Outstanding!
Best chicken rice soup I have ever made.
Used Boneless, Skinless chicken thighs (what I had on hand).
Used Better Than Bouillon.
Hi Nagi,
Thanks so much for your reply and the information.We had the Chicken and Rice Soup last night with Jasmine rice. It was delicious! I will try it with our Japanese rice next time. Here is what I found out about Shirakiku rice: “Shirakiku rice is a Japanese variety of rice, but it is also commonly grown in the state of California. Though it can be used for sushi, it can also be served with other foods as a side dish or in recipes that call for cooked rice.” It sounds like an “all-purpose” rice.
Sandy
had this last night, wife and I thought it was great. Keepum coming!!
Terrific to hear Willie! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it – N x
Good morning Nagi.
I intend to make this tonight but I have a few questions. Is it a normal sized onion that I should chop? And a request. Could you maybe put the approximate weights of things like onions, carrots, celery, etc for people like me (probably just me, lol) who are completely inept on the correct sizing for an average piece of produce? I have to watch your video and keep adding more or removing until it looks about the same amount as you used in the video for things like onions especially. Amazon has same day shipping here in San Antonio so the Vegeta will hopefully arrive by this afternoon at the latest so I will be waiting for your tips.
Thanks Nagi.
Hi Alexandria, I hope I’m not too late! I understand what you mean. Onions can range from small to giant! For most of the recipes on my sight, they will work just fine whether you are using a smaller or larger onion, carrot etc. Where it does matter, I always include an instruction, like 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion. So don’t worry! This recipe is totally flexible with onion, carrot and celery quantities as long as they aren’t abnormally gigantic! N xx
I decided to wait to wait for your reply and made it the next night. According to my husband, it was delicious but he said he would have preferred chicken and dumplings because he likes biscuits. Now I am wondering if you have a chicken and dumpling recipe scheduled in the future? Thank you for another great recipe Nagi.
I will add it to my list!! 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi,
I noted that you said you can sub chicken with other protein, as we are vegetarian, can you give me ideas on other substitutes I can use. Chicken soup was ‘always’ one of my favourites…
Definitely getting ready for soup season whenever we get any relief from this Sydney heat!!!
Thankyou 🙂
Hi Jo! Do you eat egg? If so, I would whisk up 6 – 8 eggs, then pour it in slowly while stirring gently so you get egg ribbons in the soup. It’s so good! Nice addition of protein in the soup 🙂 Also what about seafood? The cooler weather has been nice, hasn’t it? I’ve been eating soup almost every day this week! N xx
I make chicken soup with rice noodles and never thought to use actual rice. I’m definitely trying it next time. I always add some fish sauce to my chicken soup, it doesn’t taste fishy, just “lifts” it.
Wicked secret ingredient!!! 👍🏼
Hi Nagi,
This recipe looks delicious and we will be trying it soon! I have a question about the rice. You said that sushi rice is not suitable. We are a Japanese-American family and we eat a California grown Japanese rice with almost all of our meals . For example, we now have Calrose Shirakiku rice. I think it is either a short or medium grain but it doesn’t say on the bag. This rice can be used to make sushi. Does that make it a sushi rice? Thanks so much.
Sandy
Hi Sandy! If it is used to make sushi, then the rice is considerably stickier than other rices. I say it’s not suitable because I am a bit of a rice snob – the rice grain isn’t made for use in soups like this, it’s got a specific purpose ie sushi 🙂 Like risotto and paella rice. However, it will work fine in this recipe, it’s just me being picky! PS It’s short grain. The shorter the rice grain, the stickier they are. PPS I think you just talked me into adding sushi rice into the “fine to use” list.
Hi Nagi,
Thanks so much for your reply and the information.We had the Chicken and Rice Soup last night with Jasmine rice. It was delicious! I will try it with our Japanese rice next time. Here is what I found out about Shirakiku rice: “Shirakiku rice is a Japanese variety of rice, but it is also commonly grown in the state of California. Though it can be used for sushi, it can also be served with other foods as a side dish or in recipes that call for cooked rice.” It sounds like an “all-purpose” rice.
Sandy
Thank you for another great recipe! (I already know it’s great 😊, not once have I been disappointed with any of your recipes) Cannot wait to try it out!
Terrific to hear Joanne! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it – N x
When you use chicken broth do you make it or use bought stock? Love your recipes!
Store bought 90% of the time! 🙂 N xx
Nagi, thanks another great addition to your “repertoire” of recipes on your website! Would you please check the link to adjust the quantity of ingredients – up or down, to vary the number of serves? I often use this function, however to-day it does not appear to be responsive. Again many thanks for your recipes, tips and tricks!
Hi Mazza! I just checked and it seems to be working ok?? Let me know if you’re still having problems and I will check it out again! N xx
Thank you Nagi, I agree, that link now appears to be working correctly, Perhaps I had a “grande senior moment”! Appreciate that you responded to my problem. Again thanks Mazza.