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. 🙄
How practical! How appetizing! How it only sometimes emergea like this in my kitchen ere it is devoured!! And, Nagi Maehashi, don’t tell fibs that Dozer was not ‘lured’ to pose for this photo-shoot!! Plain chicken at three steps above – ha!!!
HA!! He was lured for the shot because when he does it, he gets in trouble because he makes that table wobble!!!!
Come’on Milady – he s tries do not deserve one iota od controversy . . . so aye from me and mine hmmph j!!
Delicious, I made a double batch of this for dinner tonight. Perfect for today after a blizzard up here in Wisconsin in mid April over the weekend! Plus I had a sick child, so just what we needed. Even had enough to send with my husband for lunch at work and the kids at school tomorrow. Served it with garlic bread for dunking mmmm….
I hope your child is feeling better Alexis. Nothing beats a homemade chicken soup 🙂 N xx
Love it, loved it! Can have it any time of a day or night. Love to have home made clear stock am having for my AM, or PM tea middle of winter. Sometimes am cooking with skin/ fat but let it rest for 24 HR than take fat off and it’s yum! Also am using ginger, hot chillies, hips of garlic. VEGETA STOCK IS SOMETHING I GROW UP WITH. YES IT GOES LONG, LONG WAY BACK. There is soooo many ways to make it you just can’t go wrong. Let’s NOT FORGET DOZER HE IS GORGES. Have good week.
Vegeta is the BEST!! Love the colour, the flavour and those little “bits” in it! N xx
I was planning on making a soup for dinner tonight, and I saw this 🙂 . Perfect timing Nagi, it looks so good and I’m sure it will be as delicious as all the other recipes of yours that I have made. Thank you 🙂
I hope you love it Margaret! N xx
Just a quick question Nagi . If I separate the broth from the rice and veggies can I then freeze both ready for a cold day ?
YES absolutely!!
This is going on my menu for next week, but I’m going to do macaroni instead of rice because my son is having a macaroni craving. Hoping it will turn out well, but then all your recipes I’ve tried so far have 😃
I hope he loves it Judith! N xx
OK, I must say that lately I don’t know what I look forward to more: your great recipes or Life of Dozer vignettes. I mean that dog is so cute, it’s unbelievable! And I’m a cat person for crying out loud :). Of course, I can’t wait to try the recipe as well, LOL!
LOVE hearing that!! Thanks so much for your lovely message! N xx
Thank you Nagi! We just have to make sure my cat does not hear of this :)).
Best regards from Europe.
That Dozer! What a clown. It’s like he’s beseeching you with his eyes and body language, “Please Mom…I’m so weak I can’t even hold my own head up. I NEED some chicken…NOW!” Lovely soup, by the way. Nourishing with a flourish!
BA HA HA! That’s exactly what he looks like!!! 😂
i cant wait to make this. i have been sick with a cold for over a week and eating soup out of a can! dont have the energy for anything else. and speaking of soup. do you have a miso soup recipe? there is Ramen place here in the city (NYC) that makes the BEST Miso Ramen. and while the pork in the bowl is yummy its the soup that gets added that really is to die for. I’ve never had any better than this place. of course its a hole in the wall kind of place. but often they are the best. thanks for all your amazing recipes. i try to make one a week – when im not sick!
PS – this looks jut like my grandma’s chicken soup. love in a bowl.
I love hearing it reminds you of your grandma’s! I hope you feel better soon Ali 🙂 N xx
So true! When I make chicken anything, my dog magically appears! Your dog is so adorable!
I know, right?? Also, plastic bags coming out of the fridge. He dashes in expecting it to be meat and is so disappointed when it’s veggies! 😂
Your recipes are outstanding. I try to do justice to you when I’m making them. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with all of us, they are truly amazingly good🤗‼️
Awww you flatter me Sherie! I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes! N xx