Go Back
–+ servings
A bowl of chicken and rice soup with bread in the background and fresh thyme on the counter.
Print

Chicken and Rice Soup

Savor the warmth and comfort of homemade Chicken and Rice Soup, a simple, one-pot recipe that combines tender chicken, perfectly cooked rice, and aromatic herbs in a rich, savory broth — ideal for busy weeknights or a cozy pick-me-up.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 253kcal
Author John Kanell

Equipment

  • Large Dutch oven or pot

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large celery ribs chopped
  • 2 large carrots peeled and chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 5 cups chicken stock or chicken broth (1.2L)
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (450g)
  • ½ cup long grain white rice (96g)
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme plus more to garnish
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

  • In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrots, and onion. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chicken stock.
  • Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, add the chicken breasts, rice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
  • Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Remove the chicken from the soup, and place it in a bowl. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken.
  • Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup. Serve garnished with additional parsley and thyme. Soup can be cooled to room temperature and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. You may need to add additional broth when reheating.

Notes

  • Use leftover chicken. Leftover roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken works well in this soup! Just add the shredded chicken after the rice is already cooked and continue cooking until the chicken is warmed through. I love cooking raw chicken in the soup, as it adds richness and a deeper flavor to the broth, but this is a great way use up leftovers!
  • Switch up the long grain rice. Go extra rustic by making chicken wild rice soup. Wild rice provides less creaminess than white rice, but the nutty flavor and firm texture are a lovely departure. Same with brown rice or any other type of whole grain rice. Just note that these varieties usually take longer to cook than white rice and may need additional broth.
  • Make creamy chicken and rice soup. Add a bit of richness to the soup by replacing up to ½ cup of the chicken broth with evaporated milk or heavy cream. Wwait to add it until the end of cooking when stirring the shredded chicken into the pot.
  • For an extra touch of bright, fresh flavor, squeeze fresh lemon juice into the pot of soup just before serving. However, skip this step if you're making a creamy soup variation, as the lemon can curdle the milk.
  • Feel free to add additional vegetables to the soup, such as zucchini, diced sweet butternut squash, green peas, spinach, and kale. Add heartier vegetables like squashes with the rice, and leave the more tender peas and leafy greens to the last step as they only need a couple of minutes to wilt and become tender.
  • To easily shred the chicken: Use two forks to shred the chicken breasts in a bowl, or add the cooked chicken breasts to a mixer with a paddle attachment and let the stand mixer shred the meat on low speed.

Nutrition

Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 781mg | Potassium: 617mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4077IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg