The best easy Chicken and Rice Soup! Got 45 minutes? Perfect! Then you have all the time you need to make this deeply comforting soup! It’s light, yet hearty and filling and oh-so-flavorful! You’ll crave this chicken and rice soup all year long.
Want more soups? You’ve come to the right place! Sausage and White Bean Soup, Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi, and Potato Soup are all on my list to make yet this month.
Why This Recipe Works
Filling and nutritious — While I enjoy a good chicken and noodle soup, there’s something about this chicken and rice version I am enjoying especially here lately. It’s not only warm and filling but also nutritious too! Chicken broth is naturally low in calories, chicken is a great source of protein, and the veggies are perfect on their own or can be doubled for an especially good-for-you soup packed with lots of vitamins and minerals.
Comforting — During the winter months, I’m eternally grateful to the soup inventors. Especially as the cold weather has been breezing through starting in the late afternoon and through the evening, making me want to eat nothing but soup for nights on end.Pre-cooked chicken — Use leftover chicken from last night’s cookout or pick up a rotisserie chicken on your way home from work, shred, and add to this deliciously easy (mostly) homemade soup.
Veggies — I’m sorry but I just can’t have any kind of chicken soup without the addition of onion, carrots, celery, and lots and lots of fresh herbs. They’re tasty, pretty to look at, and they add lots of nice texture to boot.
Ingredients
- Box long grain and wild rice — Any favorite brand will do.
- Butter — I use unsalted, then add the salt back in later to taste.
- Chicken broth — Use a good-quality broth. I use low-sodium and add salt later.
- Onion — I use a yellow onion. White would work too.
- Garlic — Mince your own garlic or use the jarred kind.
- Celery and carrots — I use a nice dice here, not too fine though, you want to be able to see and taste the texture of the veggies in this chicken and wild rice soup.
- Heavy cream — This is the key to a thicker, creamier soup. You can skip if you like and substitute more broth.
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper — Just enough to taste good to your liking.
- Shredded — Shred a rotisserie chicken or cube up leftover, cooked chicken for this chicken and rice soup. A great way to use up leftover chicken!
- Peas — Use frozen or canned (if using canned, be sure to drain first).
- Fresh thyme, rosemary, or parsley — I love using fresh herbs as a garnish but if you don’t have fresh, you can use dried.
Here’s How You Make it
- First, get out a large skillet and in it, melt just two tablespoons of the butter. Then, add the rice into the melted butter and stir for one minute, or till the rice absorbs the butter and becomes somewhat translucent. (photos 1-2)
- Next, stir in one cup of chicken broth and the water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover it, reduce it to a simmer, and let the rice cook for 25 minutes. (photo 3)
- While the rice cooks, you can prep the cut veggies by melting the rest of the butter in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. To this, add the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots and saute for 3-4 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. (photo 4)
- Add the cooked rice to the stock pot with the cooked veggies as well as the rest of the chicken broth, plus the heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Bring all of this to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. (photo 5)
- While simmering, stir in the chicken and the peas, taste, then add more salt and pepper if desired. (photo 6)
- Finally, serve this healthy chicken and rice soup garnished with fresh herbs and add more pepper if you like and serve.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Want to add an extra boost of flavor and richness to this easy chicken and wild rice soup? Stir in 4 ounces of softened cream cheese in step 4.
- Always go for quality broth whenever you can (or make your own!). It makes ALL the difference!
- If you want to change up the flavors in this chicken and rice soup a bit, you could try a different flavor of broth.
- You could also add a hearty green like spinach or chopped kale during step 6 as well if you like the taste and nutrition of leafy greens.
It is best to follow the recipe instructions for how and when to add rice to soup. When you add uncooked rice to soup, it absorbs liquid throughout the cooking process so the recipe needs to allow for enough broth to account for the absorption into the rice, as well as extra for the end result of the soup.
Adding cooked rice too early in the recipe can result in over-cooked/soggy or mushy rice in the finished product.
Sometimes it is also okay to add uncooked rice to a soup if it is being made in a slow cooker or pressure cooker. Be sure to only do this if the recipe is written to include adding uncooked rice.
Broth is typically made by simmering meat bones and scraps in water with veggies and herbs. This is simmered for hours, until the flavors and juices from the meat seep into the water to flavor it. Broth can also be made from veggie scraps or cut up vegetables. In both cases, the meat and/or veggies are strained from the broth before using.
More Top Rated Soup Recipes
- Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
- Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli Soup
- Lasagna Soup
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
Did you try this Chicken and Rice Soup recipe? YAY! Please rate the recipe below!
Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 7-ounce box long grain and wild rice - (any favorite brand will do)
- 4 tablespoons butter - divided
- 2 32-ounce jars Zoup! Good,Really Good® Chicken Bone Broth - or other favorite chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cup water
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 stalks celery - chopped
- 3 whole carrots - chopped
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1-2 teaspoons salt - to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 cups shredded - or cubed cooked chicken
- 1 cup frozen peas - or canned, drained
- fresh thyme, rosemary, or parsley - for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add rice and stir for one minute.
- Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth and the water. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 25 minutes.
- While rice is cooking, prepare the vegetables. In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add onions, garlic, celery, and carrots and saute 3-4 minute until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant.
- Stir cooked rice into the stock pot along with remaining broth, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Stir in chicken, and peas. Taste, add salt and pepper as needed.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and additional cracked black pepper if desired and serve.
I’m confused which my 2 daughters say is a normal condition. If the recipe calls for 1 C of Zoup why do I need 2 32oz bottles?
You use only one cup of the Zoup to cook the rice but you need the rest of the 56 oz for the base of your soup
May I ask what brand/kind of wild rice you use? many thanks!!!
I believe that I picked up a bag of Lundberg Wild Rice from my local Kroger store!
STEp 4 says to add remaining broth
Thank you for this recipe. My husband and I are both sick so we were looking for a good bone broth soup recipe. This hit the spot. I used onions, carrots, celery, broccoli, zucchini, and squash. Didn’t have wild rice so used long grain white rice. Thanks again!
The broth was so rich and tasty.it was a very flavorful . I would make it again.Hope you give is try.