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    Chicken Rice Soup – Stove Top or Slow Cooker

    By 62 Comments ChickenFreezer FriendlyOn The Healthy/Lighter SideOne-Pot MealsSlow Cooker

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    This Chicken Rice Soup is a hearty, healthy soup recipe that’s perfect for fall! Loaded with vegetables, lean chicken and brown rice it can be made stove top or slow cooker.

    Recipe first posted on Spend with Pennies.

    chicken rice soup overhead

    Soup season continues here on The Recipe Rebel and I’m back with this easy Chicken Rice Soup! It’s hearty, healthy, and creamy so it ticks pretty much all of my boxes 😉

    Soup is pretty much my favorite way to get loaded up an all kinds of healthy stuff, and this one is no exception.

    I’ve used onions, garlic, carrots and celery but you could add all kinds of vegetables here. Mushrooms would be great (if you’re into that sort of thing), peppers, spinach, kale, or even frozen peas stirred in at the end. I often do this to cool down the soup for my kids and it works like a charm (plus, extra veggies!).

    I know that a lot of Chicken Rice Soup recipes use wild rice, but with the long cook time I just didn’t think I wanted to go that route. You can, if you like, but keep in mind that it requires an even longer cook time that brown rice.

    We use brown rice because it packs more fiber and protein, but still cooks in a reasonable amount of time. And we always have a giant bag around!

    scoop of chicken rice soup

    Variations of this Chicken Rice Soup:

    • As mentioned above, feel free to swap out the vegetables or add more in! You do need to keep cook time in mind though and may want to add them at the end if they are quick cooking (like broccoli for example, unless you like it very tender).
    • I use brown rice, but you could also use wild rice (a much longer cook time) or white rice (a lesser cook time). Again, keep in mind for the swaps you make you may need to adjust the liquid and cook time.
    • If you really want this to be quick, you can use instant rice, but you may want to leave it out of the soup until the carrots are cooked because they can take a while to become tender and you don’t want mushy rice!
    • This soup is naturally gluten-free, but double check all of your packages to be sure.
    • This soup can easily be made dairy-free, by omitting the milk or cream.

    make ahead/freeze

    To make ahead:

    This soup is great refrigerated and reheated, so feel free to make a large batch on the weekend for quick, easy meals during the week.

    To freeze:

    Low fat milk does not freeze well and will separate. If you know you plan to freeze, I recommend using whole milk or even cream as the higher fat content does better when frozen and thawed.

    Cool to room temperature, then place in a large freezer bag, seal completely, and lay flat to freeze in a thin layer. This will help the soup to thaw quickly when you need it for dinner!

    To thaw, you can submerge the bag in lukewarm water until thawed, then reheat to desired temperature in the microwave or on the stovetop.

    chicken rice soup in bowls

    To make Slow Cooker Chicken Rice Soup:

    You will follow many of the same steps, but the cook time will be considerably longer:

    • Add the veggies, broth, chicken and rice to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
    • Remove chicken and shred. Add back to the slow cooker with the evaporated milk.
    scoop of chicken rice soup
    Print Pin Recipe

    Chicken Rice Soup

    This Chicken Rice Soup is a hearty, healthy soup recipe that's perfect for fall! Loaded with vegetables, lean chicken and brown rice it can be made stove top or slow cooker.
    Course Soup
    Cuisine American
    Keyword chicken and rice soup, chicken soup, slow cooker soup
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Total Time 50 minutes
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 332kcal
    Author Ashley Fehr

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • 1 onion minced
    • 3 large carrots peeled and diced
    • 1 rib celery diced
    • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
    • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 5 cups low sodium chicken broth
    • 2 chicken breasts raw
    • 1 cup long grain brown rice
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 cup evaporated milk

    Instructions

    • In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook and stir for 3-4 minutes, until onion begins to turn golden.
    • Add garlic, parsley and thyme and cook 1 minute.
    • Add broth, chicken, rice, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
    • Reduce heat to medium-low (a simmer), cover, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables and rice are tender.
    • Remove chicken from pot and shred. Add back to the pot with evaporated milk. Serve.

    Notes

    *NOTE: carrots will be very tender by the time the rice is cooked. If you prefer your carrots with more bite to them, add them after the first 10 minutes when stirring the soup.

    Nutrition (this is an estimate)

    Nutrition Facts
    Chicken Rice Soup
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 332 Calories from Fat 81
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 9g14%
    Saturated Fat 3g19%
    Cholesterol 60mg20%
    Sodium 607mg26%
    Potassium 803mg23%
    Carbohydrates 35g12%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 6g7%
    Protein 25g50%
    Vitamin A 5250IU105%
    Vitamin C 5.4mg7%
    Calcium 150mg15%
    Iron 1.6mg9%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe?Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel -- I love to see what you're making!

    Comments

    3. 5 stars
      Thank you for this recipe! I modified it by cooking the veggies in a tablespoon of butter for a few minutes, then added 5 chicken legs to the pot and seared them a minute or two per side on 3 sides. I added 5 cups of bullion broth, 2 bay leaves, brought to a boil and simmered for about 40 minutes, but it was likely ready to eat at the 35 minute mark. I made white rice separately to avoid a thick consistency that I knew my kids wouldn’t like, and added it to the bowls at serving time. My kids loved it and ate seconds. One added a splash of lemon juice and salsa for heat, he loves spice, and it was great! Thanks so much, I’m definitely bookmarking your recipe!

      Reply

    4. 5 stars
      This soup is so good! My rice cooked too long and made the soup thick, but it ended up being my favorite part about it! It was hearty and filling. Garnished with some minced jalapeños and served with cornbread. Yum!

      Reply

    5. This recipe sounds amazing. I was wondering how long it keeps for as I would be making it for myself to have for lunch during the week and maybe dinner. Will the rice suck all the liquid like noodles do and if so should I keep some extra broth on hand?

      Reply

    6. Ya mine wasnt yellow either its was more milky looking. I think I’ve seen this picture on a different recipe too

      Reply

    8. Other recipe cites show picture after picture but can never find a recipe. So, delete in frustration.
      Your cite is pretty picture followed by clear recipe and instructions. What a blessing! Easy to use.
      Other recipes also call for a lot of exotic ingredients that will never again be used. Waste of precious
      Social Security $ for me. Your ingredients are down-to-earth, every day ingredients.
      THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
      Please keep them coming.

      Reply

    9. If I were to swap out the evaporated milk with a non dairy liquid, would it be milk or creamer? I’m excited to try this tonight!

      Reply

    10. 5 stars
      I made this last night and it was delicious! Only thing I did differently was to sprinkle a tad a cayenne pepper in for a little kick and I only used 1/2 c evaporated milk. Thank you!

      Reply

    12. 5 stars
      So yummy!! My 3 year old LOVED it! I used whole milk and added a bit more parsley and thyme. Will be freezing the leftovers for camp meal.

      Reply

    22. 5 stars
      Hello! I made this recipe, but I basically tripled it. I used canola oil and fried the chicken on both sides (4 mins each side on medium high heat. I used boneless chicken theighs and breasts. Then I removed the chicken on a plate. Then I added 4 stalks celery and 8 smaller carrots chopped small in the same oil on medium high heat for 10 mins add 1 ex large onion for another few minutes then Add 2 small garlic cloves minced. Cook another two minutes. Add 5 cans of chicken stock and 1 tsp thyme. Add one cup of white rice and add chicken not cut; bring to boil stirring often reduce heat to Simmer for 25 minutes. Remove chicken and left cool a bit. Chop in small pieces. Do NOT shred. Add chopped chicken and 1 can of evaporated milk.! Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if you have on hand. Sooooooo sooooo yummy! I didn’t use low sodium chick broth, added 1 tsp of salt. No pepper and no parsley.

      Reply

    23. This was very good! Mine didn’t turn out to be that pretty yellow broth color though. Any idea why? I cooked it in a slow cooker and I’m wondering if that was it?

      Reply

    24. 5 stars
      OMG!! This is outstanding. Seasonings ratios are perfect!!! I added a pinch of Rosemary for a twang, Thanks for sharing your gift!!!

      Reply

    26. Does the whole milk or cream take the place of the evaporated milk? And you don’t indicate how much corn starch to use in the crock pot variation. Can you advise?

      Reply

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