This Chicken Bacon Rice Soup is easy to make and comes together in just 25 minutes using only one pot! It’s thick and creamy and full of flavor!
Love a smoky soup with bacon? Try this White Bean Soup with Bacon next!
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This is hands down one of the best soups I’ve ever made, and I’ve made a lot of soups!
My husband’s favorite used to be this Smoky Sausage and Potato Chowder, but as it turns out, bacon wins every time.
Bacon takes everything to the next level, and with the juicy chicken and comforting rice, this soup is perfection.
When I originally made this soup a while back, I remember thinking it took way too long.
I’ve since made some adjustments to make it quick and easy, so it’s perfect for those busy weeknight dinners.
It’s the perfect comfort food for a rainy spring or cool fall day!
For more delicious soup recipes for soup season, check out my Sausage Potato Soup with Kale, Instant Pot White Chili Chicken Recipe, Ham and Potato Soup, and this Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup!
Ingredients Needed:
- Bacon: adds an irresistible smoky bacon flavor to the soup. Use your favorite kind!
- Vegetables: a classic mirepoix of celery, carrots, and onion, brings wonderful savory flavors to this dish.
- Seasoning: use a combination of freshly minced garlic, salt, dried parsley, dried thyme, and red pepper flakes to
- Broth: I always use a low-sodium chicken broth so I can better control the salt content of dishes.
- Chicken: use raw, boneless skinless chicken breasts for this soup. Boneless skinless chicken thighs will work, too.
- Rice: long grain white rice works best for this recipe, you can use other kinds of rice but the cook time may vary.
- Milk: I used low-fat milk for this recipe, but you can use full-fat milk if you prefer for a richer flavor.
- Corn Starch: helps thicken the soup.
How to Make Creamy Chicken, Bacon, & Rice Soup
This recipe is quick and easy to make. Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
- Cook bacon: Cook bacon until starting to crisp. Remove bacon and set aside.
- Saute vegetables: Saute celery, carrots, and onion until crisp-tender.
- Add seasoning: Add garlic, salt, parsley, thyme, and red pepper flakes and toast with the vegetables.
- Stir in the broth and chicken: Combine chicken breasts with the broth and add rice. Cover, and cook until chicken is done and rice is al dente.
- Shred chicken: Remove the chicken and shred it.
- Thicken soup and cook: Make a cornstarch slurry with the milk, and add it to the pot with the chicken. Cook until thickened, and add the bacon before serving.
Chicken Bacon Rice Soup FAQs
You can make any soup thicker with a simple cornstarch slurry, or by removing some of the soup, blending it with an immersion blender, and adding it back in.
If your soup gets a bit too thick, simply add some more chicken broth or water to it and stir.
You can store this recipe, prepared, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep in mind that the rice will absorb more liquid and become softer, so you may prefer to cook the rice separately and add it in as you serve it.
Yes! It’s a great recipe to keep in the freezer, any time of year. Simply cool completely and freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Tips and Notes
- Shredding chicken. You can use forks to shred chicken on a chopping board, or you can put the chicken in a mixing bowl and use a hand mixer on low speed to shred it.
- Leftover chicken. I originally wrote this recipe using leftover rotisserie chicken, so I know it works great if you’ve made Instant Pot Shredded Chicken and have some extras, and even Thanksgiving turkey leftovers!
Chicken Bacon Rice Soup Variations
- Use other veggies. You can use other kinds of veggies in this recipe to suit your preferences. Try mushrooms, corn, and bell peppers.
- Fresh greens. You can also add in some baby spinach leaves near the end of the cooking time for extra nutrients if you like. Or use fresh basil or fresh parsley leaves for a different flavor.
- Swap the rice. Use wild rice or a wild rice blend to make this a creamy wild rice soup, or brown rice to add some more nutrients! Keep in mind that wild rice and brown rice both require a longer cook time and you may have to add additional liquid.
- Broth. Chicken broth has a great, warming flavor, but you can use vegetable broth or water with chicken bouillon added if you prefer.
- Make it creamy. You can add a little bit of heavy cream to make this creamy soup even more decadent if you like.
- Garnish. Garnish your soup with extra crispy bacon bits, chopped green onions, and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese for extra flavor!
Serving Suggestions
This chicken soup is a hearty soup on it’s own, with chicken, rice, and veggies in the one pot, but we always love some bread on the side.
Some crusty bread would go perfectly, try my No Knead Artisan Bread, or these Homemade Breadsticks would work well too.
You can also try this soup with my Garlic Bread or Garlic & Herb Dinner Rolls for more garlic flavor.
Turn it into a complete meal with more veggies on the side like Air Fryer Broccoli, Roasted Green Beans, and my Roasted Carrots.
More Delicious Soup Recipes To Try
Creamy Chicken Bacon Rice Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon (chopped)
- 2 ribs celery (chopped)
- 2 large carrots (chopped)
- 1 small onion diced finely
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon salt (reduce if using salted broth)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb. uncooked)
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1 cup low fat milk
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or soup pot (I used my Dutch ovem), cook the bacon for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat, until it starts to crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add the celery, carrots and onion to the pot with the bacon grease and saute until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, salt, parsley, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute, then add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Add the chicken breasts (uncooked) and rice. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 12-14 minutes, until chicken is cooked through (it will reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F) and rice is al dente.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred it.
- Whisk together milk and corn starch to make a cornstarch slurry and stir it into the pot with the shredded chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until thickened, and stir the bacon back in before serving.
Notes
- Refrigerator: You can store this recipe, prepared, in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep in mind that the rice will absorb more liquid and become softer, so you may prefer to cook the rice separately and add it in as you serve it.
- Freezer: Simply cool completely and freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Nutrition Information
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Amy says
Made it today, added a (1) red bell pepper, chopped – and this recipe is awesome!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Amy!
Lily says
This soup was so easy and so tasty!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lily!
Suzanne McElroy says
It’s a hit with us! Yummy
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad to hear, Suzanne! Thank you!
Lynn Ford says
Can u do this in a crockpot
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lynn! I haven’t tried it with this recipe but it’s similar to my chicken rice soup recipe where I have some directions for the slow cooker: https://www.thereciperebel.com/chicken-rice-soup/ It would be a similar process. Hope you enjoy it!
JoeW says
Made this a couple of nights ago, and it was very good. Thickened up like crazy overnight, between the rice and the cornstarch. Easily fixed with a bit of chicken stock added before reheating, but I think I’ll try a little less cornstarch next time.
Thanks,
Joe
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear! Thank you Joe!
Katie says
Looks delicious. Can I sub Almond Milk for the low fat Milk? My husband has a dairy allergy.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Katie! I don’t see why you couldn’t. Enjoy!
Jo R says
Can I substitute the brown rice with a white rice such as Arborio rice or a risotto type white rice as I can’t have brown rice due to gastroparesis?
Ashley Fehr says
I would substitute with white minute or instant rice and reduce the cook time to 5 minutes
Melanie says
Hi Ashley,
This looks so good! If I use raw chicken, do I leave it in the pan with the veggies and add the broth?
There aren’t any steps that mention the chicken, so I want to be clear.
Ashley Fehr says
Sorry for the confusion! Instructions for raw chicken are listed in the recipe notes
DamePounce says
I’m in the process of making this right now and I don’t see where I’m supposed to put the chicken in. It’s precooked (leftovers from a whole chicken in the crockpot yesterday!) so I’m waiting until I put the milk in, but what step did you actually do it?
Christy says
This was VERY delicious!!! I work for my dad who owns a small local bar and grill. Made this today for the soup special it was a hit!! Every one loved it. I’ll definitely be making this again! Thanks for sharing.
Ashley says
Thanks Christy! So glad it was enjoyed!
Cindy Eikenberg says
Hi Ashley! This soup looks and sounds amazing – I know my hubby would love it – he loves soup and bacon! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing at Best of the Weekend and pinned! Hope you have a wonderful rest of the week and a great Wednesday!
Vickie says
Chicken and bacon – what’s not to love! This sounds really good and easy, which is right up my alley. Thanks for the recipe!
Ashley says
Thanks Vickie! Good and easy are two things we love 🙂
Kristina & Millie says
Looks and sounds so delish!! pinned 🙂
Ashley says
Thanks so much!
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says
Chicken and rice soup is always one of my faves, and throw in bacon and make it quick/easy? Count me in! New favorite soup recipe indeed. 😀
Ashley says
Haha, thanks Jess! It must have been the bacon that got him 😉