Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

close up of a large pot of creamy chicken rice soup with wooden spoon.

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 254cal

Author: Ashley Fehr

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup features tender bites of shredded chicken breasts, sautéed veggies, white rice and a flavorful creamy broth! It's an easy one pot soup recipe that comes together easily in under an hour.

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil
1 onion (finely chopped)
2 large carrots (peeled and diced, or 3 medium)
2 ribs celery (halved and sliced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dried thyme
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (raw, about 1 lb)
1 cup long grain rice (white or brown)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cream (any kind - higher fat will have a richer flavor and thicker consistency)

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 is translucent.
Add garlic, parsley and thyme and cook 1 minute.
Add broth, uncooked chicken, uncooked 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 15-30 minutes(15-20 minutes for white rice, 30-35 minutes for brown rice), stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables and rice are tender.
Remove chicken from pot and shred. Add back to the pot with the cream. Serve.

Video

Notes

Ingredients and Substitutions:

vegetables: I start this recipe with a classic mirepoix (carrots, onion and celery) to build flavor, but you can add in lots of others if you like! Add the ones that cook longer with the mirepoix, and add the ones that cook quickly at the end (for example, frozen vegetables, leafy greens, broccoli etc.)
chicken: I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts but you can use thighs if you prefer. If you want to use bone in meat, that works too! You will just remove the bone when you shred the chicken.
rice: I usually use long grain white rice in this recipe. Brown rice works great but will need a longer cook time. I prefer not to use minute rice, though you can and it works fine -- just add it once the vegetables are nearly tender. Normally, I rinse my rice to remove excess starch before cooking it. But in this recipe, a little starch helps to make this soup thick and creamy.
cream: I like to use heavy cream in this recipe for the best flavor and consistency. However, any cream will work! You could even substitute with milk plus 1 tablespoon of corn starch or flour if you need to.

Nutrition