This Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup is a hearty and flavorful dinner that’s easy to make on a busy weeknight. The addition of rice and heavy cream makes for a delicious spin on a classic chicken soup recipe!
Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup is the perfect soup recipe for those cold winter days! The creamy delicious flavors are so comforting. The chicken and rice make this soup so hearty and filling. It’s a great option for dinner on a busy weeknight.
Better yet, it’s ready in under an hour, so it’s quick and easy to get on the table. It makes a big pot of soup, so there are usually leftovers. This is a great soup to eat leftovers, the flavors just get better and better!
Why We Love This Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup Recipe
- Quick and easy to make -ready in under an hour.
- Use of rice in place of noodles makes for a hearty and filling soup.
- Deliciously seasoned, chicken broth made creamy with heavy cream.
- Perfect for a cozy winter weeknight dinner.
Ingredients / Shopping List
- Boneless skinless chicken breast
- Chicken broth -low sodium
- Cream of chicken soup
- Long grain white rice
- Heavy cream
- Yellow onion -diced
- Carrots -diced
- Celery -diced
- Unsalted butter
- Fresh parsley -chopped
- Fresh garlic -minced
- Chicken bouillon seasoning
- Dried thyme
- Turmeric
- Bay leaves
- Salt & pepper
Substitutions and Additions
- CHICKEN BROTH: Please note that I used low sodium chicken broth in this recipe. If you use regular chicken broth I would omit the addition of the kosher salt or you will run the risk of your soup being way too salty. I find that using the low, or no, sodium chicken broth allows me to control the saltiness of my soup.
- CHICKEN: I like to use boneless skinless chicken breast but boneless skinless chicken thighs will work in this soup just as well if your family prefers dark meat.
- TURMERIC: If you can not find turmeric in your spice aisle, don’t worry, this soup will still be tasty without it. The turmeric is what gives this soup it’s beautiful light golden color and a unique depth of flavor that is found in so many creamy chicken soup dishes.
- RICE: Chinese take-out white rice is great to add to the chicken broth in a pinch as well.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- 10-quart stock pot
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
How to Make Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup
- Saute the butter, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until vegetables are tender.
- Add the parsley, thyme, chicken bouillon, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and turmeric. Stir to coat the vegetables.
- Add chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and raw chicken breasts.
- Stir ingredients, cover the pot, and simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and bay leaves from the pot.
- Bring the liquids to a boil and add the rice.
- Cover the pot again and turn heat to low. Cook rice for 20 minutes.
- Shred your chicken breast using 2 forks.
- When the rice is done, turn the heat off and add the chicken bat to the pot.
- Add heavy cream and stir.
- Top with additional fresh parsley and serve hot.
Storage Tips
- To Store: Once it cools down, you can transfer your soup to a lidded container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remember, as your creamy chicken and rice soup sits, the rice will absorb more of the liquids and plump up even more.
- To Freeze: This makes a great freezer meal! I would suggest omitting the rice if freezing. Use freezer safe individual size containers to pre-portion individual servings. This will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To Reheat: Thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator then heat up your thawed soup in a small pot, on medium high heat on the stove, and add pre-cooked rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make chicken and rice soup ahead of time?
If you want to make this soup ahead of time, you can follow all the steps except that you will omit the part of the recipe where you add the rice and cook it for 20 minutes. You can either cook your rice on the side, according to package directions, and then add it to the hot soup when you are ready to eat it or you can bring your premade soup back up to a boil, add your uncooked rice, cover and simmer for 20 minutes then serve.
What to serve with creamy chicken and rice soup?
The creaminess of this soup makes it a bit rich and the addition of rice makes it really hearty and filling. So, personally, I like to serve this soup with a light, crisp green salad. However, if you like you can also serve it with homemade bread or garlic bread for dipping!
Other Easy Soup Recipes
- Crack Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Cabbage Soup
- Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
- Easy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
- Cheeseburger Soup
- 7 Can Chicken Taco Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
Serves — 12
This Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup is a variation of a classic chicken soup recipe that can be prepared in just a few minutes on a weeknight.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 10 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 20 ounce cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup diced yellow onion (¼ inch pieces)
- 1 cup diced carrots (¼ inch pieces)
- 1 cup diced celery (¼ inch pieces)
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley plus extra for garnish
- 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon seasoning
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 small bay leaves
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp turmeric
Instructions
- In a large 10 quart stock pot, on medium high heat, saute the butter, onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the parsley, thyme, chicken bouillon, bay leaves salt, black pepper and turmeric to the sauteed vegetables and stir to coat.
- Add the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and raw chicken breasts to the pot. Stir, cover the pot with the lid and simmer on medium low for 20 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and the bay leaves from the pot. You can discard the bay leaves and place the cooked chicken onto a plate. Bring the liquids back up to a boil, add the rice, cover the pot again and turn the heat down to low again. Cook your rice for 20 minutes.
- While your rice is cooking, shred your chicken breasts using 2 forks. Set aside until your rice is done.
- Turn off the heat and add your shredded chicken back to your pot. Add the heavy cream and stir.
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: Once it cools down, you can transfer your soup to a lidded container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remember, as your creamy chicken and rice soup sits, the rice will absorb more of the liquids and plump up even more.
- To Freeze: This makes a great freezer meal! I would suggest omitting the rice if freezing. Use freezer safe individual size containers to pre-portion individual servings. This will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To Reheat: Thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator then heat up your thawed soup in a small pot, on medium high heat on the stove, and add pre-cooked rice.
- If you want to make this soup ahead of time, you can follow all the steps except that you will omit the part of the recipe in steps 4 & 5 where you add the rice and cook it for 20 minutes. You can either cook your rice on the side, according to package directions, and then add it to the hot soup when you are ready to eat it or you can bring your premade soup back up to a boil, add your uncooked rice, cover and simmer for 20 minutes then serve.
- Please note that I used low sodium chicken broth in this recipe. If you use regular chicken broth I would omit the addition of the kosher salt or you will run the risk of your soup being way too salty. I find that using the low, or no, sodium chicken broth allows me to control the saltiness of my soup.
- This makes a great freezer meal! I would suggest omitting the rice (make it on the side according to package directions) and use freezer safe individual size containers to pre-portion individual servings. You can thaw your frozen portions in the refrigerator then heat up your thawed soup in a small pot, on medium high heat on the stove. You can add your precooked rice to your soup then. Also, leftover chinese take-out white rice is great to add to the chicken broth in a pinch as well. This will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- I like to use boneless skinless chicken breast but boneless skinless chicken thighs will work in this soup just as well if your family prefers dark meat.
- If you can not find turmeric in your spice aisle, don’t worry, this soup will still be tasty without it. The turmeric is what gives this soup it’s beautiful light golden color and a unique depth of flavor that is found in so many creamy chicken soup dishes.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 657mg | Potassium: 451mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2390IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2mg
