Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

5 from 2 votes

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 Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Dinner, Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: (1 cup) servings

Calories: 288kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

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.

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.

Tips:

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