Chicken and Rice Soup

This homemade Chicken and Rice Soup has the BEST mix of simple seasonings, juicy chicken, flavorful rice, and tender vegetables. It can be made on the Stovetop or in the Crock Pot and leftovers make a great freezer meal!

Chicken and Rice Soup

This is probably one of the coziest soup recipes that you can possibly make. It’s so simple, comes together really quickly, and the flavor is just perfect. There are a few flavor enhancers here that may surprise you, but trust me on this- they make all the difference.

Can You Cook the Rice in the Soup?

A lot of recipes call for cooking the rice right in the soup- but I beg you not to do it. I like to cook it on the side in some chicken broth instead, this way the rice and the soup can be stored separately in the fridge or in the freezer. (Rice loves to absorb broth when it cooks and during storage.) -I’ve seen my friends use a slotted spoon to try to remove rice from the soup pot before storing leftovers. And I know you don’t have time for that.

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Soften vegetables and garlic in butter in a large pot. Add seasonings, soy sauce, hot sauce, chicken, and chicken broth. Bring to a gentle boil and let the chicken slowly cook through. (Boiling rapidly will make the chicken tough.)

Meanwhile, cook the rice in chicken broth in a separate pot and set aside. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the soup and use 2 forks to shred it.

Add the chicken back to the soup. Spoon the rice into serving bowls and ladle soup on top. If you don’t anticipate leftovers, you can add the rice right to the soup pot. Garnish with parsley and serve!

Crock Pot Method

• Melt the butter in the Crock Pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and toss to coat.
• Add the the basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, mustard powder, pepper, soy sauce, hot sauce, chicken, and chicken broth.
• Cook on low for 6 hours. (I recommend low heat to keep the chicken juicy and tender. Cooking it over higher heat makes it tougher. If necessary, it can be cooked for 4 hours on high.) Shred at the end of cooking and return it to the soup.
• Cook rice separately as outlined in stovetop procedure. Add rice to serving bowls and ladle soup on top.
• Store any leftover rice and soup in separate containers and refrigerate or freeze.

Pro Tips

• Cuts of Chicken: Bone-in chicken breast or chicken thighs will add the most flavor to the broth. (I usually have boneless on hand and that works fine as well if needed!)
• You can’t taste the hot sauce, soy sauce, or mustard powder in this recipe, they are used as flavor enhancers. I usually use Texas Pete Hot Sauce. (Frank’s hot sauce is my trusty backup!)
• 2 1/4 cups of leftover rice can be used for this recipe as well.
• Top this soup with Ranch Oyster Crackers for even more flavor!
• This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 39!

Storage

• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
• Be sure to freeze the rice in a separate container from the soup. They both freeze well.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

• 3.5 quart Dutch Oven. -This is the one I use and love, excellent quality.
• Spice Rack– This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
• Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
• Pinch Bowls– for measuring out seasonings ahead of time.
• 16 oz. storage containers – I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.

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Chicken and Rice Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

4.97 from 102 ratings

Servings: 8 cups

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This Chicken and Rice Soup has the BEST seasonings, juicy chicken, and flavorful rice with vegetables. You'll think this cozy soup came right from grandma's kitchen.

Ingredients

Seasonings

• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon EACH: dried parsley, oregano, thyme, mustard powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper

Soup

• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 small yellow onion, diced
• ▢ ½ cup diced carrots
• ▢ 2 ribs celery, diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 5 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• ▢ 1 1/4 lb. bone-in chicken breast, see notes
• ▢ fresh parsley, to garnish

Rice

• ▢ 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• ▢ 3/4 cups white long grain rice, uncooked. (Or 2 ¼ cups cooked rice.)

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Instructions

• Note: The rice is cooked separately in this recipe to ensure that it doesn’t soak up too much broth in the soup. This allows leftover soup and rice to be stored separately as well, as the rice continues to soak up broth during storage. This soup freezes very well, the rice can also be frozen in a separate storage container.
• Pro Tip: Measure out the ingredients ahead of time. The rest of the recipe will fly by!
• Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Soften for 4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
• Add the seasonings, soy sauce, hot sauce, chicken, and chicken broth.
• Bring the soup to a gentle boil and cover partially. Allow the chicken to slowly cook through (a rapid boil will make it tough). About 15-20 minutes. Remove the chicken and use two forks to shred. (Discard the bones.) Return it to the soup. While the chicken simmers, cook the rice in a separate pot.

Cook the Rice

• Add 1 ½ cups chicken broth to a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the rice and submerge it in the liquid. Bring back to a boil. Cover tightly and reduce to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes. Turn heat off. Let the rice sit in the pot, covered, for 10 full minutes. Any rice stuck to the bottom will release during this time. This will yield 2 ¼ cups of flavorful rice. Note: Other varieties of rice can be used and will require different amounts of liquid and simmering time. (Refer to package for instructions.)
• Taste the soup and season with salt if desired.
• Spoon the rice into serving bowls and ladle soup on top. If you don’t anticipate leftovers, you can add the rice right to the soup pot. Garnish with parsley and serve!

Notes

Pro Tips:

• Cuts of Chicken: Bone-in chicken breast or chicken thighs will add the most flavor to the broth. (I usually have boneless on hand and that works fine as well if needed!)
• Cooking the chicken: You can let the chicken simmer over very low heat for a longer period of time. This makes the chicken extra juicy and the broth extra flavorful. 
• Using rotisserie or leftover chicken: 2 cups cooked chicken can also be used. You can add it at the same point as the chicken breast is added in the recipe and simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavors blend, but no need to bring it to a boil.
• Top this soup with Ranch Oyster Crackers for even more flavor!
• This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 39!

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Crock Pot Method

• Melt the butter in the Crock Pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and toss to coat.
• Add the the basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, mustard powder, pepper, soy sauce, hot sauce, chicken, and chicken broth.
• Cook on low for 6 hours. (I recommend low heat to keep the chicken juicy and tender. Cooking it over higher heat makes it tougher. If necessary, it can be cooked for 4 hours on high.) Shred it at the end of cooking and return it to the soup.
• Cook rice separately as outlined in stovetop procedure. Add rice to serving bowls and ladle soup on top.
• Store any leftover rice and soup in separate containers and refrigerate or freeze.

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Storage

• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
• Be sure to freeze the rice in a separate container from the soup. They both freeze well.

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Nutritional information is an estimate and is per cup. This recipe makes approximately 8 cups.

Nutrition

Calories: 121kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 803mg, Potassium: 284mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 1444IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 33mg, Iron: 1mg

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Author: Stephanie