This super easy, hearty and comforting homemade creamy chicken and rice soup is a great dish to make for cold days.
The trick to getting this easy creamy soup recipe extra delicious is by adding a little zesty lemon juice and some fresh chopped parsley. It makes all the difference!
Love creamy and hearty soups? Check out my Chinese chicken and corn soup and pumpkin and sweet potato soup recipes.
For clear soups, try my 20-minute bok choy soup, Chinese chicken soup and Chinese pork bone broth recipes.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Shredded rotisserie chicken - any part of the chicken will work, I like adding some of the chicken skin as it adds extra flavour to the soup! See below for variations.
- Celery, carrot and onion - a classic combo for Western-style soups as it adds a tonne of flavour. It is also very commonly used in making a classic spaghetti bolognese!
- Rice - this recipe uses raw rice but also works with cooked rice (reduce cooking time until rice reaches the desired tenderness). So if you've got some leftover rice sitting in the fridge, chuck those in too! Check out my rice recipes category for more rice dishes.
- Chicken stock - I like using chicken stock powder (mixing it with water to make the stock) as it is convenient. Feel free to use fresh stock instead. Substitute: vegetable stock.
- Heavy cream - aka thickened cream.
- Lemon juice and fresh parsley (not in the picture above) - take the tastiness of the soup up a notch! Very crucial and would not recommend skipping.
Cooking instructions (with pictures)
This simple and hearty creamy chicken and rice soup takes about 45 minutes to make, from start to finish.
To begin, wash and prep the vegetables.
Finely dice carrots, celery and brown onion. Mince garlic.
This recipe calls for 1 celery stick but stick sizes vary.
Rule of thumb: use roughly the same amount of diced carrot, celery and onion. Like the picture above (by volume not weight).
I always prefer washing rice (except when making risotto - eg. chicken and leek risotto) before cooking as I find it just tastes better. The rice tastes 'cleaner' as it's less starchy.
Having said this, washing/rinsing rice for this soup recipe is optional.
However, it is NOT optional when making steamed rice. Washing beforehand is a must.
In a large, deep saucepan or pot, soften diced celery, carrot and onion over low heat for about 7 minutes. Stirring frequently.
Then add minced garlic and cook over low heat for a further 3 minutes.
By now your kitchen should be smelling really nice and aromatic!
Now, add rice and shredded rotisserie chicken.
Then, chicken stock, salt and pepper.
Bring the soup up to a boil then reduce heat to low and cook with the lid on.
Stir the soup every 5 minutes or so.
This will do 2 things: 1) stop the rice from potentially sticking to the bottom and 2) stirring will help thicken the soup.
After about 25 minutes, the soup should be quite thick and the rice soft.
Stir in heavy cream and lemon juice. Taste the soup and adjust for more salt and pepper to your liking. If it tastes bland, it probably needs more salt.
As you can see in the picture above, the soup gets quite thick and creamy.
Add some more water to loosen the soup, about half a cup at a time until it reaches the consistency you prefer.
That's it!
To serve, sprinkle some finely chopped fresh parsley and black pepper.
Variations
Use rotisserie chicken bones (carcass) instead of chicken stock - this will add about an extra 20 to 30 minutes of cooking time but it's a neat trick if you don't have stock on hand.
- Once celery, carrots, onions and garlic are softened, add water and rotisserie chicken bones.
- Bring up to a boil and simmer over low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Pick the bones out using a pair of tongs or chopsticks with a ladle.
- Add rice, chicken, salt and pepper and cook according to the remaining recipe instructions.
Use raw chicken (breast or thighs) instead of rotisserie chicken - the recipe still works if you don't have rotisserie chicken but still want a bowl of hearty creamy chicken and rice soup! Follow the recipe as is and use diced-up chicken thighs or breasts instead. Can also use chicken mince (ground chicken).
Add less rice for a thinner consistency - this recipe calls for 1 cup of raw rice. If you prefer a thinner creamy chicken soup consistency, reduce the amount to half a cup or ⅔ cup.
For a healthy twist, use milk instead of cream - for a healthier creamy chicken and rice soup, swap heavy cream out with the same amount of milk mixed with ½ tablespoon of cornstarch (corn flour).
Useful tips and tricks
- Add more water to the soup to reach the desired consistency - rice loves water. So once you've stopped cooking, the rice will continue to soak up liquids! You'll find even just 1 hour after cooking, the soup will become thicker. That's normal. Simply mix in about half a cup of water to the whole pot at a time to loosen the soup to your preferred consistency.
- Add a splash of water when reheating - when hunger strikes, add a small splash of water to a bowl of this creamy chicken and rice soup. Cover with a paper towel and reheat in the microwave.
- If prefer chicken chunks, stir less - the more you stir during the cooking process, the more the chicken will fall apart in the soup. So I recommend a quick stir every 5 minutes if you prefer the chicken to stay more intact. Note - stirring more or less has no impact on the taste but rather, consistency.
FAQs
The trick to make this creamy chicken and rice soup extra tasty is by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice and finely chopped fresh parsley. It elevates the taste of the soup to a whole new level.
For a non-dairy version, swap out heavy cream with coconut cream or coconut milk. Otherwise, can also leave the cream out entirely. The soup will still be thick thanks to the starch content within the rice.
Storage
Lasts up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 4 months in the freezer. Store in airtight containers.
When reheating, add a generous splash of water to loosen the soup.
Made this recipe? Let me know your thoughts or questions by dropping a note in the comments section below.
I'd love to hear from you. 🙂
- Gen
Video
📖 Recipe
Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1½ cup shredded rotisserie chicken about 1 large chicken breast
- 1 cup raw white rice short, medium or long grain
- 7 cups chicken or vegetable stock about 1.6 litres
- ½ cup heavy cream or thickened cream
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 celery stick diced
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
To serve
- fresh parsley finely chopped
- black pepper
Instructions
- In a large, saute pan or pot with a lid, soften celery, carrots and onions with olive oil over low heat. About 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add garlic and cook for 3 more minutes over low heat.
- Add rice, chicken, stock, salt and pepper. Bring up to a boil then cook over low heat for about 25 minutes with the lid on. Stir every 5 minutes (note 1).
- Stir in cream and lemon juice. Taste the soup and adjust for salt and pepper as desired. Add extra water to loosen the soup if desired, about ½ cup at a time.
- Serve with finely chopped parsley and freshly cracked black pepper.
Notes
- Can use raw chicken (breast or thighs) instead of rotisserie chicken - the recipe still works if you don't have rotisserie chicken. Follow the recipe as is and use diced-up chicken thighs or breasts instead. Can also use chicken mince (ground chicken).
- If you don't have stock on hand, use rotisserie chicken bones (carcass) instead - this will add about an extra 20 to 30 minutes of cooking time but it's a neat trick if you don't have stock on hand.
- Once celery, carrots, onions and garlic are softened, add 7 cups (1.6L) of water and rotisserie chicken bones.
- Bring up to a boil and simmer over low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Pick the bones out using a pair of tongs with a ladle.
- Add rice, chicken, salt and pepper and cook according to the remaining recipe instructions.
- For a healthy twist, use milk instead of cream - for a healthier creamy chicken and rice soup, swap heavy cream out with the same amount of milk mixed with ½ tablespoon of cornstarch (corn flour).
- Add less rice for a thinner consistency - this recipe calls for 1 cup of raw rice. If you prefer a thinner creamy chicken soup consistency, reduce the amount to half a cup or ⅔ cup.
Leave a Reply