Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
The best easy chicken and rice soup! This soup recipe is packed full of vegetables and protein and is a family favorite dinner recipe. It is packed full of healthy ingredients. You cook the soup and rice separately in this recipe to avoid any mushy rice!
Easy chicken and rice soup
When I say easy, I truly mean easy! Most of the ingredients are prepared in one pot. I love that this soup is healthy and hearty. It is made with wholesome ingredients, and even picky eaters will love it. If you need a way to even sneak some vegetables in, this soup is perfect for that.
With this soup, I prefer to make the rice separately and then combine when serving. When cooked in the soup it tends to get mushy and then leftovers are even mushier.
I love to make this soup on cold winter days or when my family is recovering from an illness. Just this week we had some illness move through our house and this soup was so comforting, warm, and full of best flavors. I used to buy chicken and rice soup from the can, but this is so much better.
Ingredients in easy chicken and rice soup
- Chicken Breasts: Uncooked
- Rice: I used jasmine rice in this recipe. Any type will work: long grain, brown rice, minute rice
- Carrots: I used baby carrots in this recipe that I chopped into 1/2 inch slices. I wanted to avoid one more step of peeling the full-sized carrots.
- Celery: This simmers to tender perfection.
- Yellow squash
- Chicken broth
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Bay leaves
- Salt
What I love about this recipe
The ingredients in this soup are very simple. It can please the pickier eaters in your life as the rice can be served separately and even the chicken and vegetables can be easily separated on a plate. Sometimes my kids are weird about all their food mixed together so this is an easy solution for them to enjoy the meal more. I have prepared this meal for my family, friends who just had a baby and larger dinner parties. It is so versatile and quick to prepare.
How to make chicken and rice soup
In a large stockpot, sauté the vegetables. Then add in spices, chicken broth and raw chicken. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer until chicken is cooked through. Remove and shred and place back into pot.
While soup is simmering, in a medium sized pot boil water and cook rice according to package instructions.
FAQ
Why do you cook the rice separately?
I have prepared this soup many times and I now prefer to prepare the rice separately. Each type of rice has a slightly different cooking length making it hard to time it correctly to be cooked, but not complete mush.
As the rice remains in the liquid, it continues to absorb it. Because of this, I also prefer to save leftovers separately.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes, I would recommend boneless and skinless for ease when shredding!
Can I use a rotisserie chicken?
Yes, I have done this multiple times and I just add the chicken at the very end as the chicken is already cooked and I don’t want to dry it out. When the vegetables are almost soft is a great time to add in the rotisserie chicken
What type of rice is best?
Truly any type of rice you prefer! Since you are cooking it separately, just follow the package instructions
What toppings to serve with the soup?
Shredded cheese, avocado, hot sauce, or sour cream!
What to serve chicken and rice soup with
This delicious dinner recipe can be served all on it’s own! But, if you are looking for some tasty side dishes, I recommend these:
- Super Soft Dinner Rolls Without Eggs
- Toasted Bread
- The Best Brussels Sprouts (Oven-Roasted)
- Salad – any type of green salad would be delicious. I love to serve salads with this homemade Lemon Balsamic Salad Dressing
- Easy Chicken Lunch Wrap
- Cornbread
Equipment Needed
- 1 Large Pot or Dutch Oven
- 1 medium sized pot to cook rice
- Cutting board and paring knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
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Storing the leftovers
I store the soup and rice in separate containers. I typically reheat the soup on the stovetop and reheat the rice in the microwave.
Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized chicken breasts uncooked
- 2 cups jasmine rice (or your rice of choice)
- 2 cups carrots chopped
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 medium yellow squash diced
- 8 cups chicken broth or bone broth
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or large pot.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add onions, carrots, yellow squash, and celery to the Dutch oven. Sprinkle with salt and sauté for 3-5 minutes until soft. Stir frequently to avoid burning.2 cups carrots, 1 yellow onion, 1 medium yellow squash, 3 ribs celery
- Add in garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.2 cloves garlic
- In a separate pot, prepare the 2 cups of rice according to package instructions.
- To the Dutch oven, pour in chicken broth and add chicken breasts.8 cups chicken broth, 4 medium sized chicken breasts
- In the same Dutch oven, add in Italian seasoning and bay leaves.1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 2 bay leaves
- Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes, uncovered.
- You want to simmer the soup until chicken breasts are fully cooked through (165 degrees F).
- Remove the chicken breasts and shred. I prefer to place them into a stand mixer to shred, but it can also be done with 2 forks.
- Add shredded chicken back to the soup.
- Spoon cooked rice into bowls and then ladle soup over top.
A family favorite recipe!
I generally think chicken soup is good, but it is not one of my favorites. This recipe is exceptional: full of flavor and filling. Our family has been sick, and it was exactly what we needed.
Thank you for the review! I’m SO glad you all enjoyed it!