Chicken and rice soup is delicious, comforting, and one of the best soup recipes for fall and winter! Loaded with tender chicken, carrot and celery, and fluffy rice, this chicken soup is total comfort food. To make this rice soup recipe extra quick and easy, use store-bought rotisserie chicken when it’s time to add the chicken. 

Chicken and Rice Soup: Mom’s Cure All 

Somewhere between NYE and our mini NYC vacation, I caught a cold. But not just any cold!!! It’s one of those nasty relentless colds that just won’t quit. So I’m taking my mom’s advice and dealing with it the old-fashioned way: plenty of sleep and plenty of soup! 

Thankfully, soup and sleep are two of my love languages. So the cure is actually quite pleasant!

I typically make my flu fighter chicken noodle soup when I’m under the weather. But I’ve found myself out of noodles. So I decided to bust out the dutch oven and make a lemony chicken and rice soup instead. I use long grain white rice, but I think brown rice, jasmine rice, or even wild rice would work fine!

Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe: Ingredients 

• Olive Oil: I prefer using a mild olive oil, so the flavor isn’t too overpowering. But any variety of cooking olive oil will work. Use the fancy stuff for drizzling and dipping! 
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Adds a dash of heat without making this rice soup “spicy”. You may omit it if you don’t care for spice.
• Onion: Yellow or white onions will work great. You can use even a red onion in a pinch. Soup recipes are wonderfully flexible like that. 
• Carrots: Use 3 large large carrots or about 5 smaller ones. I like a carrot heavy soup, and if you do too, feel free to add an extra one in there. 
• Celery: You’ll need fresh celery stalks for this soup! Please don’t sub celery seeds. 
• Garlic: 5 cloves make this soup so flavorful. Don’t sub garlic powder here. 
• Salt and Pepper: To season the rice soup. Add more or less to taste. 
• Chicken Stock: I used half chicken bone broth and half regular chicken broth last time I made this. But you can use all one or the other. 
• Bay Leaves: Be sure to remove the bay leaves before serving and storing the soup.
• Chicken Breasts: You can sub chicken thighs or a store-bought rotisserie chicken. If you’re roasting the chicken, let it slightly cool, then shred it.
• Garlic Powder: Seasons the chicken breasts and adds nice garlicky flavor.
• Lemon Juice: You’ll use the juice for the chicken breast and the chicken soup.
• Rice: You must cook the rice before adding it to the chicken broth. If you add rice and cook it in the soup, the rice will soak up all of your precious broth, leaving you with chicken and rice mush.
• Fresh Dill: This adds so much bright flavor the soup. And fresh dill pairs delightfully with lemon!
• Parmesan Cheese: Stirring this into the chicken soup makes the chicken broth super flavorful And just slightly creamy… but with no cream! 

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How to make Chicken and Rice Soup

1. Cook the Veggies: In a large pot or dutch oven over warm the oil, then cook the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. 
2. Make the Soup: Pour in the chicken broth and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for at least 30 minutes. 
3. Cook the Rice: Use a rice cooker or pot to cook your rice. Set it aside until needed. 
4. Cook the Chicken: Roast the chicken in the oven, or shred your store-bought rotisserie chicken. 
5. Add Everything In: Add the chicken, rice, fresh dill and lemon juice. 
6. Serve the Soup: Ladle soup into bowls and serve warm! Preferably with crusty bread for dipping!

Full recipe in the recipe card below! 

More Soup Recipes & Chicken Soup Recipes:

• Italian Wedding Soup
• Blackened Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup
• Italian Minestrone Soup
• Easy Pasta Fagioli Soup
• Italian Chicken Tortellini Soup

Chicken and Rice Soup

Ashley Manila

Chicken and rice soup is delicious, comforting, and one of the best soup recipes for fall and winter! Loaded with tender chicken, carrot and celery, and fluffy rice, this chicken soup is total comfort food. To make this rice soup recipe extra quick and easy, use a store-bought rotisserie chicken when it's time to add the chicken. 

5 from 35 votes

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American, Lemon, Soup

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

 

For the Lemon Chicken:

• 1 and 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast
• 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Rice:

• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Water (check your package instructions to see how much water is called for)

For the Lemony Chicken and Rice Soup:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large carrots peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 cups chicken stock (or chicken bone broth)
• 1 cup water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh dill finely chopped
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

 

For the Lemon Chicken:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees(F). In a small bowl combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper; whisk well to combine. 
• Place chicken breast in a small baking dish and drizzle with marinade, toss well to ensure both sides are well coated.
• Place in the oven and bake for 28 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, flipping at the halfway point.
• Cool slightly, then – using two forks or your hands – shred the chicken into small chunks. Set aside.

For the Rice:

• Cook rice according to package instructions. Once cooked, fluff and remove from heat. Set aside until needed. 

For the Lemony Chicken and Rice Soup:

• Heat oil in a large soup pot over a medium-heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute, or until fragrant. Add in salt and pepper and stir to combine. Pour in the chicken stock and water. Then toss in the bay leaves.
• Increase heat to medium-high and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. 
• Stir in cooked chicken and rice and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, dill, and Parmesan cheese. Taste soup and adjust seasoning, if needed. 
• Remove from heat and serve at once! Soup will keep, covered in the fridge, for up to 5 days! If it becomes too thick, add a little chicken broth or water. 

Video

Keyword soup, chicken soup, rice soup, chicken and rice soup, soup recipes

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