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A piping hot bowl of this creamy chicken and rice soup recipe is such a comfort on a cold day! It’s simple to make with no fancy ingredients, and the rich broth is irresistible.
If you’re craving a non-creamy version of this recipe, try my Easy Chicken and Rice Soup.
Why you’ll love it
Hello comfort food! This cozy chicken and rice soup is straightforward to make and basically a hug in a bowl. The chicken and rice cook right in the soup, making it super convenient and so that cleanup is pretty minimal. That’s an important factor for feeding hungry mouths after work.
I’m a big fan of jazzing up chicken soup while still using everyday ingredients you’ve probably already got in your pantry and fridge, so that’s what we’ve got going on in this soup. While a classic Chicken Noodle Soup is always appreciated, sometimes changing it up with rice and a creamy broth just hits the spot. It makes a filling and easy meal.
What you’ll need
- Celery, onion, carrots, and garlic – the base for many soups. I like using sweet (Vidalia) onions best.
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Flour – it’s a thickener
- Chicken broth – for another layer of flavor
- Italian seasoning – it’s a delicious dried herb blend that comes in a single jar. I use it in tons of my recipes, so it’s a staple in my pantry.
- Rice – for this one I like jasmine rice. It’s a flavorful long grain white rice.
- Heavy cream – it adds a rich, luxurious touch to the broth
- Chicken – we’re using uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This is the ladle I use for my soups. It doesn’t spill all over the place when serving.
- For all my soups I like to use a Dutch oven. It’s sturdy and conducts heat great.
- I mince the garlic cloves with this garlic press. One squeeze and no sticky fingers!
How to make creamy chicken and rice soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Sauté the carrots, celery, and onion in a Dutch oven or soup pot with the olive oil until softened, followed by adding in the garlic and flour.
Slowly pour in the chicken broth and stir until the flour dissolves, and then scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Italian seasoning, rice, and cream.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the chicken, and cook until both it and the rice are cooked through. Season generously with salt & pepper.
Pro tip
If you do need to make this soup ahead of time, I suggest cooking the rice separately and adding it to each bowl just prior to serving so that it doesn’t soak up a lot of broth before it’s time to serve it. It absorbs it pretty fast!
Substitutions and variations
- You can use rotisserie or leftover Baked Chicken. Just be sure to add it in towards the end of the cooking time, around the last 5 minutes, so it doesn’t overcook.
- Swap for chicken thighs if you prefer. I would leave them intact and add them in at the same time as the rice. They’re a lot harder to overcook than chicken breasts and become more tender the longer you cook them. Just shred them with two forks, and add the meat back to the soup once it’s done cooking.
- I wouldn’t sub the heavy cream for something lower fat. It could lead to curdling since we’re cooking at a fairly high heat, and the soup won’t taste as good.
- I don’t recommend swapping the white rice for brown rice or wild rice directly because it takes much longer to cook and wouldn’t work as written. However, you can cook a different variety of rice separately and add it into the soup at the end if you wish.
What to serve with chicken and rice soup
- This soup is a hearty meal as-is, but you can definitely serve it with a slice of crusty French bread, sourdough, or Garlic Bread.
- I also enjoy pairing it with a side salad. Try mixed greens with my Classic Homemade Ranch Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftover chicken and rice soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Keep in mind that the longer it is, the more the rice will absorb the broth.
- Reheat this chicken soup in a saucepan over a low heat, giving it a splash of broth to thin it out if needed.
- This is not one of those soups that freezes well due to the cream and rice.
Questions about this creamy chicken soup, or want to write a review a star rating? Talk to me in the comments below! You can also find me on Instagram.
Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 stick celery chopped finely
- 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped finely
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3/4 cup uncooked white jasmine rice
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1 pound uncooked chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces/strips
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, celery, carrots, and onion to a soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the garlic and flour and cook for about a minute.
- Slowly pour in the broth and stir/scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot until the flour has dissolved.
- Stir in the Italian seasoning, rice, and cream. Increase the heat to high, and once the soup comes to a gentle boil, give it a good stir, then reduce the heat so it's simmering and cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes. I stir it every now and then to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Add in the chicken and cook for another 7-10 minutes or until the chicken and rice are both cooked. Season with salt & pepper as needed (I am generous with both). This soup will soak up the broth FAST. You may need to add more chicken broth if you prefer a less thick soup, and you'll definitely have to add broth to leftovers. Cook the rice separately if you don't plan on eating it right away (add rice to individual portions just before serving).
Notes
- Recipes serves 4-6 depending how much people eat/what it’s served with.
- 1 pound of chicken breasts usually works out to 2 medium chicken breasts (a bit less or more than a pound is fine).
- This recipe is best enjoyed right after it’s made. Soups with rice and cream typically don’t freeze too well.
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream for something lower fat in case it curdles (the cream is cooked over a fairly high heat).
- This recipe is also in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My husband and son both are gluten free, do I have to add the flour or can I sub it for a different one like almond or coconut?
Hi, so… the flour helps give the soup some thickness. I would probably skip it altogether if you can’t use all-purpose flour since coconut or almond flour have entirely different properties. You could add in a cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken it up.
hi jessica-
im gluten free and i always substitute Bobs Red Mill 1:1 flour with any recipe that calls for all purpose flour. cant even tell! hope that helps!
Hi,
My hubby is celiac so we are super GF at home. You could just skip the flour, but I like to add cornstarch toward the end to thicken it. I take 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch and add it to a small bowl with 3 tablespoons of cold water and mix it well. Then use a small whisk to add to the recipe when it is bubbling hot right toward the end and give it a few mins to simmer—comes out great! Just make sure to add a small amount and whisk as you combine it to the soup a bit at a time or you can get lumps.
I was looking for a soup to use some roasted chicken and plain rice I had leftover . I knew I felt like a creamy soup for a change . This worked out perfect . I even happened to have some homemade turkey broth in the freezer , yummy. It was so quick and easy . I’ll be making this again for sure .
I’m so happy to hear that, Darlene!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
Hello natasha,
Thankyou for your recipes. My children being natural picky eaters love all of them that I have made so far.. and I have sent the recipes to other family members..
Just curious if you could use minute rice for the rice considering that’s what I got at the moment? Then also I wonder if you could use an instant pot with this recipe if you put it on low setting considering the cream.
Thankyou for your time.
Hi! I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂 You could use minute rice, but I would probably add it in later on (I haven’t cooked with it in years so I am unsure about exact timing, but you’d want to ensure it doesn’t turn to mush, basically). Re: the Instant Pot, that’s a bit tricky. Rice and flour can both be a bit iffy in the Instant Pot (sticking, burn warnings, etc.). I would use regular rice if going the Instant Pot route, and I would not pressure cook the cream… I’d stir it in towards the end after you release the pressure. For timing, I’d say 8-10 minutes on high pressure, but that’s purely a guess. I have not made soups in the IP on the low setting before, but as this recipe does have the rice and flour, that might be the best way to go. Let me know if you decide to experiment!
The recipe is a success!! I tweeted a few things but overall delish😋. Thanks for sharing
Fabulous! You’re welcome, Jasmine! 🙂
What would you recommend substituting for the cream?? I can’t eat dairy but this sounds so good and want to try it!
Hi Emily! Maybe you could try a whipping cream alternative like Silk makes? I do have a dairy-free version of this soup linked in the blog post (but it’s not creamy).
could orzo be substituted for rice in this recipe?
That should work just fine. It’ll only take about 10 minutes to cook, so you may want to add it in later.
This soup was incredible and also extremely easy to make. Using all pantry/fridge staples it was the perfect comforting and delicious meal without feeling like I completely indulged. We are a very salt-friendly family in this house so I added some Slap Ya Momma seasoning at the end and it was perfection! 10/10 would recommend! If you don’t follow this blog on social media platforms, I highly suggest you do ASAP!
Wonderful!! I am so happy you liked it! 🙂 Thank you.
Hi, would this work with either basmati, long grain, paella or risotto rice as that’s all I have in the cupboard?
Yes! I’d try basmati or long grain and those should work just fine.
I always use basmati and it’s delicious 😋
This is the most amazing soup! Made it tonight and it’ll get on our regular winter rotation now.
Excellent!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. 🙂
Very tasty soup! I browned the chicken pieces in an olive oil/butter mixture, removed the chicken from the pot and then cooked the veggie mixture as directed. Added basil, garlic salt and parsley for the herbs, then added the flour and returned the chicken to the mix. Added the chicken broth and simmered a bit. Added the cream and cooked rice later…just because of how my day was going! I didn’t want the rice to get too mushy! Excellent flavor and a wonderful soup for a cold winter night!
I am loving your recipes! The sliced pork tenderloin in mushroom spinach sauce was so delicious!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it (and the pork one too!). Thanks so much for commenting! 🙂