Creamy 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 – the base for many soups. It’s also known as mirepoix. I like using sweet (Vidalia) onions best.
• Olive oil – for sautéing
• Garlic – I mince the cloves with this garlic press. One squeeze and no sticky fingers!
• 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

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 for another 7-10 minutes until both it and the rice are cooked through. Season generously with salt & pepper.

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.