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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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This recipe is really tasty! I am disabled, and adapted it a little bit to make it more accessible for me, I used frozen mixed veggies, canned chicken, minute rice, and I didn’t measure any spices. It still works great and took less time and energy to make.
I love that!! I’m so glad it worked out for you, Nicole. Thanks for taking the time to write me a review. 😀
It’s good every time!! Such a comfort food dish, while still being healthy. This time I even used low sodium chicken broth and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t lacking in flavor – just added regular salt and pepper to taste, as she advised. Salt and Lavender will always be my go-to for soup recipes!
Aww thank you, Marita!! 🙂 I am thrilled you keep coming back. XO
This was really nice, at this moment I live in Illinois and two days ago it was 80 outside and woke up today and it was 35.. needed someone warm and filling. I found this and was like nice I have half the things at home. I went extra lazy and was at Sam’s Club and just picked up a rotisserie chicken and the recipe was quick and simple, I still followed all the times and the added note of more broth but it was simple and good!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Stay warm!
My family LOVES this soup. We’ve actually been making it once a week, such a hearty inexpensive meal! I’ve used all types of cream and milk – based on what I have on hand….And we use gluten free flour and it turns out just as thick and creamy. We also love the veggies so we add more chopped celery and carrots. Cant recommend this easy weeknight soup enough!
I love that!!
I really enjoyed this! The only thing I did differently was use almond milk instead of the heavy cream. It was delicious!
Great to hear, Jill!
Can’t wait to make it! Do you wash the rice before putting it in the soup?
I do not. Hope you love the soup!
Our family loves this soup, and it’s on a regular rotation during the winter! (We are in New Zealand) This soup is sooo tasty!!
I’m thrilled to hear it! 😀
Can I use orzo instead of rice? your recipes are always so good.
Thank you!! I think orzo should work, but it won’t take quite as long to cook (I’d say about 10 min total), so I’d adjust cooking time a bit. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Very tasty! I was looking for a quick rice soup and found this one. Very pleased! I had to add peas because the only carrots I had were in a frozen peas and carrots bag. I didn’t have any heavy cream but was able to substitute with a little bit of cream cheese and milk. My chicken was leftover shredded chicken so that helped me cook even faster. Will be making it again!
So glad it worked out, Rachel! Thanks for your 5-star review! 😀
I used freeze dried poultry seasoning (Rosemary, thyme, and sage… you know the herbs that compliment the dish far better than Oregon and basil.) I didn’t think Italian creamy chicken and rice soup sounded palatable for a dish like this. I velveted my chicken beforehand too, which made the chicken tender since that couldn’t be done via appropriate cooking time.
And using regular milk or 2% in this is just fine, simply turn down the heat or you know add it just before serving after taking it off the heat. For more broth either only use a half cup of rice or up the liquid ratio. Also, since I forwent the heavy cream (i mean really? Why?) I added a pat of butter to the pan when cooking the garlic.
Lol. I don’t even know what to say to this highly pretentious review. Congratulations. I’ll buy your cookbook (not).
👏👏👏 love the comeback to the a**hole review. The soup is amazing and I wouldn’t change ANYTHING.
Such ignorance of this French one 🙄
Hahaha your reply was golden. Touché! People can be mindless sometimes. Manners when offered a lovely website with what appear to be some absolutely delicious recipes, is mandatory. We all have our preferences. Thanks for the grin this morning. I like your site and plan to use at least a few! And I know the work involved, the $$$ camera and .. the whole effort, and appreciate it. Best of fortune!
Thank you, Laurie! Lol – his comment definitely was on the funny side to receive. The just-plain-rude ones still get under my skin at times. I just can’t with some people. Let me know if you try anything! 😀
What a jerk 🙄 why even leave a review at all?! Anyway…. Followed to the T and it was delish! Thank you!
🙂
It’s so interesting to see how different people read tone so differently. Personally, I didn’t take this reviewer as being pretentious or rude at all. I read it without emotion attached and as the reviewer was just sharing what they did while creating this soup and why. I actually love reading everyone’s recipe tweaks and experiences. It’s kind of fun.
Well, as someone who has received thousands of comments with cooking feedback over the past 8+ years, this one definitely stood out.
This soup recipe is so good! We will definitely make it again.
Thank you!!