What is chicken rice soup made of?

A Chicken and Rice Soup that will nourish your soul… A recipe with high returns for minimal effort!

This Chicken Rice Soup is made by cooking chicken pieces in the broth which yields a beautiful savoury, golden, flavour infused broth without having to man handle a whole chicken. Skip the rotisserie chicken – this is better!

I know there are plenty of quick and easy Chicken soups “out there” that will have you using pre cooked chicken or poaching chicken breast quickly then stirring it into the soup. And if that’s what your time constraints require, please see Note 1 in the recipe because I’ve given the shortcut steps for this, and you’ll have this soup on the table in 30 minutes. (And it will still be totally slurp worthy).

But for a smidge of extra effort and 30 minutes of hands off cook time simmering chicken pieces, you can have this Chicken and Rice soup with an incredible savoury, golden soup broth with flavour that money can’t buy.

Best rice for soup

Most types of rice is great for soup. White, brown, wild rice, black rice, sushi rice, basmati and jasmine rice are all great. Even risotto rice and paella rice work!

For brown and wild rice, these take longer to cook than the simmer time for the soup. So they will need to be cooked separately before adding into the soup.

Can you put uncooked rice in soup?

Yes – uncooked rice is best to add into soup because it soaks up the flavour of the broth, making it extra tasty!

How to store Leftover Chicken and Rice Soup

Leave the rice in the soup, and you’ll be horrified by the block of jelly-like sludge that you’re faced with the next morning, caused by the rice absorbing all the liquid.

To avoid this, there’s no option other than to use a slotted spoon or colander to separate the broth from the rice, chicken and vegetables and to refrigerate or freeze them separately.

If you’re making the Chicken and Rice Soup to take elsewhere, please see the recipe notes for the best way to do this (it involves using some of the broth + water to cook the rice separately, after which it’s added into the soup when ready to serve 🙂 ).

Add a soup dunker!

Adaptable recipe – make it your own!

This Chicken and Rice Soup recipe is a terrific base for adding your own touch. It’s slurp-worthy delicious as it is, but can take more veggies, more herbs, a squeeze of fresh lemon, or even other cooked proteins. Here are some ideas:

• Zest and squeeze of fresh lemon is a beautiful touch of freshness

• More veggies (chopped zucchini, stir in chopped kale or spinach, bell peppers)

• Sub chicken with other cooked protein (500g/1lb cooked weight)

• Add 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 2 sprigs, or a touch of other dried herbs

• Try adding a can or two of crushed tomato for a light tomato based soup

• For low carb, skip the rice and load up on more veggies. I like to fill it out with meaty veggies like broccoli and cauliflower.

If you’ve made this recipe your own, share what you did in the comments below. Tell us, tell us! We wanna know! 🙂 – Nagi x

Chicken and Rice Soup recipeWatch how to make it

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Servings5

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Recipe video above. You don't need to manhandle a whole chicken to make a beautiful flavour infused, golden, savoury broth. Use chicken pieces instead - it's so much faster and the broth is absolutely incredible! Better flavour that using breast or rotisserie chicken. Inactive simmer time: 30 minutes.

• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 tbsp butter (or more oil)
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves , minced
• ▢ 1 onion , chopped
• ▢ 3 carrots , halved then cut into 1cm / 2/5" slices (quarter if really thick)
• ▢ 3 celery ribs , cut into 1 cm / 2/5" slices
• ▢ 3 tsp Vegeta stock powder , or 2 x vegetable or chicken bouillon cube, or 2 tsp powder (Note 2)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried thyme, optional
• ▢ 1/4 tsp black pepper , finely ground
• ▢ 4 cups (1 litre) chicken broth , low sodium
• ▢ 4 cups (1 litre) water
• ▢ 600 g (1.2 lb) bone in , skinless chicken thighs, 4 x 150g/5oz (Note 1)
• ▢ 1 cup (180g) long grain white rice , uncooked (Note 3)
• ▢ Salt, adjust to taste
• ▢ 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley (optional)

• Place oil and butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 5 minutes until onion is translucent.

• Add carrots and celery, stir for 1 minute.

• Add stock powder, dried parsley, thyme (if using), pepper, chicken broth, water. Stir, then add chicken.

• Cover with lid, simmer on medium low for 30 minutes. Adjust heat so it's bubbling a nice amount, but not crazy energetically or super slowly. Skim off excess foam build up once or twice (not critical, just makes broth clearer).

• Remove lid, add rice. Stir, cover, simmer 15 minutes.

• Remove soup from stove.

• Remove chicken into large bowl. Shred with 2 forks, discard bones then stir into soup.

• Stir in half the parsley, taste for salt and add if required. Serve, then garnish with extra parsley.

1. CHICKEN: Fat is where all the flavour is, so I use bone in thigh for this recipe. I remove the skin otherwise the soup is a bit too greasy - just pull it off, it comes off easily. Skinless bone in thighs are sold in packets at Woolies in Australia - they are great value.

Alternative cuts: drumsticks will also work, no need to remove skin, use 1 kg/2lb. Skinless boneless thighs are the next best - but only cook for 15 min then add the rice, cook for further 15 min then take the chicken out, shred then return to soup, serve.

Store bought rotisserie chicken: Follow recipe except reduce water by 1 cup, use 2 1/2 cups of chopped or shredded chicken. Then add the broth and water, bring to simmer, add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, then add rice, cook for 15 minutes, then serve.

Breast is so lean, it simply doesn't infuse the broth with enough flavour so I can't recommend it BUT in the event of an emergency, it can be used. Simmer 500g/1lb of breast gently for 10 minutes, then add rice and cook both for 15 minutes, remove breast, shred, return to soup, serve.

2. VEGETA STOCK POWDER (vegetable stock powder):

However, any vegetable or chicken bouillon cube (crumbled) or powder is perfectly fine to substitute.

3. RICE: Any ordinary white rice is ideal here - long grain, medium, short grain, sushi rice, jasmine and basmati. Quinoa could also be used. Paella and risotto rice are not suitable. Brown and wild rice needs to be added 5 minutes after the chicken is added (it needs 40 minutes to cook).

4. STORAGE: Use a slotted spoon to separate the rice and all soup contents from the broth. Store in separate containers, otherwise you'll end up with a stodgy mushy rice block! Refrigerate then reheat soup first, then add the rice and stuff.

Taking it somewhere? Here is what I do: Cook it all the way to the end but do not add rice. Cook the rice separately as follows: Place 1 cup rice in a saucepan with 1 cup of finished soup liquid plus 1/2 cup of water. Cover with lid then bring to simmer on medium, then cook for 12 - 15 minutes until water is all absorbed (tilt to check). Remove from stove, leave covered and stand for 10 minutes. Remove lid, fluff rice, then put rice in a separate container to the rest of the soup. To assemble, heat the soup, then add the rice.

5. Add Ins: See in post for ideas.

6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings (it's a generous bowl). Reduces to 380 calories if made using 500g/1lb breast.

Serving: 638gCalories: 427cal (21%)

Keywords: Chicken and Rice Soup

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Life of Dozer

Nowhere in sight while I was chopping carrots and sautéing onion, then he thunders inside the minute chicken makes an appearance.

Thunders. Not loping or trotting. Thunders. 🙄