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This really is one of the best, most flavorful chicken and rice soups we've ever tasted! And with the help of rotisserie chicken (or leftover chicken), it's super easy too!
I don't know many people who don't enjoy a bowl of chicken and rice soup. It's somehow so comforting, kind of like mom and apple pie. Though there's nothing fancy, just the thought of it, makes me feel good! And when it's loaded with lean chicken, healthy veggies and a super flavorful broth, I'm ALL in! So "all in", that I ate two bowls of it for breakfast this morning (well... actually, that was for you, so I could write this post and convey how good it is!).
I think everyone needs a good chicken and rice recipe. While I love a totally-from-scratch soup with a whole chicken (preferably one that you've organically raised yourself) that's been simmered till the meat falls off the bone and the broth is decadently delicious, I generally don't have the time (or inclination) for that. It's funny, I thought as I got older, I'd have time for spending all day in the kitchen, but that's definitely not the case. It seems I'm busier than ever and I'm pretty sure many of you are in the same boat!
How to create a delicious, flavorful broth, not from scratch
That's why I created this easy chicken and rice soup recipe that utilizes and rotisserie (or leftover) chicken along with a few little tricks to ensure a super flavorful broth without making it totally-from-scratch.
The recipe starts out with a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add a pat of butter and a splash of olive oil which combine for a great flavor base. After the butter is melted and bubbly the aromatics are added. Finely chopped onion and shallot along with diced celery are sautéd until soft and tender. (Shallots add a wonderful layer of fine flavor, having a natural richness and a bit of sweetness.) Then comes garlic and a generous scoop of Italian seasoning. Everything is then cooked for another 30 seconds which helps "bloom" the garlic and Italian seasoning.
The rest is super simple. Add the chicken broth (more on that later), carrots, bay leaves, finely minced fresh rosemary, turmeric (mostly for beautiful color), kosher salt and pepper. All this is simmered in an open pot (no cover) which helps concentrate the broth a bit. When the veggies are nice and tender, add the chicken and cooked rice. Sometimes I add a cup of finely chopped fresh spinach at this point to up the nutritional value and include a green veggie, but that's optional. It's delicious either way!
Should you cook the rice in the chicken and rice soup or separately?
You might be wondering why the rice is added at the very end in this chicken and rice soup recipe. I tried it both ways and we prefer the soup with rice that's pre-cooked. Anytime you cook rice in soup, it absorbs a tremendous amount of the broth and you end up with more of a porridge than a brothy soup. It also doesn't keep well and doesn't look very attractive.
I get the rice going first, before prepping for the soup and it's perfectly done and cooled a bit by the time the soup is finished cooking. If you're serving a meal with rice, earlier in the week, you could just make an extra cup and you'd be all set for this soup recipe. One other option is to purchase a packet of pre-cooked rice. Most grocery stores offer this type of convenience item in the section where other varieties of rice is stocked. Trader Joe's packets of frozen rice which are great. Three minutes in the microwave and it's good to go!
A good "to take" recipe!
I love having this Chicken and Rice Soup stashed in the refrigerator for quick meals on busy days. It's light, yet filling and it seems to always be a hit. This soup would also be a wonderful meal to take to a friend in need or a neighbor who's been sick. It's comforting, delicious, easy to warm up and keeps well for several days. Add some crusty dinner rolls or a plate of brioche rolls and you've got a delicious "to take" dinner that will bring a smile to just about anyone.
Now that it's officially fall, it's definitely soup season, so put this delicious recipe on the menu soon! There will be lots of happy campers around the table!
Café Tips for making this Chicken and Rice Soup
- Ten cups of chicken broth sounds like a lot but you need this much to balance out the other ingredients. Even though the rice is cooking before being added to the soup, it will still absorb some of the broth as it sits.
- Use a good quality chicken broth for this soup. I really like the organic low-sodium chicken broth from Trader Joe's. It's got good flavor, nice yellow color and it's relatively inexpensive.
- I also like to keep a jar of Better than Bouillion Chicken Base in my refrigerator. It's a wonderful option when I'm in a pinch and have run out of cans or cartons of chicken broth. It's got good flavor and is economically a great option. I prefer the regular version on this vs. the low sodium so you do have to adjust the salt when you use it.
- Don’t be afraid to season this soup. There's a lot of broth (low sodium) and rice and you need plenty of salt to bring out the flavor. I like to start with 1 teaspoon (as you never know how low sodium a low-sodium chicken broth will be) but I almost always add more at the end when I take a test taste.
- This chicken and rice soup recipe calls for a teaspoon of turmeric. Turmeric is a seasoning widely available in the spice section of most grocery stores. It's used in curry powder and it also gives mustard its yellow color. It doesn't really add flavor to this soup but does give it a lovely color. Turmeric is also super healthy, it's known as a powerful nutrient that has long been used in China and India as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat a wide variety of conditions.
- The spinach in this recipe is optional. It's finely chopped so you don't really notice it as far as flavor goes. It does add a pretty look and some extra nutrition.
- Want to make your work in the kitchen easier? If you've followed The Café for any length of time, you know that I love my Vidalia Chop Wizard and use it all the time. It's a little kitchen workhorse and saves me a lot of time. I used it in this recipe for the shallots and onion. There are fancier versions, but I really like this basic original model. It's compact, easy to store and has a measuring cup built-in.
- What kind of rice to use? I really like jasmine rice but any long-grain rice will work for this recipe.
- To cook jasmine rice, I use one part rice to two parts water. So for this recipe which calls for 1 cup of uncooked rice, I use 2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once it's boiling, lower the heat a little to a steady simmer and let it cook until most of the water is cooked off and craters are forming on top of the rice. I then cover it, turn off the heat and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. It's then ready to fluff with a fork and serve or cool and use later.
P.S. If you prefer pasta to rice, this Homemade Chicken Pasta Soup is also delicious!
Thought for the day:
Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psalm 90:1-2
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear other’s results and ideas for variations.
- For the rice:
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine (or other long-grain) rice
- For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 medium shallots finely chopped
- 4 medium stalks celery quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 3 medium cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 10 cups low sodium chicken broth more if needed
- 12 ounces carrots thinly sliced (halved lengthwise if large)
- 2 medium-size bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper more, to taste
- For finishing:
- 2 cups diced rotisserie or leftover chicken
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1-2 cups tightly packed fresh spinach finely chopped (optional)
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For the rice:
-
Cook jasmine rice according to package instructions (or according to the method above in Café Tips) and set aside to cool.
-
For the soup:
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Heat the butter and oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or soup pot until the butter is melted and bubbly. Add the chopped onion, shallots and celery and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until veggies are softened. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
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Add the chicken broth, carrots, bay leaves, turmeric, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 20 minutes, uncovered. Try one of the carrot slices. If it’s not nice and tender cook for another 3-5 minutes or until tender (the size of your carrot slices will determine how low it takes to cook).
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To finish:
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Remove the bay leaves then add the rotisserie chicken, rosemary, cooked rice and finely chopped spinach (if using). Cover and allow the soup to sit for 10 minutes for the flavors to meld. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper, if needed. If soup is too thick, add more chicken broth. Serve and enjoy!
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips.
Kathy says
Delicious, and a great recipe to use up leftover rotisserie chicken and rice pilaf! Due to time constraints and scheduling issues, I used a crock pot to cook the soup after I sauteed the aromatics in a Dutch oven. I used a blend of low-sodium and full-sodium chicken broth, did not add any additional salt; I did not see anyone pick up the salt shaker to add more salt! I also sliced up baby carrots as I had some in the fridge I needed to use. The soup cooked for about four hours on high: the carrots were not cooked "to death," they still had bit of a crunch to them. I did not add spinach as I thought there was enough "green stuff" floating on top with the seasonings and rosemary. Overall, this is a great soup.
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Thanks for your review, Kathy!
Natalie says
This recipe is delicious. I love it. I have made it numerous times now and my whole family enjoys it. Thank you for making it available for everyone.
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
So happy to hear that, Natalie!
Dee says
I’ve just made this recipe, and so far it tastes pretty good.
I haven’t added the rice yet as it’s a make-ahead project, so I hope it’s okay to freeze for a few days.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Dee, it will be fine to freeze for a few days!
Carleen F. says
OMG! I just made this chicken and rice soup. Used rotisserie chicken. Precooked rice. It came out absolutely perfect!! Pillsbury French bread on the side. Bon apetite!!
Chris Scheuer says
Wonderful! Thank you for letting us know, Carleen!
Gina F. says
Your title may be accurate, this very well could the BEST chicken and rice soup. I cooked the rice separately and just added a scoop to the bottom of our bowls. This soup is so full of flavor and absolutely beautiful. I have easier recipes, but none deliver on the flavor and presentation as this one. Many thanks.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for your review, Gina!
Lois says
This was a delicious soup! I will be making it again and also sharing the recipe. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Lois.
Sunnysewsit says
Chris, you've done it again! Provided a wonderful recipe without a lot of boiling, cooking pots, etc. I always buy a large package of rotisserie chicken at Costco and break it up into smaller packages to freeze. And since I bought my Instant Pots, I never cook rice on the stove top again! I find that the 3-quart IP makes perfect rice every time and I don't have to babysit the rice. But I also loved your suggestion to try using pasta! Sooo very glad fall is here and I can enjoy your great soup recipes again! As a matter of fact, your recipe for tortilla soup is also calling!
Chris Scheuer says
That's great, Sunnysewsit!
Patti says
I love chicken soup but oddly I like it without the chicken and just a small amount of rice. (I might use orzo but very little) Your recipe looks delicious. I have one question. I generally use organic chicken stock rather than broth as it seems to have more flavor. Would that work for this? I wish I had a Trader Joe's here but no such luck.
Thanks for all your delicious recipes.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Patti,
I understand what you mean. I'm kind of that way with peanut brittle. I love it but just with a few peanuts!
Regarding your question about the broth; yes, organic chicken stock will work well. You may need to adjust the salt a bit, up or down, depending on the sodium level of your stock.
Patti T. says
I have never had such a delicious chicken soup recipe. Thanks so much. I will definitely make this one over and over again!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks for letting us know, Patti!
Irene R. says
I just got done making this soup, and it's delicious! One variation I made was after I simmered it for 20 minutes, I added my one cup of UNCOOKED rice right into the soup. (I figured that if I needed more liquid, I would just add a little water, but the consistency is perfect!) Before I did that, I had my doubts that my soup was going to turn out as beautiful as yours did, because it was thin and brownish-looking. Once I added the rice, the broth thickened up a little and turned a beautiful yellow like the one in your pictures.
Thank you for the recipes! They are always delicious, beautiful, and gracious. Your Thought For The Day is a nice touch.
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to share your results, Irene!
Irene R. says
I just had to come back and write an update.
If I had it to do over, I would NOT have added a full cup of uncooked rice unless we were going to eat the whole pot of soup in one sitting. Initially, it was wonderful! But, when it came to heating up the leftover soup the next day, the rice had expanded so much, that I had to add a bunch of chicken broth to thin it out. It would have still been delicious without the extra liquid, but it had turned into more of a "Chicken and Rice" recipe than a soup recipe! Haha
Next time I make it, unless I didn't want leftovers (and I love leftovers), I would probably prepare the rice separately as you stated in the recipe.
Jeanne Smith says
I made this soup yesterday with our leftover turkey meat. It was absolutely delicious and so quick and easy! I will be making this soup often. I omitted the rice because my husband is diabetic, and it was perfect.
Cheryll says
Dear Chris, I just had to pop in from one of my cooking marathon's to let you know that this is THE BEST Chicken Rice soup I have ever made ! I have been cooking different chicken soups for greater than 50 years and finding a rice companion often results in a bland version of a supermarket can. Not this one. Thank you. I will be directing my blog readers to this recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, for sharing your results, Cheryll 💕 That's such a nice compliment from you after 50 years of soup making!
Jessica says
I was looking to make this ahead of time and freeze! You think I should keep the soup and rice separate until it’s ready to be served? I’ve made the mistake of adding noodles before and it soaks up all the broth! Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that will work well, Jessica. The soup will freeze well and rice freezes beautiful but it will get soggy if you freeze them together.
Paula Graff says
Chris, this recipe was delicious! We love the chicken and rice. The addition of turmeric was a welcome anti-inflammatory touch since my husband just had shoulder surgery. It was great to have this leftover in the refrigerator.
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you, Paula! I hope he recovers quickly from the surgery! 💕💕💕
Patricia Appenzeller says
I am gob smacked ! Maybe as a time saver this would rate “ the best “...but I can’t see any great broth soup that doesn’t start with boiling ( simmering ) a whole chicken, or a hunk of beef with bones... a bean soup with a big ham bone or shank. This was a surprise for me to see this on your site.
Pat A.
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! I'm with you, Patricia! And I say that in the post but many of us don't have the time for all of that so this is the next best option. If you try it, I think you'll agree, it's really tasty!
Sue J. says
Soup is done and waiting for dinner time. It's still too hot to taste. Writing because there seem to be omissions in the recipe itself. You call for oil and, later, rosemary in the ingredients list. But neither appear at all in the Instructions. I read it over and over, thinking I missed it, but doesn't seem to be there. Assumed the oil should go in with the melted butter, and the rosemary after the chicken?
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for noticing that, Sue! I've corrected those two things in the recipe! Hope you enjoy it!
Deb says
This soup looks and sounds so delicious. I can't wait to make it. I can almost taste it.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Deb! I hope you enjoy it!