Chicken and Rice Soup

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This Chicken and Rice Soup is flavorful, hearty, healthy and it’s made in one pot in under an hour! Chicken and wild rice soup is a perfect meal for busy, chilly nights, it makes great leftovers & freezes well too! 

overhead view of a bowl of chicken and rice soup with fresh herbs


Sometimes you just need a cozy bowl of soup on a chilly fall day. This Chicken and Rice Soup is one of our favorites, along with this tortellini soup, vegetable soup and sausage kale soup. It’s flavorful, hearty, healthy and it’s made in one pot in under an hour. 

I love this chicken and wild rice soup because it’s light but filling. It’s dairy-free and gluten-free, so people with even strict dietary needs can enjoy it! It’s a great meal to make if anyone in your household is feeling under the weather too! 

overhead view of a bowl of chicken and rice soup

Chicken Rice Soup Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions

Let’s chat about the ingredients in this chicken and rice soup, as well as possible substitutions. 

overhead view of the ingredients in this chicken rice soup recipe
  • Olive Oil. Any neutral oil works well in this chicken and rice soup. Suggested substitutes are avocado oil, canola oil, and butter. 
  • Onion. Yellow, white, red, sweet, any onion variety works well in this recipe. 
  • Minced Garlic. Garlic powder can be used in place of minced garlic, just add it with the broth. 
  • Chicken Broth. Homemade or store-bought chicken broth works well in this recipe. 
  • Better than Bouillon.  This is my secret ingredient in my soup recipes (as well as my chicken pot pie). It gives the soup such a great flavor. You can use a different chicken base, but I have had the best results with this brand. 
  • Raw Chicken Breasts. If you have precooked, leftover chicken you can use that instead. Just make the soup according to the instructions and add the chicken once the rice is cooked. 
  • Fresh thyme, bay leaves, and parsley. You can use dried spices, however I don’t recommend it. Fresh is best. 
  • Wild Rice. Brown rice or white rice both work well in this chicken rice soup recipe. Brown rice takes about the same amount of time to cook as wild rice, but white rice takes only about 25-30 minutes, so keep that in mind. 
overhead view of chicken and rice soup in a pot

How to make Chicken and Rice Soup

This chicken wild rice soup recipe is easy to make in one pot in less than an hour. As always, we’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video!

Cook Vegetables

In a large stockpot, combine olive oil, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until onions are translucent.

Add broth 

Once the vegetables are cooked, add the chicken broth and better than bouillon to the stockpot with the vegetables and whisk to combine.

two overhead photos showing how to make chicken and rice soup

Add chicken, rice, herbs & spices

Next, add chicken breasts, parsley, thyme sprigs, bay leaves salt, pepper and rice to the stockpot and stir to combine. Cover and bring the mixture to a boil. After it reaches a boil reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 45 minutes, covered (25 if using white rice). 

The goal here is to cook both the rice and the chicken – until it’s easily shredded with a fork. If you use white rice the rice may finish cooking before the chicken, so keep that in mind. Otherwise, 45 minutes is the perfect amount of time to cook both wild or brown rice and the chicken. 

two overhead photos showing how to make chicken and rice soup

Shred Chicken & Finish cooking

Once the rice and chicken are cooked, remove and discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Then, remove the chicken from pot and transfer it to a large bowl or cutting board to shred.

Return the shredded chicken to the stockpot and simmer for at least 15 minutes, then serve warm with extra chopped fresh herbs, crackers, etc.  

two overhead photos showing how to make chicken rice soup

Serve

Serve this chicken and rice soup with your favorite crusty bread, like this homemade french bread, no-knead bread, pretzel bread or the best homemade dinner rolls

Store

Store any leftover chicken wild rice soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Overhead view of a ladle scooping chicken and rice soup out of a pot

To freeze:

Let soup cool to room temperature, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly, airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. 

To reheat: 

Remove frozen soup from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge overnight, or on the counter (faster). You can also let it thaw slightly then transfer the mostly-frozen soup to a pot and thaw it over low heat, stirring often. 

Recipe FAQs

Do you cook rice before adding to soup?

In this recipe the rice cooks with the chicken – so it is added uncooked and then cooked with the rest of the ingredients.

How do you keep rice from getting mushy in soup?

Refrain from over-cooking it. Follow the cooking instructions in the recipe.

How long does chicken rice soup last?

This soup lasts for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and 2 months in the freezer.

overhead photo of chicken and wild rice soup in a bowl with fresh herbs

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Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe

Laura
This Chicken and Rice Soup is flavorful, hearty, healthy and it's made in one pot in under an hour! Chicken and wild rice soup is a perfect meal for busy, chilly nights, it makes great leftovers & freezes well too! 
5 from 11 votes
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 10 Servings
Calories 211
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time1 hour

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • In a large stockpot, combine olive oil, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until onions are translucent (about 5-7 minutes).
  • Add chicken broth and better than bouillon to the stockpot and whisk to combine.
  • Add chicken breasts, parsley, thyme sprigs, bay leaves salt, pepper and rice and stir to combine.
  • Cover and bring mixture to a boil.
  • After it reaches a boil reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 45 minutes, covered (25 if using white rice).
  • Remove and discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
  • Remove chicken from pot and shred, return it back to the pot.
  • Simmer for 15 minutes, then serve.

Video

Notes

Store

Store any leftover chicken wild rice soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

To freeze:

Let soup cool to room temperature, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly, airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. 

To reheat: 

Remove frozen soup from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge overnight, or on the counter (faster). You can also let it thaw slightly then transfer the mostly-frozen soup to a pot and thaw it over low heat, stirring often. 

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Olive Oil. Suggested substitutes are avocado oil, canola oil, and butter. 
  • Onion. Yellow, white, red, sweet, any onion variety works well in this recipe. 
  • Minced Garlic. Garlic powder can be used in place of minced garlic, just add it with the broth. 
  • Chicken Broth. Homemade or store-bought chicken broth works well in this recipe. 
  • Better than Bouillon Chicken Base.  You can use a different chicken base, but I have had the best results with this brand. 
  • Raw Chicken Breasts. If you have precooked, leftover chicken you can use that instead. Just make the soup according to the instructions and add the chicken once the rice is cooked. 
  • Fresh thyme, bay leaves, and parsley. You can use dried spices, however I don’t recommend it. Fresh is best. 
  • Wild Rice. Brown rice or white rice both work well in this chicken rice soup recipe. Brown rice takes about the same amount of time to cook as wild rice, but white rice takes only about 25-30 minutes, so keep that in mind. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 1053mg | Potassium: 646mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2254IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!

The photos in this post were taken by the talented Jamie from Dishing Out Health!

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6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’ve made this twice so far. It’s a keeper! I made broth from chicken carcass/bones and went right to this recipe next. Very flavorful!

  2. 5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight! This recipe is a good one to prep some veggies in advance. I cut the onion, carrots and celery yesterday so I’d be ready to throw everything in tonight. When making this soup tonight I actually forgot to add the garlic (bummer!), and used chicken I mad previously made in the crock-pot (failure to read recipe ahead of time!), and yet still had a good ending product. Can’t wait to make it again and follow the directions to see the result! I’m always impressed with how simple the recipes on this site are and will continue to try more.