Easy Chicken & Rice Soup with Pesto and Corn

This Easy Chicken and Rice soup is a quick and cozy option that everyone will love. Juicy cubed chicken, tender rice, and buttery carrots, corn, and onion simmered in broth with pesto.

Why You’ll Love it:

• Great for a Busy Week– using cubed chicken and white jasmine rice allows this soup to cook in just about 20 minutes, making it a great weeknight dinner.
• Uses only a few Simple Ingredients– chicken, vegetables, butter, rice, broth, and pesto. That’s it!
• Flavorful– even though this recipe only uses a few ingredients, the broth is still packed with buttery, herby flavor.
• One Pot Meal– all made in one pot for an easy cook and easy clean-up.

Ingredient Notes:

Find the full list of ingredients and amounts in the recipe card below!

• Chicken Breast– cubed so that is cooks quickly and soaks up some broth, leaving it tender, juicy, and flavorful.
• White Jasmine Rice– a type of long grain rice that cooks quickly.
• Vegetables– corn, carrot, yellow onion, and garlic.
• Salted Butter– used to saute the vegetables and give the broth a luscious buttery flavor.
• Pesto– to add an herbaceous flavor.

Substitutions & Variations:

• Shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken can be used in place of cubed chicken. Add about 2-3 cups at the same time you normally would to let it soak up some of the broth and marry the flavors.
• Chicken thighs can also be used. They have more fat and add a lot of flavor. Note, fat may melt and rise to the top.
• Leftover or pre-cooked rice can also be used. Add about 2-3 cups a few minutes before the broth is done simmering to let it reheat.
• Try different herbs. Rosemary is a great option for chicken dishes.
• Add a splash of lemon juice to add brightness.
• To make your own pesto check out this article from Damn Delicious.

Tips & Recipe Notes:

• Rinse rice well before cooking.
• Jasmine rice will soak up the broth and expand 3 to 4 times while cooking. While rice is simmering, add more broth as needed.
• Jasmine rice will get mushier the longer it cooks and cubed chicken will get tougher if left to simmer for too long. Check your rice and chicken around the 15 minute mark and keep a close eye on it after.
• The rice in any leftovers will soak up some broth. You may add more broth before reheating.
• If meal prepping or planning to freeze, cook the rice separately and store separately from broth. Stored properly in an airtight container, broth will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Soup Recipes You Will Love:

• Garlic & Bacon Brothy White Bean Soup
• Italian Wedding Soup
• Creamy Mushroom & Pearl Couscous Soup
• Crock-Pot Chicken Pot Pie Gnocchi Soup
• Creamy Sausage, Kale, & Ravioli Soup
• Avgolemono (Creamy Greek Lemon Orzo Soup)

If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and review in the recipe card below! I always appreciate your feedback. Follow me on Instagram and Pinterest for more garlic goodness and travel inspiration!

Easy Chicken & Rice Soup with Pesto and Corn

This Easy Chicken and Rice soup is a quick and cozy option that everyone will love. Juicy cubed chicken, tender rice, and buttery carrots, corn, and onion simmered in broth with pesto.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Servings 4

Calories 333 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tbsp salted butter
• 1 cup carrots peeled & diced
• 1 cup yellow onion diced
• 1 cup canned corn drained
• 1 tbsp minced garlic 2-4 cloves
• 3/4-1 pound chicken breast tenderloins cut into bite sized cubes
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white jasmine rice
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp pesto
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Shaved Parmesan cheese garnish

Instructions

 

• Cook Vegetables– in a large stock pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add diced carrot and diced onion to pot. Cook vegetables, stirring often, 4-5 minutes until beginning to soften. Add minced garlic and drained corn and cook, stirring continuously, another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
• Add Chicken– lightly season cubed chicken with salt and pepper. Add cubed chicken to pot and stir to combine. Let cook for a minute to lightly sear exterior of chicken.
• Add Broth & Rice– pour in 8 cups chicken broth, dry jasmine rice, and bay leaf. Turn heat up and bring to a boil, then turn heat back down to medium for a bubbling simmer. Let simmer, adding more broth as needed and occasionally scraping the bottom of the pot to keep rice from sticking, 18-20 minutes until rice and chicken are cooked through.
• Finish– remove pot from heat. Remove bay leaf and stir in pesto. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Plate and top with shaved Parmesan cheese.

Notes

• Rinse rice well before cooking.
• Jasmine rice will soak up the broth and expand 3 to 4 times while cooking.
  • While rice is simmering, add more broth as needed.
• Jasmine rice will get mushier the longer it cooks and cubed chicken will get tougher if left to simmer for too long.
  • Check your rice and chicken around the 15 minute mark and keep a close eye on it after.
• The rice in any leftovers will soak up some broth. You may add more broth before reheating.
• If meal prepping or planning to freeze, cook the rice separately and store separately from broth.
  • Stored properly in an airtight container, broth will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Nutritional information is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients and amounts used.

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcalCarbohydrates: 23.3gProtein: 33.2gFat: 11.6gSaturated Fat: 3.5gCholesterol: 53.4mgFiber: 2.1gSugar: 5.4g

Keyword corn, easy chicken and rice soup, pesto

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