This Easy Chicken and Rice soup is a quick and cozy option that everyone will love. Juicy cubed chicken, tender rice, and buttery vegetables simmered in broth with fresh herbs.
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 a few fresh herbs. 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 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- celery, carrot, yellow onion, and garlic.
- Salted Butter- used to saute the vegetables and give the broth a luscious buttery flavor.
- Herbs- bay leaf, fresh thyme, and parsley.
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.
- 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.
How to Make Chicken & Rice Soup:
- Cook Vegetables–
- Melt salted butter in a large stock pot.
- Saute celery, carrots, and yellow onion.
- Add minced garlic & chopped parsley. Cook until fragrant.
- Add Chicken, Broth, & Rice–
- Add cubed chicken to pot and stir to combine.
- Pour in 6 cups chicken broth, dry jasmine rice, fresh thyme leaves, and bay leaf. Turn heat up and bring to a boil, then turn heat back down to a bubbling simmer.
- Let simmer, adding more broth as needed and occasionally scraping the bottom of the pot to keep rice from sticking, 15-20 minutes until rice and chicken are cooked through. (See notes below)
- Finish- remove bay leaf from pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and enjoy.
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, broth will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Easy Chicken & Rice Soup
This Easy Chicken and Rice soup is a quick option that’s great for those busy nights. Juicy cubed chicken, tender rice, and buttery vegetables simmered in broth with fresh herbs.
Equipment
- Knife
- Vegetable Peeler (Optional)
- Cutting Board
- Large Soup Pot
- Cooking Utensils
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1 cup carrots peeled & diced
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 1.5 tbsp minced garlic 3-4 cloves
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- 3/4-1 pound chicken breast cut into bite sized cubes
- 6-8 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup dry white jasmine rice
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook Vegetables-
- In a large stock pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add diced carrot, diced onion, and diced celery to pot. Cook vegetables, stirring often, 5-6 minutes until tender and beginning to brown.
- Add minced garlic and finely chopped parsley and cook another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add Chicken, Broth, & Rice-
- Add cubed chicken to pot and stir to combine.
- Pour in 6 cups chicken broth, dry jasmine rice, fresh thyme leaves, and bay leaf. Turn heat up and bring to a boil, then turn heat back down to a bubbling simmer-around medium.
- Let simmer, adding more broth as needed and occasionally scraping the bottom of the pot to keep rice from sticking, 15-20 minutes until rice and chicken are cooked through. (See notes below)
Finish-
- Remove bay leaf from pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and enjoy.
Notes
- Chicken breast is cubed so that is cooks quickly and soaks up some broth, leaving it tender, juicy, and flavorful.
- Salted butter is used to saute the vegetables and give the broth a luscious buttery flavor.
- 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.
- 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.
- Different herbs can be used. Rosemary is a great option for chicken dishes.
- 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, broth will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
