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.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 cup carrots peeled & diced
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 1 cup canned corn drained
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2-4 cloves
- ¾-1 pound chicken breast tenderloins cut into bite sized cubes
- 8 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup dry white jasmine rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoon 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
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!