This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
This one-pot chicken and rice soup is a simple and satisfying broth-based soup filled with tender chicken, veggies, and rice. Ready in about an hour, it’s the coziest, easiest weeknight dinner — and budget-friendly too!
Quick Look: Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe
- What makes it special: It’s hearty without being creamy or heavy thanks to a generous amount of chicken and vegetables in a light and flavorful broth.
- Rice: I recommend using jasmine rice, a type of long-grain white rice. It cooks quickly and gives the soup soft, tender grains without weighing down the broth.
- Top tip: To prevent overcooked rice, remove the soup from the heat once the rice is tender. Rice will continue to absorb broth and soften as it sits.
- Cooking time: About 45 minutes, or just under 1 hour from start to finish.
- Freezing and leftovers: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, freeze the soup and cooked rice separately, then combine after reheating.
This chicken and rice soup is my go-to whenever someone in my house starts feeling under the weather. Filled with juicy chicken, soft veggies, and tender white rice, it’s cozy and nutritious, and a favorite for everything from upset tummies to sore throats.
I simplified this recipe quite a bit from the version I originally published. My older method started by making broth from bone-in chicken and water, similar to the method I still use for my chicken soup recipe.
For this version, I swapped bone-in chicken and water for boneless chicken thighs and pre-made low-sodium chicken broth. It makes the recipe much more straightforward while still allowing the chicken to gently flavor the broth as it cooks. I also add the rice after the chicken has finished cooking; this way, it can absorb the chicken-infused broth while giving me better control over its texture.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Substitutions
You can find the complete list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: Boneless skinless chicken thighs stay juicy and tender as they simmer and add more flavor to the broth than lean chicken breast. Boneless skinless chicken breasts will also work, but they may cook a little faster, so keep an eye on them and remove them once they reach 165°F. You can also use leftover or pre-cooked shredded chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken. Stir it into the soup near the end, just long enough to warm through.
- Chicken broth: This recipe calls for 12 cups (3 quarts) of low-sodium chicken broth. If you only have regular chicken broth on hand, use a 2:1 ratio of regular broth and water, or 8 cups regular broth with 4 cups water. This will prevent the soup from tasting too salty. You can also use homemade chicken stock; if you have some tucked away in the freezer, this is a great place to use it.
- Rice: I typically make this soup with jasmine rice, a type of long-grain white rice that cooks in about 15 minutes. Other types of long-grain rice, such as basmati, will also work, but cooking times may vary slightly.
- Onion, carrots, and celery: Also called the mirepoix, this classic veggie trio forms the flavor base of the soup. You’ll find it in countless other soup recipes like my easy chicken vegetable soup.
- Garlic, thyme, and bay leaves: Garlic, dried thyme, and bay leaves add plenty of savory flavor without overpowering the chicken, vegetables, and rice. If using fresh thyme, substitute about 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves for the 1 teaspoon dried thyme.
Step by Step Instructions
- Sauté the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
- Add the seasonings. Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Simmer the chicken. Add the chicken thighs and prepared chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165°F. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Cook the rice. Bring the broth back to a gentle simmer and stir in the rinsed jasmine rice. Cook, partially covered, for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender.
- Shred the chicken. While the rice cooks, shred the chicken using two forks once it is cool enough to handle.
- Add the chicken back. Stir the shredded chicken into the soup and simmer for another 2-3 minutes, just until heated through. Remove the bay leaves, season to taste, and serve.
Should I Cook the Rice Separately?
For the best flavor, I prefer cooking the rice directly in the soup. It absorbs the chicken-infused broth as it cooks, and the starch from the rice gives the broth a little more body. The downside with this is that rice continues absorbing liquid as it sits.
If you’re making this soup ahead of time or expect several days of leftovers, you may want to consider cooking jasmine rice separately instead. The soup won’t have quite the same slightly thickened texture as it does when the rice cooks directly in the broth, but the rice will hold up much better. Mushy rice in soup doesn’t bother me too much, but if it’s a concern of yours, that’s how I’d do it.
Store the soup and cooked rice in separate containers, then add the rice to individual bowls just before serving.
Chicken and Rice Soup FAQs
Yes. Long-grain white rice varieties, like basmati, are the easiest substitutes, although cooking times may vary slightly. I wouldn’t substitute wild rice directly in this recipe since it requires a much longer cooking time. For that, I recommend my chicken and wild rice soup instead.
Yes. Add the cooked rice near the end of cooking, along with the shredded chicken, and simmer just until everything is heated through. For this recipe, about 4 cups of cooked rice is roughly equivalent to 1 1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice. Also, keep in mind that cooked rice won’t absorb as much of the broth or release as much starch, so the finished soup will be a little brothier than when the rice is cooked directly in the pot.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Let the soup cool, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. The rice will continue to absorb broth as it sits, so don’t be surprised if the soup is quite a bit thicker the next day.
- Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat or microwave individual portions until hot. I usually add a splash of chicken broth before reheating to loosen the soup and replace some of the liquid the rice has absorbed.
- Freezing: For the best texture, freeze the soup and cooked rice separately for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat the soup, then stir in the rice or add it directly to individual bowls. Keeping them separate prevents the rice from becoming overly soft and soaking up too much of the broth while the soup freezes and thaws.
More Easy Chicken Soup Recipes
I hope you love this chicken and rice soup as much as we do! If you make it, I would love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment and star rating below, and let me know if you followed the recipe as written or made any changes. Your feedback helps other readers too. Thank you so much! 💛
Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ cups onion, diced
- 2 cups celery, chopped
- 3 cups carrots, chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic, about 6 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 12 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1½ cups uncooked jasmine rice, rinsed
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Saute the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1½ cups onion, 2 cups celery, 3 cups carrots
- Add the seasonings. Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.2 tablespoons minced garlic, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Simmer the chicken. Add the chicken thighs and pour in the chicken broth. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and set aside.3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, 12 cups low sodium chicken broth
- Cook the rice. Bring the broth back to a gentle simmer. Stir in the rinsed jasmine rice and cook, partially covered, for 12-15 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.1½ cups uncooked jasmine rice
- Shred the chicken. While the rice cooks and once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it using two forks and set aside.
- Add the chicken back. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir to combine. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes, just until the chicken is heated through.
- Season and serve. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Taste and add additional salt and black pepper as needed. Garnish with fresh parsley or thyme and serve warm.2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Notes
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts may be substituted for the thighs, but be sure to remove them once they reach 165°F to prevent them from drying out.
- Using cooked rice: Substitute approximately 4 cups cooked rice for the uncooked jasmine rice. Add it with the shredded chicken near the end and heat just until warmed through. The soup will be slightly brothier because the cooked rice will not absorb as much liquid or release as much starch.
- For meal prep: If you expect several days of leftovers, consider cooking the rice separately. Store the rice and soup in separate containers, then add rice to each bowl as you serve it. This keeps the rice from continuing to absorb the broth and becoming overly soft.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The rice will continue absorbing broth as it sits, so add additional chicken broth as needed when reheating.
- Freezing: For the best texture, freeze the soup and cooked rice separately for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and combine after reheating.
Explore More with AI
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How many cups of store bought chicken broth would I need?
About 12 to 16 cups (3 to 4 quarts); start with 12 cups and add more toward the end if you want it brothier since the rice absorbs liquid.
Where is the actually recipe to use? I can not seem to locate the measuring amount for the ingredients.
In the chicken and rice soup recipe card above 🙂
Excellent recipe. I’ve made several. This is one of the best. The lemon juice is such a nice ingredient. Great flavor! Thank you!!
Thank you for the excellent feedback and rating, Donna 🙂
The best Chicken Soup I have made in my life. I got sick of my old recipe and started making a
Chicken Tuscan Soup I found in pinterest. Then I decided a couple weeks ago to look at a new recipe. I have not boiled the chicken and used that as the chicken stock. I just used the amount of water suggested and some Better than Boullion. I am So happy with this soup … The butter in there adds a nice creamy butter flavor. The Lemon juice as well!! Fantastic. I also use Pastina over and rice or noodle. I discovered pastina years ago. I like it because it does not soak up all the broth. Overall this flavoring is the best. To make it quicker for me I use the Rotissere Chicken from the store. My Husband never cared much for my other chicken soup.. This one we Ate It all up and didn’t share any!! that tells you how much we loved it!! I am giving some away to a Neighbor who just had her 3rd Baby and the other 2 are 3 And 2… Nothing better than some home made chicken soup to share with littles ones and Mommy and Daddy!! Thank you for this recipe!!