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White serving bowl fllled with chicken, rice, and veggie souop seasoned with salt, pepper, and dried Italian seasoning.
4.83 from 47 votes

Chicken and Rice Soup

The whole family will love this yummy stovetop Chicken and Rice Soup filled with tender vegetables, juicy chicken, and white (or brown) rice. Easily adaptable and 100% Gluten-Free.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 430kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 12-16 cups cold water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 1 large onion - diced
  • 5 ribs celery - chopped
  • 5 large carrots - chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic - minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt - plus more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper - plus more to taste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Juice from one lemon
  • 1.5 cups uncooked rice - washed (see notes)
  • Fresh parsley or fresh thyme - to garnish

Instructions

  • Prepare the homemade chicken broth. Add the chicken thighs and chicken breasts to a large stockpot. Cover with approximately 12-16 cups (3-4 quarts) of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.
  • Cook the aromatics (mirepoix). As the chicken simmers and cooks, chop and prepare the veggies (onions, celery, and carrots). Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent. Add the carrots and celery, mix thoroughly, and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes.
    (Note: if the vegetables start to brown or burn, reduce heat to medium-low).
  • In the last minute, stir in the garlic and season with parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add the bay leaves to the pot.
  • Strain the broth. After the broth has finished simmering, remove it from the heat. Carefully remove the chicken from the pot using kitchen tongs and set it aside on a large cutting board to cool. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer directly into the same pot as the cooking vegetables.
  • Shred the chicken. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the chicken and set it aside.
  • Bring to a boil and add the rice. Bring soup to a low boil over high heat. Add the fresh lemon juice and rice, mix thoroughly, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Add the shredded chicken to the pot and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes.
  • Season and serve. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste, and garnish with fresh minced pa rsley, if desired.

Notes

You may use any chicken to make homemade chicken broth, however, bone-in skin-on chicken thighs will give the best flavor and are the least likely to dry out. Avoid over-cooking your chicken (especially chicken breasts) as they will dry out (35 minutes maximum).
The broth may be made ahead of time - up to 3 days. Keep stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
If preferred, you may also use store-bought, low-sodium chicken broth with leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken.
What type of rice is best for this recipe?
This recipe works with just about any rice. Things to consider:
  • Wild rice will take longer to cook (closer to 90 minutes). You can cut this time in half by soaking overnight.
  • Short-grain glutinous rice will thicken your soup significantly (check out my congee recipe or Filipino chicken and rice porridge to see what I mean).
  • Brown rice will take 10-15 minutes longer than white rice to get nice and tender.
  • I used white jasmine rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 453mg | Potassium: 466mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1577IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg
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