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–+ servings
A pot of Chicken Rice Soup
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5 from 13 votes

Chicken and Rice Soup

This chicken and rice soup is classic and full of flavor! It's warming, comforting, healing, and quite easy to make! It's naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and downright delicious!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Soup
Keyword: chicken & rice soup, chicken and rice soup, chicken and rice soup recipe
Method: Stove Top
Servings: 6
Author: Lexi

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon oil or butter
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 4 large carrots diced
  • 5 celery stalks diced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup long grain white rice uncooked
  • 1 pound chicken see note for types
  • 1 teaspoon salt more as desired
  • 1 teaspoon pepper more as desired
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp dried dill
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 5 cups chicken broth more as needed/desired
  • 2 lemons juiced

Instructions

  • In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots, and celery and cook and stir for 6-8 minutes, until carrots begin to soften and onions are translucent. Note: You can speed this process up by adding roughly 1 tablespoon of water covering the pot for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add in the chicken, rice, and spices/herbs (not the lemon yet), and give it a quick mix to combine and toast the spices, roughly 5-10 seconds.
  • Add the broth. Stir and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.
  • Let cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables and rice are tender.
  • Remove chicken from pot and shred. Add back to the pot and squeeze in fresh lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired. Add more broth, salt, and pepper as needed if the rice absorbs liquid!
  • Serve!

Notes

Chicken: 
    1. My first choice is skinless boneless chicken thighs. The fat really works in favor in soups but this route makes removing and shredding the chicken a bit easier.
    2. Otherwise, really any chicken pieces will also work. Go for a variety even! Bone-in thighs and drumsticks are great. No need to remove the skin, but you'll have to really make sure to remove all the pieces from the soup before returning!
    3. I've also made this soup countless times with chicken breasts. It's leaner, so can overcook and since there's no fat, it doesn't quite get that flavor going, but it works just great and we use them often here.
Reheating: Always simmer, never boil!  Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Chicken and rice soup will absorb broth as it sits, so you may want to add more broth (and subsequently more herbs/spices/salt and pepper) if needed, when reheating!