Creamy Chicken Rice Soup

Creamy Chicken Rice Soup is a cozy, satisfying one-pot meal made with tender chicken, hearty rice, and a rich, flavorful broth. Perfect for chilly days and busy weeknight dinners, this easy homemade soup is comfort food at its best!

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken-soup-recipes, creamy-chicken-rice-soup, easy-chicken-rice-soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 255kcal

Ingredients

1 medium Vidalia onion diced
2 medium carrots peeled and sliced
1 large rib of celery chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 medium bay leaves
1 tsp salt more or less to personal taste
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp Herbs de Provence
1 tsp granulated garlic minced
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1 cup light cream or heavy cream
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 cups roughly chopped rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

In a deep soup pot or 6 quart dutch oven saute onion, carrot and celery in a couple of drizzles of olive oil. Cook over medium-high for 5 minutes or until softened.
To the pot add chicken stock, rice, bay leaves, salt, pepper, Herbs de Provence, garlic, onion powder and lemon pepper. Stir well.
Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then cover with a lid lower the heat to medium-low cooking for 20-25 minutes until the rice is tender. Stir occasionally.
In a small bowl whisk cornstarch into cold cream until dissolved. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the soup.
Add chicken to the pot. Taste and adjust salt to your taste. Cook for 3-5 minutes just until lightly thickened and chicken is heated through.
Mix in chopped parsley just before serving. Serve immediately.

Notes

Chicken - Rotisserie chicken from Costco is one of my favorite shortcuts for making this soup quick and easy. Of course, you can also poach or roast your own chicken breasts or thighs, or put leftover chicken to good use. And come Thanksgiving, leftover turkey makes a tasty substitute, too!
Rice - All rice isn't created equal. This soup does best with a whole grain rice such as Ben's Original or your favorite brand of long grain rice. You might enjoy this article about 13 Types of Rice on Plated.
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup - You can adapt this recipe using a wild rice blend, too. Wild rice will take longer to cook so adjust accordingly.
Herbs - If you prefer an alternative to herbs de provence, you could use a combination of dried basil, rosemary and thyme to taste. You could also replace it with dried Italian seasoning.
Fresh Herbs - You can use fresh chives, fresh thyme or rosemary.
Onion - You can use Vidalia onion or yellow onion for a stronger onion flavor.
Time Saving Tip - To save time, dice the vegetables and chicken in advance and have them in plastic storage bags in the fridge when you're ready to make the soup, they'll be ready to go.
Thinning and Thickening the Soup - You can easily adjust the thickness of this soup to suit your taste. For a thinner broth, simply omit the cornstarch, but keep the cream as listed in the recipe for that rich, creamy flavor. If you'd like to thin it out even more, stir in a little extra chicken stock until it reaches your desired consistency.

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