Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

When it's cold outside and basically looks like midnight outside except it's 4pm and you have little time to get dinner on the table, here's a no-brainer recipe for Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup to warm you up from the inside out!

It's hearty and rich and full of all the things you can love about soup. Flavorful veggies, pulled chicken, rich creamy chicken broth, and tender white rice. Best of all it comes together in just over 30 minutes in one pan!

Creamy chicken and rice soup sitting in a deep cream ceramic bowl. You can see carrots and mushrooms in the soup and it is garnished with fresh herbs. In the corner you can see the edge of another bowl and they are sitting on a cream colored cloth next to 2 silver spoons.

Why I Love This Cream of Chicken Soup with Rice

I absolutely love soup. It's so easy, great for leftovers, and there's a soup for every craving. Creamy smooth tomato or white bean soup. Hearty, veggie filled chicken and rice stew or Tuscan kale and sausage. Of course, there are slow cooker soups and Instant Pot beauties. Truly, soup for every soul.

This one recipe in particular is just basic, easy comfort food that tastes great. Essentially it's just a creamy version of classic chicken and rice soup. I put my own twist on it by adding sliced mushrooms for an even heartier texture.

In addition, I like to go back and forth on the type of rice I use. Wild rice is my absolute favorite for soup but I cannot deny how easy and fast white jasmine rice is. It cooks so fast and right in the broth.

Ingredients and Substitutions

All the ingredients require to make chicken and rice soup laid out on a black counter top. There is raw chicken in a white ceramic bowl, a white bowl of jasmine white rice, a white pouring bowl containing chicken stock, a white bowl filled with mushrooms. There is all purpose flour in a small yellow bowl and some heavy cream in a white bowl. Lastly there is a skillet with multiple ingredients on it, including celery, carrots, onion, garlic and thyme.

For the chicken: I love to make recipes as easy to follow as possible. For this recipe, I normally bake and pull or slice chicken breast as I prefer the whiter, lighter meat. However, if you prefer you can grab a rotisserie chicken at the deli and shred which will cut down on time.

For the dairy: either heavy cream or heavy whipping cream works. If you want to cut down on the calories you can use half and half or milk instead, it just won't be as thick.

For the rice: My favorite choice of rice for this creamy chicken and rice soup has to be jasmine rice, it really helps thicken the soup! Make sure you wash it well first, this rice will cook pretty fast in the soup!

If you want to substitute the rice for another kind, make sure to either use quick-cooking rice or for heartier rice grains like wild rice cook the grains 'al dente' and then add it to the soup when it's ready.

View from above of 2 ceramic bowls with handles filled with chicken and rice soup. You can see lots of veggies like carrot and mushroom min it. Each bowl is on a matching plate and sitting on a dark countertop.

For the veggies: I like to use classic chicken noodle soup veggies like carrots, celery, and onion but add hearty sliced mushrooms for even more comfort food goodness. The mushrooms are totally optional though and the soup is just as tasty without them!

My favorite thing to do with this cozy and creamy Chicken and Rice Soup, is to dunk big chunks of my delicious homemade Crusty Garlic Bread into it...covered in butter of course, it's just toooo good!

How to Make this Cozy Winter Soup

In a black skillet, carrots, celery, onion and garlic are being stirred with a wooden spoon.

In a heavy bottom pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes until the onions are translucent and the carrots are starting to soften.

Flour has been added to the celery, carrot, onion and garlic. It has been stirred with a wooden spoon to evenly coat the veg in flour. It is still very white in this image.

Add the flour and stir until the vegetables are well coated. Cook for about 1 minutes then slowly add the wine while stirring to combine the flour and wine into a thick liquid.

Chicken stock is added to the flour coated veggies in the black pot. A wooden spoon has stirred all the ingredients to combine, it is still very liquidy here.

Slowly pour in the chicken stock, stirring to combine. Add the thyme and rice to the pan and increase the heat to high. Bring the liquid to a simmer, stirring occasionally to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

The broth has thickened and mushrooms, chicken and rice has been added to the black pot.

Once the broth is almost at a boil, reduce the heat to medium, partially cover the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. After the first 5 minutes of cooking, add the chicken and mushrooms to the pan, partially cover and cook for 10 to 12 more minutes until the rice is very tender.

The soup has changed to a pale white color with the addition of heavy cream The wooden spoon has incorporated all the ingredients and it looks ready to serve.

Reduce the heat to low, stir in the heavy cream, and season liberally with salt and pepper to taste.

A white ceramic bowl with handles is filled with the finished chicken soup. A silver spoon is picking a big scoop out of the bowl so it can be eaten.

This soup is hearty! If you don't plan to eat the soup right away, consider cooking the rice separately or having 2 cups of additional stock on hand to thin out the broth as the rice absorbs it while it cools.

FAQs

Can I use wild rice or brown rice?

Absolutely! Cook the rice separately and add it with the chicken and cream at the end of the instructions. You can also reduce the overall simmer time if cooking the rice separately.

Can I leave this soup out overnight?

No - if cooked rice is left out for more than 2 hours, it can actually give you food poisoning from the bacteria that develops. Make sure you let the soup cool, then seal it and pop it in the fridge. It can also be frozen and defrosted.

How long can I store leftovers?

Seal it up and it will last around 4 days in the fridge, and a few months in the freezer! When reheating it, I normally use the stovetop and add a little milk or broth to it to get it back to that soupy consistency.

View from above of a white ceramic bowl with handles filled with chicken and rice soup. You can see mushrooms and carrots clearly in the bowl. A silver spoon is sitting inside the bowl, ready to take a bite.

Looking for More Filling Soup Recipes?

If you are looking for more warming, cozy soup recipes, check out my Fall inspired Butternut Squash Soup. It's seriously smooth and creamy and delightfully filling! Great for a quick and healthy lunch when a salad won't cut it!

Maybe you like your soup with a bit of a kick? Try my taco-inspired Mexican Black Bean Soup, it's loaded with bacon corn salsa too for a really delicious treat.

Last up is my Roasted Kabocha Squash and White Bean Soup...if you haven't had kabocha squash before - now is your chance. This soup warms your heart and soul and fills you with comforting autumnal goodness.

If you loved this Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup, please consider leaving a star rating and comment below! Don't forget to tag @hungerthirstplay when you post on Instagram and Facebook so I can see all your hard work!