This Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup includes healthier swaps to lighten up this classic soup without losing any of the flavors – so, no canned cream of anything in this recipe. This comforting, nourishing soup is like a hug in a bowl and is easy to prepare for the week or freeze for later on.
We are in full soup mode here – that’s what happens when the temperature dips under 30 degrees. Over the past few weeks, I’ve made this Italian Chicken Soup Recipe, Pizza Soup, Chicken Enchilada Soup, and Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
This week, Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup is on the menu.
Reasons you’ll love this recipe.
- Healthy. You’ll only find clean ingredients in this gluten-free soup recipe – no processed canned soup here. It’s lighten-up with milk, and I swapped in brown rice for white to bulk up the fiber.
- Delicious. The flavors of this perfect comforting chicken and rice soup are delicious – you’ll never notice the healthy swaps.
- Easy to prepare. Everything goes into a large soup pot and is ready in about 30 minutes!
- Make-ahead. My favorite part of any recipe. You can make this on Sunday to heat during the week for lunch or dinner. Or freeze into portions to enjoy for meals later on.
Ingredients
Boneless skinless chicken thighs. Using chicken thighs gives this soup a ton of flavor. I recommend organic boneless skinless chicken thighs to reduce fat, and so you don’t need to worry about bones.
Carrots, celery, onion, and garlic cloves. This mirepoix plus garlic starts the flavor foundation for this healthy soup.
Dry white wine. I don’t know about you, but any time white wine is used in a recipe, I know it’s going to be good. A dry white wine like chardonnay gives this soup a deliciously rich flavor. If you don’t have any wine or want to use it, leave the wine out and use extra chicken broth.
Dried thyme. Thyme is one of my favorite spices in chicken recipes, especially soups, and I love the flavor it brings. You can also use Italian seasoning or dried basil and dried oregano.
Chicken broth. Organic chicken broth gives the best flavor to the base of this soup.
Milk. Most creamy chicken and rice recipes call for heavy cream, but I swap in 2% milk to reduce fat; it adds the right creaminess without all of the added fat.
Brown rice. For wholegrain goodness, I used brown rice instead of white. You will need to cook brown rice ahead of time for this recipe; here is my super easy tutorial for cooking brown rice in a rice cooker.
Romano cheese. A sprinkle of grated romano cheese is the perfect finishing touch. You can skip it, but I recommend giving it a try if you have some on hand.
FAQS
It depends. I don’t recommend adding uncooked brown rice into the soup in this recipe. Brown rice takes longer to cook than the soup so it wouldn’t cook thoroughly in time.
Also, brown rice needs to cook in a covered pan, so the method is also different.
However, a minute brown rice will work, add it in at the end and let it cook until the rice is tender.
Brown rice is pretty resilient and holds up well in this chicken and rice soup, and it stays tender and firm without getting mushy.
A tip to prevent mushy rice is to add it to the soup at the end. You can also keep the rice out and ladle the soup over the rice in bowls.
The starch from the rice creates a thick creamy soup. However, if you want to thicken the soup more, add a slurry, whisk in ¼ cup gluten-free flour or cornstarch to ½ cup of broth, and then whisk that slurry into the soup. Then, let the soup simmer for about 15- 20 minutes to thicken.
If the rice starts to absorb a lot of the broth, making a thicker soup, then add in extra chicken broth until you get the consistency you want.
Cooking Tips
Swap in chicken breasts. Chicken thighs give this soup recipe a rich, authentic taste. However, if you prefer a lower fat soup, lower in calories, you can use chicken breasts.
Use rotisserie chicken. Making the extra effort to cook the chicken thighs gives the soup the best flavor. But if you’re short on time and still want to make this soup, then grab a rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken. You can even use leftover turkey.
Add the shredded rotisserie chicken in at the last 5 minutes and continue cooking until hot. Here are some other ideas for leftover rotisserie chicken recipes.
Cook the brown rice ahead of time. Brown rice takes longer to cook than the soup, so to bring the soup together quickly, I recommend cooking the rice a day or two before you plan on making this chicken and rice recipe.
Use minute brown rice. You can also use minute brown rice if you don’t have rice made ahead of times. Keep in mind that minute brown rice is more processed than brown rice. Add the minute brown rice at the end and let it cook for about 10-15 minutes or until tender.
Any leftover rice will work in this soup. I prefer using long grain brown rice because it’s whole grain and has all its benefits. You can also use wild rice for a classic chicken and wild rice soup.
However, you can certainly use white rice, jasmine rice, or any of your favorites. Again, I recommend cooking the rice ahead of time because it won’t interfere with the soup cooking time.
Bulk up the veggies. Classic Chicken and Rice Soup recipes keep it simple with carrots and celery, but you can use any of your favorite soup vegetables. We love mushrooms and leeks.
Make it creamier. Milk is a healthier option for a creamy soup without the extra fat. However, if you want a little extra creaminess, you can use half and half.
Make it dairy-free. Unsweetened coconut milk is a great dairy-free option; it offers a nice creamy texture.
Leave the milk out altogether. If you prefer a chicken and rice soup without any cream or milk, then leave it out of the recipe – it will still be delicious.
How to Make Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the chicken thighs and brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes each. You might have to cook the chicken in a couple of batches because you don’t want to overcrowd the pot.
- Remove chicken and set aside.
- In the same soup pot, pour in more olive oil and add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and thyme to the soup pot. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and softened a bit.
- While the vegetables are cooking, chop the chicken thighs into bite-size pieces.
- Pour the wine to the soup pot. As the wine boils, scrape up any bits that got stuck to the bottom of the pan. These bits are little nuggets of flavor, so don’t skip this step. If you don’t have wine, then use chicken broth.
- Stir in the chicken and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Slow stir in the milk and rice. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for another 5 minutes or until hot.
- Add in the salt and black pepper. Give it a taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve in small bowls with grated romano cheese.
Our Favorite Dutch Oven to Cook Soup
Storage tips
For the week
After the soup cools, place it into airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Portion the soup out into smaller containers If you plan to bring this soup to work for lunch.
To freeze
After the soup cools, place into portioned out airtight containers and freeze or freeze using silicone trays like SOuper Cubes and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to Freeze Soup Tutorial. Stock your freezer with healthy soup recipes using this easy how-to freeze soup tutorial. Learn all of our tips and tricks for freezing soup.
Other healthy soup recipes
Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
Equipment
- 5 1/2 quart dutch oven or soup pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 pound carrots peeled and chopped into small pieces
- 1 small package celery chopped and chopped into small pieces
- 1 large onion chopped into small pieces
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- grated romano cheese
Instructions
- Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the chicken thighs and brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes each. You might have to cook the chicken in a couple of batches because you don't want to overcrowd the pot.
- Remove chicken and set aside.
- In the same soup pot, pour in the rest of the olive oil and add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and softened a bit.
- While the vegetables are cooking, chop the chicken thighs into bite-size pieces.Set the chicken aside.
- Pour the wine to the soup pot. As the wine boils, scrape up any bits that got stuck to the bottom of the pan. These bits are little nuggets of flavor, so don't skip this step. If you don't have wine, then use chicken broth.
- Stir in the chopped chicken and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Slow stir in the milk and rice. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for another 5 minutes or until hot.
- Add in the salt and black pepper. Give it a taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve in small bowls with grated romano cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Have you tried our Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe? If so, I’d love for you to rate it and leave a comment below. We all benefit from your personal experience with this recipe and what, if anything, you did differently. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it!
Colette Watrin says
I have totally used your muffin tin trick except I use a silicone one – food pops outta there like snap!!
Sue Dunn says
Do you have to defrost frozen soup before reheating in microwave? Thank you in advance for any replies. X
Tammy Kresge says
You don’t have to but it will make it less time.
Megan says
I made this soup tonight and everyone loved it. Sadly, there weren’t too many left overs with 4 adults. So delicious!
Monica says
Mine didn’t turn out so good. The liquid looks like watered down milk. Is it because I used chicken brith and not stock? That was the only varient that was different. Thank you
Heidi says
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it is delicious! My little ones love it. It takes like eating comfort food but without the guilt. I haven’t tried freezing it yet because the leftovers get gobbled up quick. Great recipe!
DeeDee Perez says
I made this soup and my family loved it.
Pam says
I’m just wondering if there is a good substitute for the milk. This sounds wonderful – I’ve been looking for an easy rice soup recipe, and I think I found it! Thank you for sharing!
Robin says
This looks fantastic! Do you think I would be able to throw everything in a crock pot and it come out okay?
Tammy Kresge says
Not sure I never made it in the crockpot before.
Isabel says
Fyi I made this soup twice now. My entire family loves it. We toast some garlic bread to soak up the yummy soup w. Great job and always, thank you for sharing!
Laura Moore says
Are you fully cooking the chicken before hand or just browning it?
Colleen Hughes says
Hey….this looks great? One quick question, was your rice already cooked? I know my brown rice takes about 45 minutes to cook, so I am assuming yes, but just wanted to confirm this. Thanks!
Izzy says
Hi Colleen. It does mention in the recipe cooked rice.