Chicken & Rice Soup
This classic Chicken and Rice Soup is quick and easy to prepare, and loaded with veggies, juicy chicken and tender rice, making it a delicious and well-balanced meal.
In the past few weeks, I’ve been talking a lot about the importance of eating well-balanced meals. There are lots of complex and crazy formulas that you can find online to help design a well-balanced meal, however, as with everything I teach, I like to keep things as simple as possible. In order to create a well-balanced meal, all you need to do is ensure that your meal includes some carbohydrate, protein and fat, and this Chicken and Rice Soup does just that. By simply combining some veggies, some chicken, some rice, and some olive oil in this soup, you can ensure that you are creating a filling and balanced meal. I made this Chicken & Rice Soup with chicken breasts, however, if you want to up the fat content a little you could use chicken thighs, and if you’d rather use wild or brown rice, you can certainly do that too.
For the best results, you’ll want to use the best quality chicken, and in order to do so I source all of my meat from truLOCAL. Not only is it delivered right to your door for your convenience, but they work with incredible local farmers so you can ensure you are making a healthy and sustainable choice.
Chicken & Rice Soup
I made this Chicken & Rice Soup with chicken breasts, however, you could make it with chicken thighs just as easily. You could also swap the white rice for wild or brown rice, but you will need to increase the cooking time a little.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soups & Stews
- Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 1 cup long-grain white rice (basmati or jasmine)
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Fresh parsley, to serve
Instructions
- In a large pot on medium heat, warm olive oil. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes until onions are translucent and vegetables are tender.
- Add salt, pepper, and thyme, and stir to coat the vegetables. Pour in broth and water, add rice and bay leaf, and stir to combine.
- Submerge raw chicken breasts/thighs in the broth, reduce the heat to a simmer, and allow to cook for 30 minutes. Skim off any excess foam that produces on the top of the soup once cooked.
- After 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the pot and place it on a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken into small bite-size pieces.
- Return the shredded chicken to the pot and simmer the soup for an additional 10 minutes. If you find the soup too thick, simply add some extra broth or water until it reaches the consistency of your choice.
- Season soup with additional salt and pepper to taste, and serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Find it online: https://kaynutrition.com/2018/11/easy-chicken-rice-soup/
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I love one pot meals! Thanks for this one!
My pleasure, hope you enjoy it!
Do you simmer the chicken uncovered? Thanks for the recipe!
I tend to cover it, but it honestly won’t make a huge difference in the end. And my pleasure, hope you enjoy it!
I’ve never made a soup before (novice cook) but had some thighs I needed to cook. I found this recipe and so happy I did. It’s so easy and si delicious. Im so happy the ingredients used are ones almost everyone will have. Thank you so much!
Ah, thank YOU so much! I’m so happy that you enjoyed it Melanie and thank you so much for sharing!
Yes!! Finally an easy peasy chicken soup 🙂 Instead of rice I did quinoa and I added silverbeet and turmeric. YUM! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
can this be converted for the Instant pot?
That is a great question! I’ve never done so myself, but I don’t see why not.
Do you use chicken broth or vegetable broth when making yours? I can’t decide which to try.
I use chicken, I find it gives more flavour!