There are some days that just feel… gray. You know the ones. The wind is a little too cold, you feel a little too tired, and all you want is something warm in a bowl that feels like a hug.
This is that hug. I’m going to show you how to make the creamiest, most comforting chicken and rice soup you’ve ever had. Seriously, it’s the one my kids ask for whenever they have a bad day, and it has never, ever failed.
It’s simple, I promise. No weird ingredients or confusing steps. Just pure comfort, coming right up.
What You’ll Need
Okay, let’s talk about the good stuff. The ingredients here are pretty straightforward, but getting the right amounts is what makes it work. Don’t just eyeball it, trust me on this one.
For the Soup Base
This is the heart of the soup. It’s where all the flavor starts to build, so don’t rush this part.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Unsalted Butter | ¼ cup |
| Yellow Onion (diced small) | 1 large |
| Carrots (peeled & diced small) | 2 medium |
| Celery (diced small) | 2 stalks |
| Garlic (minced) | 4 cloves |
| All-Purpose Flour | ¼ cup |
| Low-Sodium Chicken Broth | 8 cups |
For the Chicken & Rice
This is what makes the soup hearty and filling. I like using chicken thighs because they have more flavor and don’t dry out, but breasts work too.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs | 1.5 lbs |
| Long-Grain White Rice | 1 cup |
| Dried Thyme | 1 tsp |
| Dried Rosemary | ½ tsp |
| Bay Leaf | 1 |
| Salt & Black Pepper | To taste |
To Make It Creamy
And here’s the magic. This is what takes it from a regular chicken soup to something you’ll dream about.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Heavy Cream (room temp) | 1 cup |
| Fresh Parsley (chopped) | ¼ cup |
The Tools for the Job
You don’t need a fancy kitchen for this. Just a few basic things will get you through it.
- A big pot or Dutch oven: Something heavy on the bottom is best because it helps keep things from burning.
- A good knife: For all that chopping.
- Cutting board: A big one, so you have plenty of room to work.
- Wooden spoon or spatula: For stirring everything around.
- Measuring cups and spoons: I know, I know, but it matters!
- Two forks: For shredding the chicken later on.
Pro Tips from My Kitchen
I’ve made this soup more times than I can count, and I’ve made a few mistakes along the way. Here are the little secrets I’ve learned that make a big difference.
- Don’t Add Cold Cream to Hot Soup. This is the number one rule. If you pour cold cream straight from the fridge into a bubbling pot of soup, it can curdle. It’ll get all weird and grainy. The fix is so easy: just let your cream sit out on the counter for about 30 minutes before you need it. Or, you can temper it by slowly whisking a little bit of the hot soup broth into the cream before adding it all back to the pot.
- Rinse Your Rice! I know it seems like a pointless extra step, but it’s not. Rinsing your rice under cold water gets rid of the extra starch on the outside. That starch is what can make your soup gummy or way too thick. Just put the rice in a fine-mesh strainer and run cold water over it until the water runs clear. It takes like, a minute, and it makes a huge difference in the final texture.
- Dice Your Veggies Small and Uniform. You want a little bit of everything in each spoonful, right? If your carrots are giant chunks and your celery is tiny, it just eats weird. Take a few extra minutes to dice your onion, carrots, and celery to a similar, small size (about ¼ inch). They’ll cook more evenly and give you that perfect texture you want in a creamy soup.
Let’s Make Some Soup: Step-by-Step
Alright, got everything ready? Let’s do this. Just follow along, one step at a time. You’ve got this.
Step 1: Sauté the Veggies
Get your big pot over medium heat and drop in the ¼ cup of butter. Once it’s all melted and shimmery, add your diced onion, carrots, and celery. Stir them around for about 5-7 minutes. You want them to get soft and for the onion to look kinda see-through. Add the minced garlic in the last minute and stir it around until you can smell it. Don’t let the garlic burn!
Step 2: Make the Roux
Sprinkle the ¼ cup of flour over your softened veggies. Stir it constantly for about one minute. It will look pasty and a little clumpy, and that’s totally normal. This little step is what will help thicken your soup later so it doesn’t feel watery.
Step 3: Add the Liquid and Chicken
Slowly, and I mean slowly, pour in about a cup of your chicken broth while stirring. Scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Once it’s smooth, you can stir in the rest of the 8 cups of broth. Then, add the whole chicken thighs, the dried thyme, dried rosemary, and the bay leaf. Give it all a good stir.
Step 4: Simmer and Cook
Turn the heat up a bit to bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Don’t let it get to a crazy, rolling boil. Once it’s simmering, turn the heat back down to low, cover the pot, and let it cook for about 20 minutes. This is when the chicken will cook through and all the flavors start to become friends.
Step 5: Cook the Rice
After 20 minutes, take the lid off and pour in your rinsed 1 cup of rice. Give it a stir, put the lid back on, and let it keep simmering for another 15-20 minutes. The rice should be tender when you check it. The soup will start to look a lot thicker now.
Step 6: Shred the Chicken
Carefully take the cooked chicken thighs out of the pot and put them on a plate or cutting board. They will be hot! Use two forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. It should fall apart really easily. Once it’s all shredded, dump it back into the pot. Oh, and don’t forget to fish out that bay leaf and throw it away. Nobody wants to eat that.
Step 7: Get It Creamy
Turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Now, slowly pour in your 1 cup of room-temperature heavy cream while stirring gently. Let it heat through for a couple of minutes, but do not let the soup boil again once the cream is in (remember Pro Tip #1!).
Step 8: The Finishing Touches
Stir in the ¼ cup of fresh chopped parsley. Now is the time to taste it. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper until it tastes amazing to you. Sometimes I add a lot of pepper. Just do what feels right. Serve it up hot and get ready for a ton of compliments.
Substitutions and Fun Variations
One of the best things about soup is you can mess with it. Don’t have something on hand? Want to try something new? Go for it.
- Different Grains: Not a white rice fan? You can use brown rice or wild rice, but you’ll need to cook them longer. It’s often easier to cook them separately and add them to each bowl when you serve. Quinoa also works for a healthier, high-protein kick.
- Make it Dairy-Free: You can get a pretty good creamy texture without dairy. Try using full-fat canned coconut milk instead of heavy cream. It will add a very slight coconut flavor, which is actually really nice. Start with a little and add more until you like it.
- Add More Veggies: This soup is a great way to clean out the fridge. Got some mushrooms? Sauté them with the onions. Have a bag of frozen peas? Throw them in at the end. A few handfuls of fresh spinach stirred in until it wilts is also amazing.
- Herb Swaps: Don’t have thyme or rosemary? A little bit of poultry seasoning works great. You could also use fresh herbs instead of dried—just remember to use about three times the amount and add them closer to the end.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
This soup is almost better the next day, I swear. The flavors get to know each other even better.
Making It Ahead:
You can make the entire soup, let it cool completely, and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The rice will soak up some of the liquid, so you might need to add a splash more chicken broth or water when you reheat it.
Freezing:
Soups with cream can sometimes act a little funny when you freeze them. The best way to do it is to make the soup all the way up to Step 6 (before you add the cream and parsley). Let that part of the soup cool completely, then freeze it in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw it in the fridge, reheat it on the stove, and then stir in the cream and parsley at the end.
Reheating:
The best way to reheat this soup is gently on the stove over medium-low heat. The microwave works in a pinch, but it can sometimes make the chicken a little rubbery if you blast it on high. Just go slow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Can I use leftover cooked chicken or a rotisserie chicken?
Ans: Totally! Just skip the part where you cook the chicken in the broth. Add your shredded, cooked chicken in Step 6 along with the rice and let it heat through.
Q2. My soup is way too thick. How can I fix it?
Ans: Easy fix. Just stir in a little more chicken broth or even a splash of water until it reaches the consistency you like. The rice is usually the culprit because it just keeps absorbing liquid.
Q3. My soup seems too thin. What did I do wrong?
Ans: You didn’t do anything wrong! If you want it thicker, you can let it simmer (before adding the cream) with the lid off for a bit to let some liquid evaporate. Or, you can make a little slurry by mixing a tablespoon of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of cold water, then stirring that into the simmering soup.
Q4. Is this soup gluten-free?
Ans: As written, it’s not because of the all-purpose flour. To make it gluten-free, you can skip the flour and thicken the soup at the end with a cornstarch slurry instead.
Wrapping Up
See? That wasn’t so hard. You just made a pot of soup that can fix almost anything. It’s warm, it’s creamy, and it tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen, even though it was actually pretty simple.
Now go grab a bowl and a spoon and enjoy what you just made. You deserve it.
When you try it, I’d love to hear how it went! Did you make any changes? Did your family love it? Leave a comment below and let me know. Happy cooking