Go Back

Creamy Chicken And Rice Soup

Creamy chicken and rice soup with a velvety, golden broth and tender long-grain rice made by simmering everything together and finishing with cream. Shredded chicken and sautéed onion, carrots, and celery give the soup a hearty, spoon-coating texture.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 475
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken breast
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast
Long grain white rice
  • 1 cup long grain white rice
Carrots
  • 4 carrots
Celery
  • 4 celery
Onion
  • 1 onion
Garlic
  • 4 garlic
Chicken broth
  • 6 cup chicken broth
Heavy cream
  • 2 cup heavy cream
Butter
  • 4 tbsp butter
Flour
  • 3 tbsp flour
Dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Dried parsley
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
Nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the vegetables
  1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat, then sauté onion, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes until starting to soften and smell fragrant.
  2. Add garlic and flour, cooking for 1-2 minutes while stirring constantly until the raw flour smell cooks off.
Simmer the chicken soup base
  1. Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking or stirring to dissolve the flour, then add chicken, thyme, dried parsley, and nutmeg.
  2. Simmer for 15-18 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, then remove it and shred.
Cook the rice and finish creamy
  1. Bring the soup to a boil, then add the rice and stir so it’s evenly distributed.
  2. Cover and simmer for 18 minutes until the rice is tender, stirring once or twice if needed to prevent sticking.
  3. Stir in the heavy cream and the shredded chicken, then simmer for 5 minutes until the broth turns velvety and the chicken is heated through.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve hot with fresh parsley and a swirl of cream if desired.

Notes

For the creamiest texture, simmer on medium after adding broth so the soup stays active but not violently bubbling; if it thickens too much as it cools, loosen with a splash of chicken broth when reheating. Refrigerate leftovers up to 4 days in a sealed container. Freeze up to 2 months, but expect the rice texture to soften a bit on thawing; reheat gently on the stove with a splash of broth. For a lighter option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream, but keep the final simmer to about 5 minutes so it doesn’t separate.