Want a comforting, homemade soup, but want it done fast? This Easy Chicken Rice Soup recipe will be warming you up in no time! Made with canned chicken (or rotisserie chicken), fresh carrots and celery, chicken broth, and a wild rice blend.
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Chicken Rice Soup can be one of the most comforting soups you can make. There is something about it that makes you feel better from the moment your hand feels the warmth of the bowl.
Easy Chicken Rice Soup Recipe
While most chicken soups are all fairly easy to make, if time is short, you may want a recipe that requires fewer steps. This Easy Chicken Rice Soup recipe is just what you need.
For this recipe, canned chicken is used. I buy the Kirkland Signature Chicken Breast 12.5 oz, 6-count at Costco. It’s a super easy shortcut for adding chicken to recipes and we like to keep it on hand for last minute meals. If you don’t prefer canned chicken, you can still make this recipe easily with purchasing a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. Just remove the chicken meat from the carcass and dice or shred into bite-size pieces.
To make this recipe, you’ll simply need to slice two carrots into rounds and chop three stalks of celery and chop some onion. All of this is sauteed in a large saucepan for a couple minutes before you add your chicken and chicken broth. The final step is to add your wild rice blend.
What Rice for Chicken Rice Soup?
For this recipe, we recommend using a wild rice blend. This means the wild rice blend has a combination of both rice (usually either brown or white) and wild rice. The interesting part is that the wild rice is actually not rice at all, but rather it’s a grass seed. You can find wild rice blends in your grocery store in the rice aisle. It’s usually in a box and may or may not come with a seasoning packet. For this recipe, you won’t be using the seasoning. If your grocery store has a bulk section, you may be able to find a wild rice blend there.
Can Chicken Rice Soup Be Frozen?
We recommend that if you know in advance that you will be freezing this soup, leave out the rice. Then, when you defrost and heat the soup later, you can add the rice at that time.
But, if your soup already had the rice in it and you want to freeze the leftovers, you can freeze it. It should be noted that sometimes the texture on your rice might not be perfect when you defrost and reheat. However, wild rice and brown rice do hold up better during freezing than white rice, so we would recommend using a wild rice and brown rice blend in that case.
When we freeze soup, I almost always use freezer storage bags. When the soup is completely cooled, I put a freezer storage bag into a large multi-cup measuring cup or a bowl, and ladle the soup into the bag, filling it not quite all the way. I remove all the air from the bag and seal. Then, I freeze the soup laying the bag flat in my freezer. If you want more tips, this article on how to freeze soups is good.
What To Serve with Chicken Rice Soup?
This Easy Chicken Rice Soup is hearty enough that you really don’t have to serve anything with it. It’s a complete meal in a bowl! But, if you like to serve something extra with your Chicken Rice Soup, some ideas are a panini sandwich or a salad. Our Hummus Pita Pizzas are a fun idea too. But, most of the time, we keep it simple and serve it with only some crackers.
Here’s the full recipe, ready for you to print. If you like this recipe, we’d love for you to share it on Facebook with your family and friends or to pin it on Pinterest.
PrintChicken and Wild Rice Soup Recipe
Description
Want a comforting and homemade soup, but done fast? This Easy Chicken Rice Soup recipe will be warming you up in no time!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into coins
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 cups cooked chicken, bite-size pieces
- 1/2 cup wild rice blend
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in celery, carrots, and flour. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add in the chicken broth, cooked chicken breast, and salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add in the wild rice and cook for as long as directed on package, or until the rice is tender but still holds its shape. Add more salt and pepper as needed and serve.
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Stefani Johnson says
This looks so yummy and super easy! I cant wait to try it. Do you have any tips on how I could turn this into a creamy soup?