Chicken and Rice Soup
Chicken and rice soup is dinner from one pot: onion, carrots and celery softened in olive oil, 500 g of bite-sized chicken thighs simmered in 1.5 litres of broth with thyme and a bay leaf, then 150 g of long-grain rice cooked straight in the liquid until tender. The rice goes in only after the chicken has had its 20 covered minutes, which keeps the grains whole and the broth light rather than starchy. Prep is about 15 minutes of chopping; the rest is a gentle simmer you can mostly walk away from. Six generous bowls.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 60 min
- kcal
- 326.9
- protein
- 24.6 g
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 500 g
- 150 g
- 2 cloves
- 1 ½ l
- 1 tsp
- 1 tsp
- ½ tsp
- 2 tbsp
- 2 tbsp
Process
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Dice the onion, 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks to about 1 cm, mince the 2 garlic cloves, and cut the 500 g chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Rinse the 150 g rice under cold water until the water runs clear, then leave it to drain; that rinse is what keeps the finished broth from turning cloudy and sticky.
Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the vegetables have softened and smell sweet rather than raw.
Stir in the 2 minced garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute, just until fragrant. Garlic goes in alone for this last minute because it browns far faster than the vegetables, and burnt garlic leaves a bitter note that no amount of simmering removes.
Add the 500 g chicken pieces and cook for about 5 minutes, turning them so they lose their pink on the outside. They finish cooking in the broth, so surfaces that are just opaque and centres still slightly underdone at this point are exactly right.
Pour in the 1.5 litres chicken broth and add the 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes; a hard boil toughens the chicken and clouds the broth.
Stir in the drained 150 g rice and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once or twice so the grains do not settle and stick. The chicken should reach 74°C at the centre, the minimum for poultry, and the rice should be tender with a slight bite as the soup thickens.
Fish out the bay leaf, then taste and adjust the salt and pepper; the rice has absorbed some seasoning, so most pots need a little more. Ladle into warmed bowls and scatter the 2 tbsp chopped parsley over the top.
Why this recipe works
Poaching the chicken in the broth before the rice goes in does two jobs: the thighs season the liquid from the inside out, and by the time the rice is added the broth tastes of chicken rather than of stock. Adding the rice late and leaving the pot uncovered for the last 15 to 20 minutes lets steam escape so the soup concentrates instead of diluting, and the starch the grains shed thickens it naturally, with no roux, cream or cornstarch. Rinsing the rice first washes away the loose surface starch that would otherwise cloud the broth and settle into a gluey layer on the bottom of the pot.
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven, 4 to 5 litres
- Chef's knife and cutting board
- Wooden spoon
- Fine-mesh strainer for rinsing the rice
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Instant-read thermometer
- Ladle and deep bowls for serving
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- Once the rice is tender, mash a few spoonfuls of it against the side of the pot: the starch that releases thickens the broth without flour, and it takes seconds.
- A squeeze of lemon juice stirred in off the heat lifts the whole pot; after 40 minutes of simmering the soup can taste flat without a little acidity.
- Taste a spoonful that carries both rice and broth, not broth alone: the rice is what most of the seasoning is sitting in, and broth by itself reads saltier than the finished bowl.
- Thigh meat is forgiving: if the pot simmers five minutes longer than planned the chicken stays tender, which is why the soup is a poor place to use breast meat.
- Add the parsley at the moment of serving. Chopped parsley in a hot pot fades to olive-brown within an hour and stops looking like a garnish.
Common mistakes
- Mushy, broken rice: it was added too early, boiled hard, or left in well past tender. Rinse it, add it only after the chicken's 20 covered minutes, keep the pot at a bare simmer, and start testing the grains at 15 minutes.
- Bland broth: 1.5 litres is a lot of liquid and the rice absorbs seasoning as it swells. The 1 tsp salt at the start is a base, not the finished seasoning, so taste with a spoonful of rice and broth together before serving.
- Dry, stringy chicken: the pot boiled rather than simmered, or the pieces were cut too small and cooked too long. Cut the thighs bite-sized, keep the liquid at a gentle simmer, and remember they stay tender well past 74°C.
- Soup that turns to porridge overnight: the rice keeps drinking broth in the fridge. Store it loose rather than packed to the lid, thin it with hot broth when reheating, and cook the rice separately if you know there will be leftovers.
- Cloudy, gluey broth over a scorched base: unrinsed rice or a pot left undisturbed at too high a heat. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, stir once halfway through the rice stage, and keep the heat low.
Serving suggestions
- Serve hot in deep bowls with crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich for mopping; a plain green salad on the side makes it dinner.
- Finish each bowl with the parsley and, if you have it, a drizzle of good olive oil and a crack of black pepper over the surface.
- Six generous bowls as a main course; smaller bowls stretch it to eight lighter starters before a bigger meal.
- It suits a simple table: bread and butter, or plain saltines, and nothing else competing with the broth.
Variations
- Brown rice version: the same 150 g, added with the broth and simmered 40 to 45 minutes instead of 15 to 20, with extra broth on hand as it reduces; the soup is nuttier and heartier.
- Lemon-and-herb finish: stir a squeeze of lemon juice and extra chopped herbs into the pot off the heat for a lighter, brighter bowl.
- Richer stock version: start with bone-in chicken thighs, then remove the bones and skin before serving; the broth tastes deeper and fuller.
Refrigerator
- RefrigeratorCool the pot quickly, splitting it into shallow containers or standing it in a sink of cold water, and refrigerate within an hour: cooked rice is the ingredient that makes prompt cooling matter, because rice left warm can harbour Bacillus cereus. Sealed, the soup keeps for up to 3 days; it thickens every day as the rice drinks broth.
- ReheatingWarm gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of broth or water to loosen it, and bring it to a bare simmer until steaming hot all the way through; leftovers should reach 74°C, the standard for reheated food. Reheat rice only once, and never boil the pot hard or the grains break down further.
- FreezingUp to 2 months: cool it completely, pack it flat in bags or containers, and freeze. The rice comes back soft and keeps absorbing on thawing, so the texture is best if you freeze the soup without the rice and cook 150 g fresh when you reheat. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
- Make aheadCook the base, everything up to and including the 20-minute chicken simmer, up to 2 days ahead; cool it fast and refrigerate. Simmer in the rice when you reheat so the grains are fresh instead of swollen. Cooked complete, it holds for up to 3 days but thickens daily, so thin it generously with broth.
Updated:
How this recipe was developed
- FoodSafety.gov / USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures (poultry 74°C; reheated leftovers 74°C)
- UK Food Standards Agency and NHS home food fact checker (cooked rice: cool within an hour, refrigerate no more than 24 hours, reheat only once until steaming hot throughout)
- FoodSafety.gov cold food storage chart (soups and stews: 3 to 4 days refrigerated, 2 to 3 months frozen)
- Bon Appétit, Feel-Better Chicken and Rice Soup — simmering the rice in the broth for 15 to 20 minutes until tender and the soup thickens
Editorial references are kept internally for verification. This page makes no claim of external certification or professional testing.
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 326.9 kcal |
| Protein | 24.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 28.9 g |
| Fat | 12.5 g |
| Saturated fat | 2.9 g |
| Fiber | 2.3 g |
| Sugar | 3.8 g |
| Sodium | 1373 mg |
| Cholesterol | 84 mg |
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?
Yes, the same 500 g, but treat it differently: breast meat is leaner and dries out quickly. Add it 3 to 4 minutes later than the thighs would go in, keep the pot at a bare simmer, and check the pieces reach 74°C before serving.
Why did my rice turn mushy?
Usually one of three things: the rice went in too early, the pot boiled instead of simmered, or it cooked past tender. Rinse the grains, add them only after the chicken's 20 covered minutes, keep the liquid at a bare simmer, and start testing at 15 minutes. Rice keeps softening in the hot pot, so pull it while it still has a slight bite.
How do I know when the chicken is fully cooked?
An instant-read thermometer in the thickest piece should read 74°C, the minimum for poultry. Without one, cut a piece open: it should be opaque all the way through with no pink, and firm rather than squashy. Thigh meat stays juicy past that point, but check rather than guess.
Can I make this soup ahead of time?
Yes, with one adjustment. Cook the base up to 2 days ahead, refrigerate it, and simmer in the rice when you reheat, which keeps the grains firm. If you cook it complete in advance, it keeps up to 3 days but the rice swells and the soup thickens, so plan to loosen it with broth.
Can I freeze chicken and rice soup?
Yes, for up to 2 months. The rice softens on thawing and can go mushy, so the best texture comes from freezing the soup without the rice and cooking a fresh 150 g when you reheat. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm gently to a bare simmer and check it is steaming hot throughout.
Why is my soup so thick the next day?
The rice keeps absorbing broth after the pot comes off the heat and continues in the fridge. Thin it with hot broth or water when reheating, a splash at a time, and next time cook the rice separately if you expect leftovers; rice held on the side stays firm.
How long does chicken and rice soup keep?
Up to 3 days in a sealed container in the fridge, provided it was cooled quickly and refrigerated within an hour. Rice-specific food-safety guidance is stricter, advising that cooked rice be eaten within 24 hours, so treat day 3 as the outer limit and never reheat the pot more than once.
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