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This homemade chicken and brown rice soup is comforting, easy, and cozy for a simple yet hearty weeknight dinner or lunch. Naturally gluten free and dairy free, the simple ingredients remind you of a classic chicken soup, but fresh herbs and brown rice provide a deeper and more delicious flavor – all ready in 50 minutes.
This cozy soup is perfect on days you don’t feel well or as a freezer meal to make ahead. It also makes a great gift! Pair it with a warm baguette or an easy bibb lettuce salad. Want to use wild rice? Try this creamy chicken and wild rice soup.
A Quick Look
- 10 ingredients and 50 minute cooking time.
- Uses rotisserie chicken and brown rice.
- Easy to make – a totally stress free recipe all made in one-pot.
- Gluten free and dairy free friendly.
- Hearty, cozy, and delicious. If you love this soup, you’ll have to try this Boursin broccoli cheese soup, green chicken enchilada soup, or vegetable tortilla soup.
Ingredients
Here are a few notes on ingredients with the full recipe and amounts in the card below.
- Chicken – Use pre-cooked chicken a store-bought rotisserie chicken. You could also use leftover cast iron roast chicken. You can also cook raw chicken breast or chicken thighs in the stock and simmer till fully cooked, but I find rotisserie chicken to be best.
- Brown rice – Most chicken and rice soups use white rice, but I love that brown rice gives this a more nutty, earthy flavor. In recipe testing, long grain brown rice (brown basmati rice) worked the best for flavor and texture. Short grain brown rice will release more starches and create a naturally thick soup that’s more creamy. You do not want to use any instant brown rice or quick cooking rice for this recipe.
- Shallots – Shallots have a softer flavor than onions, which work nicely in this soup. Feel free to swap out the shallots with yellow onion if desired. Or you can also use leeks!
- Celery and carrots – Chop these at home or you can often find these pre-chopped at grocery stores. Add extra veggies if desired!
- Herbs – You’ll need a bay leave and a few fresh herbs for flavor. This will make a “bouquet garni”, which is a bunch of herbs wrapped in twine that infuses the broth. I love this because you get all the flavor without pieces of herbs floating about, but you can also used dried herbs in a pinch.
- Vegetable or chicken broth – Both work well here. I recommend a low sodium store-bought version rotisserie chicken bone broth.
Substitutions & Variations
- White rice – Can be substituted for the brown rice. Long grain white rice in jasmine or basmati is recommended over short grain like arborio, which is better for risotto, or sushi rice.
- Shallots – While onions can also work, I would recommend shallots or leeks.
- Herbs – I prefer rosemary and thyme, but you could also use fresh parsley, oregano, lemon thyme, or savory.
- Dried herbs – Use about 1/2 teaspoon total of a mix of thyme and rosemary.
- Vegetarian – To make this vegetarian or vegan, just add another cup of fresh chopped vegetables, use vegetable broth, and omit the chicken.
- Creamy chicken and brown rice soup – Add in 1/2 cup heavy cream in the final 10 minutes of simmering the soup.
How to Make Chicken and Brown Rice Soup
Step 1: In a large pot on the stovetop, add olive oil over medium heat, then add garlic, shallots, celery, carrots, and kosher salt. Stir till soft and fragrant – about 5-6 minutes.
Step 2: On medium high heat, add the brown rice and toast for 1-2 minutes, stirring consistently. Add in the herbs wrapped in twine (or you can just add the herbs and fish them out with a slotted spoon later) plus the bay leaf.
Step 3: Add 5 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth and 1 cup of water. Then bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer and cover with a lid.
Step 4: Cook the soup for 35 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked. Remove the herbs and bay leaf, then add rotisserie chicken.
Step 5: Bring the soup back to a low simmer, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust with kosher salt and black pepper as needed. The soup will thicken with more time as the rice absorbs more liquid. You can adjust the consistency to your liking by adding more stock or broth.
Recipe Tip
The soup will thicken with more time as the rice absorbs more liquid, especially in storage. You can adjust the consistency to your liking by adding more stock or broth – just keep a little extra on hand.
Slow Cooker Method
You can make this chicken rice soup in a slow cooker. Start with cooking the shallots, celery, and carrots in a pan and add them to the crockpot. Add in 1 extra cup of broth and set on low heat for 4-6 hours. Stir in the chicken about 30 minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
This soup can be a full meal but here area few salads and vegetables I love to pair with it. You could also serve it with a warm baguette or garlic bread to soak up the broth!
For salads that pair well with the hearty flavors, try this kale crunch salad or spinach salad with chickpeas. If you’d like to try a sandwich, this rotisserie chicken sandwich with Boursin, goat cheese sandwich, or lavash wraps also pair well.
Finally, if you’re making this on a sick day, pair it with my electrolyte popsicles or homemade ginger ale.
Meal Prep and Freezer Tips
While I feel like brown rice doesn’t freeze and reheat as well as white rice, it’s still good enough for me to enjoy! You can easily store this chicken and brown rice soup in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. It always tastes better the next day!
- Freezer storage – Cool the soup and place into Souper Cubes freezer packs. Freeze until solid and then transfer them to a larger freezer bag (or continue to store in the containers).
- Thawing tips – Place the freezer bag in warm water, which should take about 30 minutes to 1 hour to defrost. This can also be defrosted overnight in the fridge (this is the best way).
- Microwave – You can reheat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between, till fully reheated.
Chicken Soup Recipes
Chicken
Crustless Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken
Maple Dijon Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Veggies
Gluten Free
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Grapes and Rosemary
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Chicken and Brown Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped, or about 10 baby carrots chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup brown rice (long grain preferred)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small bunch herbs (thyme, parsley, or rosemary tied together with kitchen string)
- 5-6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1-2 cups water
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken meat, lightly chopped, about 1 rotisserie chicken
- fresh black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves, shallots, chopped celery, carrots and kosher salt. Stir occasionally until slightly softened and fragrant, making sure the garlic doesn't burn, about 5-6 minutes. Add the rice and toast it for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the herbs and bay leaf.
- Pour in 5 cups of chicken broth + 1 cup of water, bring to a boil then turn the heat down to a low simmer and cover with a lid.
- Cook for 35 minutes covered, then check to see that the rice has cooked through. Remove the bundle of herbs and add chopped rotisserie chicken. If the soup is too thick, add another cup of water or broth. I find 5 cups of broth and 2 cups of water to be a delicious combination without being too watered down.
- Bring everything to a simmer again and season with more kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste. Serve warm or cover and store in the fridge till ready to use. The soup will thicken with time, so add more water and broth to thin out to your liking before serving.
Notes
- When looking for a rotisserie chicken, I pick one without seasonings added, otherwise known as a “naked chicken”. You can typically find these at Sprouts, Fresh Market, Whole Foods, and HEB. They will just have salt and pepper, or nothing at all.
- This soup thickens with time so you may need to add more broth or water to thin it for leftovers.
- This soup will freeze well, although the texture of the rice may soften. Overall I find this doesn’t bother anyone, especially if you add more broth when reheating.
- Your bouquet garni can contain whatever your personal favorite herbs are, but my favorites are parsley, thyme, and rosemary. You can also substitute dried herbs, but I prefer to have the flavor without little pieces floating about.
- My favorite broth to use is this homemade rotisserie chicken bone broth (you can use the chicken meat for this soup!)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My boyfriend loves soup. I’m not big into soups. But we both loved this recipe. It is so easy to make and tastes so good. Especially at this time of year when the weather is getting pretty cold.
Amazing! I’ve been making homemade chicken soup for all of my adult life, I was surprised that this recipe is so much better than anything else I’ve made. It’s easy and fantastic tasting!
It really does thicken! Have faith
I’d like to use dried herbs instead of fresh tied together. how much should I add of parsley, sage and rosemary?