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Creamy Chicken And Rice Soup

Creamy chicken and rice soup with velvety broth and tender long-grain rice, made by simmering the chicken until cooked, then adding rice and finishing with cream. The result is a thick, comforting pot of soup with shredded chicken throughout and a golden, creamy swirl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 510
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 sliced
Celery
  • 4 celery sliced
Onion
  • 1 onion diced
Garlic
  • 4 garlic minced
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
Ground nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt to taste
  • 1 black 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, stirring until the onion softens and looks glossy.
Build the base
  1. Add garlic and flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until the flour smell mellows and the mixture looks slightly thickened.
  2. Gradually add chicken broth while stirring to smooth out the flour, then add chicken, thyme, dried parsley, and nutmeg.
Cook the chicken and rice
  1. Simmer for 15-18 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the broth is gently bubbling, then remove the chicken and shred it.
  2. Bring the soup back to a boil, then add long-grain white rice and stir so the rice is evenly distributed.
  3. Cover and simmer for 18 minutes until the rice is tender, pausing to stir once halfway through for even cooking.
Finish and season
  1. Stir in heavy cream and shredded chicken, then simmer for 5 minutes until the soup turns creamy and looks slightly thicker.
  2. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then serve hot with a creamy swirl on top.

Notes

For the smoothest texture, whisk the broth in gradually so no flour lumps form, and keep the simmer gentle once the rice is added to prevent scorching. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 4 days; freeze up to 2 months (cream may slightly change texture when thawed, but it reheats well). For a lighter option, swap heavy cream for half-and-half and simmer 2-3 minutes longer to help it thicken.