Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup
It was absolutely storming here in Wellington, Florida, and I thought to myselfโฆ what is the BEST thing to eat during a Florida storm? Pretty sure the answer is Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup. So, I went into my kitchen and completely made this one up using what I already had in the house. I had just gone to Costco and had one of their giant rotisserie chickens sitting in my refrigerator, so obviously that chicken was coming to the party!
I wanted this soup to have TONS of flavor, so I pulled out all of my favorite flavor makers: adobo, Sazรณn, complete seasoning, Better Than Bouillon, tomato paste, garlic, Parmesan, lemonโฆ you get the picture. Then I added long-grain white rice right into the broth, which naturally starts thickening the soup as it cooks. A can of cream of chicken soup with herbs takes it the rest of the way and makes this soup SO creamy without having to make a roux or mess around with flour.
And let me tell you something: this soup is unflippin-believable. Creamy, hearty, lemony, savory, loaded with chicken, rice and spinach, and SO easy.
Now, you already know I consider myself the queen of soups around here, so if Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup isnโt your jam, donโt worry! Try myย Creamy Mini Meatball Soup,ย Creamy Sausage & Gnocchi Soup, orย Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup. I have ALL the soups, okay?!
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I served this with the Rosemary Parmesan Bread from Costco, and OH MY GOD. Warm up that bread, dunk it right into the creamy broth, and thank me later.
These three seasonings make this dish unbelievably good: Sazon Goya, Adobo All Purpose Seasoning, & Complete Seasoning.
This is my go to Dutch Oven Cast Iron Pot I use for ALL of my soup recipes!
This is your mirepoix, and remember:ย we are not making a stir-fry!ย Let those vegetables cook slowly in the butter until theyโre softened and translucent with just the slightest hint of golden color.
Add the tomato paste and Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base. Stir really well and let them cook into the vegetables.
Pour in low-sodium chicken broth and bring it to a boil.
As the rice cooks, youโre going to notice something magical happening:ย the soup starts thickening all by itself.ย The starch from the rice begins making that broth creamy before weโve even added our cream of chicken soup.
This Chicken Shredder is my go to kitchen hack to save time. This beats shredding with two forks any day!!!!
Here’s the star of the show that gives this soup that creamy element: Campbells Cream of Chicken with Herbs
Stir everything together until that cream of chicken melts right into the broth.
Now taste it! I added another little sprinkle of cracked black pepper and about another teaspoon of adobo seasoning to mine. Depending on your broth, chicken and seasonings, you may not need as much, soย taste before adding more salt or seasoning.
Serve it with warm Rosemary Parmesan Bread from Costco or your favorite crusty bread and GET READY. This one is GOOD.
More Delicious Soup Recipes!
Melissaโs Tips!
- Donโt rush the mirepoix.ย Keep your heat around medium to medium-low and let those vegetables slowly soften in the butter. Weโre building flavor!
- Use low-sodium chicken broth.ย Between the rotisserie chicken, Better Than Bouillon, adobo, Sazรณn, complete seasoning, canned soup and Parmesan, there is already plenty of salty goodness happening.
- Start with less water.ย The amount you need depends on how much chicken youโre adding and how thick you like your soup. You can ALWAYS add more.
- The soup will continue to thicken.ย The rice keeps absorbing liquid as it sits, so donโt panic if you need to loosen leftovers with a splash of broth or water.
- Donโt skip that last squeeze of lemon.ย It brightens up the entire soup and balances all that creamy, savory flavor.
- Rotisserie chicken makes this SO easy.ย Costco chickens are huge, so if youโre using a smaller chicken, adjust the water accordingly.
- Taste before seasoning at the end.ย Different rotisserie chickens and broths have different amounts of sodium.
๐ค Common Questions
Absolutely! I used almost an entire Costco rotisserie chicken, which is a LOT of chicken. If youโre using a smaller rotisserie chicken from your grocery store, start with about 1ยฝ cups of water instead of 2ยฝ cups. You can always add more if the soup gets too thick.
Yes! I used Campbellโs Cream of Chicken Soup with Herbs because thatโs what I had and I love the extra flavor, but regular cream of chicken will work too.
Thatโs the rice! Long-grain white rice releases starch as it cooks and will continue soaking up the broth as the soup sits. If your soup gets too thick, simply add a splash of chicken broth or water until it reaches the consistency you like.
Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium to medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrots and onion. Cook slowly until softened, translucent and slightly golden.
- Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon adobo, Sazรณn and complete seasoning. Stir and cook until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste and Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base and cook for another minute.
- Squeeze the juice from half of the lemon into the pot and stir, scraping up all the flavorful bits from the bottom.
- Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Add the rice and bay leaf. Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and replacing the lid each time.
- Once the rice is almost tender, stir in 1ยฝโ2ยฝ cups water, depending on the amount of chicken youโre using and how thick you like your soup. Bring back to a boil.
- Add the shredded rotisserie chicken, spinach and cream of chicken soup. Stir until completely combined.
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is completely tender and the soup is creamy.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add cracked black pepper and additional adobo or complete seasoning if needed.
- Squeeze in the remaining half of the lemon and stir. Remove the bay leaf.
- Serve hot with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and plenty of crusty bread for dipping.
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Nutrition
Notes
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Store leftover Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3โ4 days.
Important: This soup WILL thicken in the refrigerator because that rice is going to keep soaking up the liquid. When reheating it on the stovetop or in the microwave, add a splash of chicken broth or water and stir until itโs creamy again.
