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Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Creamy chicken and rice soup with tender long-grain rice and shredded chicken in a velvety, golden cream broth. Built with a butter-and-flour roux for silky texture and simmered until the rice is soft.
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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: 620
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 cloves, 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
Nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
Salt
  • 1 salt to taste
Black pepper
  • 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 until they soften and look glossy.
Build the roux
  1. Add garlic and flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the flour smell cooks off and the mixture looks slightly thickened.
  2. Gradually pour in chicken broth while stirring to prevent lumps, then add chicken, dried thyme, dried parsley, and nutmeg.
Cook the chicken and shred
  1. Simmer the soup for 15-18 minutes at a gentle bubbling until the chicken is cooked through.
  2. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it, then return the shredded chicken to the soup.
Cook the rice and finish
  1. Bring the soup back to a boil, then add long grain white rice and stir so the rice is evenly distributed.
  2. Cover and simmer for 18 minutes until the rice is tender and the broth has thickened.
  3. Stir in heavy cream and simmer for 5 minutes, keeping it at a gentle bubble until the soup looks creamy and smooth.
  4. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then serve hot with a fresh parsley garnish if you like.

Notes

For the creamiest texture, keep the soup at a gentle simmer after adding the rice and cream so it thickens without breaking. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days; reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of broth if it thickens too much. Freezing is not ideal because the rice can soften further, but you can freeze if needed and expect a more tender texture. For a lighter option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream.