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This delicious and creamy chicken soup recipe is packed with vegetables, tender chicken and rice, and a creamy broth. It’s an easy one-pot meal that comes together quickly and is full of protein and flavor. Plus, it’s easy to make gluten-free and/or dairy-free with simple substitutions.
What Makes This Recipe Great
I absolutely love a simple and hearty soup that comes together in one pot. It feels like the ultimate comfort food; my whole family gobbles it up, and it’s full of veggies, protein, and all the good stuff. This Creamy Chicken Soup Recipe is no exception!
Easily customizable to lifestyle and dietary needs, this easy, homemade soup can be made gluten-free, dairy-free, packed with rice or pasta, leftover chicken or fresh. It’s a great opportunity to clean out your produce drawers and fridge and make an easy, satisfying meal to serve for dinner or lunch.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Celery
- Carrot
- Garlic cloves
- Gluten-Free all-purpose flour: Or regular flour, depending on your preference.
- Italian seasoning
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- Bone broth: During cold and flu season, I like to use bone broth when making this soup for immune boosting nutrients that my entire family loves. However, plain chicken broth will work just fine.
- Basmati rice: You can also use jasmine rice.
- Full-fat coconut milk: Or heavy cream if you’re not dairy-free.
- Chicken breasts: Use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Chopped fresh parsley: For garnish.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or large Dutch oven over the stove top on medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots and sauté, stirring for 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add garlic, flour, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in broth and scrape the bottom of the soup pot.
- Increase the heat to high and cook until everything comes to a boil, then add rice and coconut milk. Bring back to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to simmer.
- Cover the pot and simmer for 8 minutes while stirring every few minutes to keep the rice from sticking.
- Add chopped chicken and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the rice and the chicken are both cooked and tender. You can add more broth or water if the rice soaks up too much liquid.
- Taste to add more salt and/or pepper, and serve warm in bowls with your favorite crusty bread. Sprinkle with fresh herbs if using.
Expert Tips
- You can use any kind of pasta or egg noodles instead of rice or another type of rice if you prefer. However, keep in mind that the cooking time will vary depending on what you use. Check the package instructions for how long to cook.
- To cut down on time, you can substitute raw chicken breasts or thighs with leftover rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked chicken as well. Just shred and add in after the rice is cooked and simmer together on medium heat for a minute or 2.
Storage Tips
Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. However, the rice will absorb more liquid the longer it sits. Reheat on the stovetop and add more broth or water until the right consistency is reached. You can also stir in more seasoning to make up for the added liquid.
I don’t recommend freezing this creamy soup. Rice and cream do not freeze and defrost well.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup
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Gluten Free Creamy Chicken Soup (Dairy Free Option)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil, or your favorite cooking oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbsp gluten free all-purpose flour, or regular all purpose flour
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 4 cups bone broth, or chicken broth
- 3/4 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained – jasmine rice works too
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk, or heavy cream
- 1 lb chicken breasts, or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- Optional: chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook stirring for 5 minutes until softened.1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 onion, 2 celery sticks, 2 carrots
- Add garlic, flour, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute.4 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp gluten free all-purpose flour, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Pour in broth and scrape the bottom of the pan.4 cups bone broth
- Increase the heat to high and cook until everything comes to a boil, then add rice and coconut milk. (If using heavy cream, don't add it in yet). Bring back to boil, then reduce the heat to simmer.3/4 cup basmati rice, 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- Cover the pot and simmer for 8 minutes while stirring every few minutes to keep the rice from sticking.
- Add chopped chicken and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the rice and the chicken are both cooked. Add heavy cream now if that's what you are using. You can add more broth or water if the rice soaks up too much liquid.1 lb chicken breasts
- Taste to add more salt and/or pepper, and serve warm. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if using.Optional: chopped parsley
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. The rice will absorb liquid as it sits, so add more broth or water when reheating and adjust seasoning as needed.
- This gluten-free soup recipe is best enjoyed fresh, since rice and creamy soups do not freeze well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This soup tasted amazing. I have made it twice. My only comment is that both times I made it, the rice soaked up all the liquid. So instead of soup it was stew. The first time I made it, I put the rice in uncooked just like the recipe said, the second time, I cooked the rice ahead of time and it still turned into stew over night in the fridge. I loved it but it definitely wasn’t soup.