Healthy Chicken Rice Soup (Printable)

Comforting chicken, vegetables, and rice simmered together for a wholesome, hearty meal in one pot.

# Ingredient List:

→ Poultry

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz), cut into bite-sized pieces

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
04 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 cup baby spinach or kale, chopped (optional)
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

→ Grains

08 - ⅔ cup long-grain white rice, rinsed

→ Liquids

09 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Seasonings

10 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
11 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 1 bay leaf
13 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
14 - ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
15 - Juice of ½ lemon (optional)

→ Fats

16 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 4–5 minutes until softened.
02 - Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in chicken pieces and cook for 2–3 minutes, just until lightly browned. The chicken will finish cooking in the broth.
04 - Add rice, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
05 - Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through.
06 - Stir in chopped spinach or kale and cook for 2–3 minutes until wilted.
07 - Check seasoning and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Stir in lemon juice and fresh parsley.
08 - Discard bay leaf. Serve hot, garnished with additional parsley if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything cooks together in one pot, so cleanup feels less like a chore and more like a small gift to yourself.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, which means you're not sacrificing flavor for dietary needs.
  • The soup tastes even better the next day when the flavors have had time to get cozy with each other.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the rice—it's the difference between creamy-textured soup and one that feels gloopy, and I learned this the hard way by skipping this step once.
  • The soup will thicken as it sits because the rice keeps absorbing liquid, so when you reheat leftovers, add a splash more broth to get back to that perfect consistency.
03 -
  • If you want to add a parmesan rind, toss it in during the last 10 minutes of simmering and fish it out before serving—it adds a savory complexity that makes people wonder what you did differently.
  • Fresh lemon juice squeezed in at the very end is the difference between a good soup and one that tastes alive and bright on your tongue.
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