From-Scratch Chicken and Rice Soup

Updated:  July 2022

There's nothing like a pot of From-Scratch Chicken and Rice Soup to warm you up when it's cool outside.

I worked a long time to come up with the just-right combination.  It was kind of enjoyable having delicious soup that many times!

This chicken and rice soup is a perfect blend of roasted chicken, broth, rice and spices, slow-cooked on the stovetop to perfection.

This is definitely homemade from-scratch, starting with the chicken bones of a rotisserie roasted chicken.

You need to make sure any bones that may be left are strained out.  It's easier than it sounds, but take your time and double, triple check.

There's nothing like the homemade flavor made with chicken bones (and a little bouillon).

In addition to the chicken stock, I more often than not add a teaspoon or two of Better than Bouillon chicken flavor or a couple of chicken bouillon cubes.  It really adds another layer of deep chicken flavor to the soup.

It takes a little time to make From-Scratch Chicken and Rice Soup (mostly simmering to get all those flavors to blend), but it's definitely worth it.  And the kitchen smells great...

Refrigerate the leftovers - it gets better every day!

Looking for another amazing homemade soup?  Try my popular and delicious Hearty Hamburger Cauliflower Soup!

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Homemade Chicken and Rice Soup

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Be creative and throw in whatever vegetables or seasonings your family likes best. Delicious homemade soup!

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Ingredients

• 1 deli chicken or home-roasted chicken
• 1 small onion roughly chopped
• 1 Cup chopped celery
• 1 Cup chopped carrots
• 2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 ½   teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1   teaspoon garlic powder
• 1  can chicken stock*
• ½ cup rice

Instructions

1. Remove meat from chicken and store in refrigerator. 
2. Place chicken carcass and bones in a 5 to 6-quart Dutch oven and cover the carcass entirely with water, about ⅔rds up the side of the pan.  Simmer on medium-low for about 30 minutes with lid on.  Let cool completely and remove bones from the pot, pulling the remaining meat off the bones and leaving the meat in the stock.  
3. After all bones are carefully removed - check it again for bones, then add the onion, celery, carrots, and seasonings. Stir to combine, then simmer on low with lid for 30 minutes. 
4. Add chicken stock and 2 Cups of water, and bring stock to a boil (lid off).
5. Add rice and turn heat down to low - simmer for 20 minutes, or if using quick-cook rice, according to instructions.
6. Serve immediately or let cool thoroughly and refrigerate. Gets better every day. Add more or less rice according to tastes. May use flat noodle pasta, too, for chicken and noodle soup.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

If the soup doesn't have enough chicken pieces, go ahead and throw in some from the meat you originally took off the chicken.

Make sure the skin is off of all the bones (particularly the wing skin) or you'll have too much fat floating on the soup.

*Occasionally instead of or in addition to the chicken broth, I use about a teaspoon or two of Better than Bouillon (chicken flavored) stirred into the soup (or just a cube or two of regular chicken bouillon). Adds a lot of chicken flavor.

To make sure the bones are all out of the soup, I don thin latex gloves (rinsed of course) and run my hands through the cooled soup before the rice is added.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 bowl
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 87Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 708mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g

Nutritional Values are Approximate.