An Easy, Hearty One-Pot Dinner Recipe
I’ve got an easy, one-pot meal for you today, and it’s truly perfect for this time of year: the literal best chicken and rice soup. Simple and hearty with minimal prep and virtually no clean-up, this recipe comes together in under an hour, so you even have time to whip up a batch of biscuits or breadsticks while it cooks! Today’s recipe combines veggies, spices, chicken, and rice (plus a little bit of cream!) to make a flavorful soup. It’s thicker and slightly creamier than your average chicken soup, but still light enough that it doesn’t feel too rich. It joins the ranks of some of my favorite cold weather dishes, right alongside my popular potato soup and tomato soup. All of the ingredients are pretty basic and easy to find, if you don’t already have them on hand. Save this one for an especially cold evening, or those inevitable evenings when you or a loved one has a cold–you can thank me later!
What You Need
This is a true one-pot dinner! We’ll cook everything in the same pot; no pre-cooked chicken or pre-cooked rice needed:
Veggies. A classic mirepoix (carrots, onion, and celery) provides a hearty base for our soup. We’ll also throw in some minced garlic for extra flavor.Flour. As part of the roux, flour acts as a thickener in this soup. We add just enough to give the soup body, but not enough to make it super thick. If you can’t do flour, you should be fine to substitute cornstarch, but use half the amount called for!Spices. I add thyme, parsley, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to the flour as it cooks to help bloom the spices and enhance their flavor. The smoked paprika may raise some eyebrows, but trust me! Just a pinch adds a subtle flavor and beautiful depth to the soup (it’s one of the secret spices I use to make my chicken pot pie the literal best, too).Chicken broth. I use regular, salted chicken broth. You could use unsalted or low-sodium, but you will probably need to add more salt to the recipe. Always make sure to taste-test your soup before you serve it! Chicken. I filmed used chicken breasts in the recipe video, but I also like to use a mix of breasts and boneless chicken thighs, as they add even more flavor to the soup. Rice. My preference is wild rice, but white, jasmine, or basmati rice would all work well.Cream. You’ll need a very small amount of cream or half and half (anything lower fat may split, so proceed with caution). You can omit this altogether if you want, but I find that it really enhances the flavor and texture of the soup without making it too rich or creamy.
SAM’S TIP: For freshness and added flavor, you can garnish your soup with some fresh parsley or a sprig of thyme. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Chicken and Rice Soup
Note for leftovers: As the rice sits (overnight or longer), it will continue to absorb the broth and will eventually become mushy. You can always add more water or broth the next day, but keep in mind this will dilute the overall flavor and you may need to add more seasoning as well. Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook.
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