This quick and easy chicken and rice soup recipe with carrots, celery, and onion is tasty! It uses leftover chicken and rice to save time.
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I was determined not to have any food waste this week, so I took stock of the things that were a little old and decided to find a way to use them up. Last night’s spontaneous leftover dinner was Chicken and Rice Soup. This is family favorite, that I make not only when we are sick from scratch, but also when the right combination of leftovers show up in my fridge. Sometimes this is premeditated and other times it is a happy accident. Yesterday, when I made the soup, I used up leftover Garlic Chicken and Basmati Rice with Garlic and Onions.
The trick to making a delicious soup with leftovers is to add any cooked ingredients at the very end and only cook them until they are heated all the way through which usually only takes a couple minutes. So if I use raw carrots, I add them in step 2. But if I have leftover Glazed Carrots with Parsley, I would add them in Step 4 with the cooked chicken and cooked rice.
This recipe comes together quickly when you use leftover chicken and rice. Chicken and Rice Soup is frugal, but I saved even more by using Homemade Chicken Broth.
Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe
This easy Chicken and Rice soup recipe is a great way to use up leftover chicken and rice. You can adjust the soup ingredient amounts quite a bit depending on what you have on hand.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon parsley (optional)
- ½ teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups cooked chicken, cut up into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups cooked rice
Directions:
- Sauté celery and onion in olive oil until the onion is translucent.
- Add the broth, carrots, parsley, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the pot.
- Cook over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it boils, cover the pot, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken and rice. Bring the soup back to a boil to ensure rice and chicken pieces are heated through.
After dinner, I made Gluten-Free Lemon Berry Muffins which used up two lemons that were getting soft, and leftover strawberries from making jam . I usually use raspberries when I make these muffins, but the recipe works well with strawberries.
Printable Recipe for Chicken and Rice Soup
Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 2 stalks of celery chopped
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup carrots thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon parsley optional
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups cooked chicken cut up into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- Saute celery and onion in olive oil until the onion is translucent.
- Add the broth, carrots, parsley, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the pot.
- Cook over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it boils, cover the pot, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken and rice. Bring the soup back to a boil to ensure rice and chicken pieces are heated through.
Nutrition
More Soup Recipes:
Minestrone Soup with Quinoa Pasta
More Soup Recipes to Warm Your Belly
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Maggie says
Hi Alea –
I've been reading your blog for several months now. I love it. 🙂
I'm going to try this soup out tonight with some leftover baked chicken and rice.
Porch Days says
I love to make chicken or turkey soup. Now, why won't my husband eat it? He prefers canned chicken soup. Maybe mine has too much good stuff in it while the canned type is thin.
Alea Milham says
I think some of our preferences are rooted in our youth. Perhaps it has nothing to do with your soup, but the fact that his mom served canned soup. I confess to liking boxed mac and cheese better than homemade because that is what my mom made.
Alea says
Laura, I have never had dill in chicken noodle soup. I will have to try it. You always come up with the most interesting flavor combinations!
RobbieKay, I am glad I am not the only one who has unusual food craving when sick. You sound like you are blessed with both a wonderful mother and an incredible husband! That is a great picture and very timely too.
RobbieKay says
Oh, and that's my beloved mother and me in my pic. 🙂 I had forgotten I had that as my Blogger photo.
RobbieKay says
When I was a child, my mother always made me banana milkshakes when I was sick (normally I don't even care for ice cream/milkshakes). So after we got married and I found myself sick, hubby was on the phone with my mother getting directions for how to make a banana milkshake. 🙂 She would also bring me a donut from the store when I was sick, so I still crave donuts when I'm sick.
Andrea says
A bowl of hot chicken soup is the ultimate comfort food!
http://www.inspired2cook.com
Laura says
Your recipe is almost identical to mine! Instead of parsley and basil I use dill.
Hope you are feeling better soon!
Sherry says
Yum! Definitely one of those great comfort foods for when you are sick, cold, or just whenever. 😀
Thank you for sharing!
Sherry
Shana says
That looks so good. If I am sick I usually like popsicles and chicken boullion (sp) broth. Not very much food for me when I don't feel well.