Soup weather is my favorite kind of weather, mostly because I get to make recipes like this Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup. This budget-friendly soup recipe has been a long-standing favorite (since 2011!!), and it never gets old. The creamy broth, tender chicken, and hearty wild rice all cook together in one pot, making it feel extra cozy without being fussy or expensive. This is a really hearty soup that has everything you need in a bowl! Protein, vegetables, and carbohydrates!
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“This is one of the best chicken soup recipes I’ve ever made. I’ve literally been making this recipe for years and is my favorite. I don’t love soup or chicken soup but this one is so good that I keep coming back to it. In fact, I think I am going to make it tonight!”
Virginia
From Scratch Creamy Rice and Chicken Soup
I made this recipe long before I ever attempted to make a homemade chicken noodle soup, and it’s just as comforting. Instead of starting with broth, this soup builds its own base right in the pot as the chicken, wild rice, and vegetables cook together with herbs. And while I make this creamy chicken and wild rice soup completely from scratch, it’s still surprisingly simple. The slow simmer develops a rich flavor without extra steps, and the creamy milk mixture stirred in at the end gives it a velvety finish to make every spoonful SO satisfying!
Recipe Success Tips & Suggestions
- You don’t have to use wild rice for this recipe, although it gives a really nice texture. White or brown will certainly work in a pinch. Just follow the package directions for your white/brown rice and add it towards the end of the hour simmer. For example, if your white rice takes 20 minutes to cook, add it to the pot 40 minutes into the simmer time.
- If you don’t like creamy soups (this one isn’t super creamy), you can skip the milk mixture at the end of the recipe and use chicken broth instead. Then you’ll have yourself a delicious, clear broth chicken and rice soup. You’ve got options!
- Don’t let leftover carrots and celery go to waste! I like to clean and slice the whole bunch, then freeze the rest for later. If you’re using frozen carrots and celery in this recipe, just add them straight to the pot. No need to thaw first.
- Want to use rotisserie or leftover pulled chicken? Swap the water for chicken broth, simmer until the rice is cooked, and stir in the shredded chicken to heat through before adding your creamy milk mixture.
- Keep in mind that wild rice has a firmer, chewier bite, even when fully cooked. Don’t mistake that texture for being underdone! It should be tender with a slight bite after an hour of simmering.
- To make this creamy chicken and rice soup vegan, omit the chicken and add sliced mushrooms. Use vegetable broth to simmer the rice and veggies, and stir in full-fat coconut milk at the end to make it creamy. See my creamy vegetable and wild rice soup recipe for the full breakdown!
Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
Cost $9.55 recipe / $1.19 serving
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.17)
- 1 medium yellow onion (small dice, (about 1 cup, 150g) $0.76)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced, (1 Tbsp) $0.12)
- ½ lb. carrots (sliced, (1.5 cups, 227g) $0.54)
- ½ bunch celery (sliced, (2 cups, 227g) $0.94)
- 1 lb. chicken breast (boneless, skinless, (454g) $2.67*)
- 1 bay leaf ($0.23)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.11)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.21)
- ½ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.08)
- 1 cup wild rice mix (250g, $2.64)
- 6 cups water (48oz, $0.00)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.25)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.04)
- 2 cups whole milk ($0.39)
- ⅓ bunch fresh parsley ($0.36)
- 1-2 tsp salt (to taste, $0.04)
Instructions
- Gather all of your ingredients.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, dice the onion (and mince the garlic if using fresh rather than pre-minced). Add the onion and garlic to the hot oil and saute until tender (5 min).
- If using fresh carrots and celery, clean and slice them while the onions are sauteing. Add them to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes more.
- Add the chicken breast (whole), bay leaf, oregano, thyme, cracked pepper, dry rice, and 6 cups of water to the pot. Do not add salt yet. Bring the pot up to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for one hour.
- Near the end of the hour, begin to make the creamy milk mixture. In a small pot, melt 2 Tbsp of butter over medium heat. When it is fully melted, whisk in 2 Tbsp of all-purpose flour. Cook and stir the butter and flour mixture for two minutes.
- Now, whisk in the milk and allow it to come up to a simmer, whisking occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. Once it reaches a simmer, it will have thickened slightly. Remove it from the heat.
- In the pot, carefully shred the chicken with two forks. Rinse and chop the parsley. Add the parsley and the thickened milk mixture to the soup. Season with salt to taste. I used about 2 tsp of salt, but start with a little and add more as needed. I also added a touch more pepper at this point. Serve hot!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Medium Pot
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!how to make Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup step-by-step photos
Gather all of your ingredients.
Sauté the veggies: Start by dicing 1 medium yellow onion. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the diced onion and 2 cloves minced garlic over medium heat until softened and transparent, about 5 minutes.
Clean and slice ½ lb. carrots and ½ bunch celery while the onions and garlic are sautéing. Add them to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes more.
Simmer the soup: Once the carrots and celery have cooked for about 5 minutes (they don’t have to be tender yet because they’ll boil for quite a while), add 1 lb. whole chicken breast, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp cracked black pepper, 1 cup wild rice mix, and 6 cups water. Don’t add any salt yet.
Bring the whole pot up to a boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for one hour.
Make the cream sauce: Nearing the end of the hour, melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a small pot over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in 2 Tbsp of all-purpose flour. Stir and cook this mixture over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
Whisk in 2 cups whole milk and allow the mixture to come up to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk occasionally as it heats to prevent the bottom from scorching.
Once it reaches a simmer, it will be slightly thickened. It should easily coat the back of a spoon (as shown here). Remove it from the heat.
Shred the chicken: After an hour, the rice will be cooked and the chicken will be tender. Shred the chicken using two forks directly in the pot.
Make it creamy: Rinse and chop ⅓ bunch fresh parsley and add it to the pot with the thickened milk mixture. Stir to combine.
Serve: Season the soup with salt to your liking. Start with a 1/2 tsp of salt, stir, taste, and add more as needed. I added close to 2 tsp before it reached a point that I liked. I also added a little more black pepper. A little cayenne wouldn’t be too bad either! Serve and enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
This creamy wild rice and chicken soup is really filling all on its own, but sometimes I like to add a little something on the side. Homemade croutons are always a fun, crunchy topper. You could also stretch the servings of this soup further by serving it with some bread. I’d go for garlic bread, French bread, or soda bread as I love a crusty bread with my soups!
Storage & Reheating
Keep leftovers of this chicken and rice soup in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth if it gets too thick (the rice will soak up a lot of the broth during storage). Creamy soups don’t always freeze well, as the texture can change after thawing. But by all means, go ahead and give it a try! Store it in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge before reheating.
More Creamy Chicken Recipes
Our Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup recipe was originally published 10/22/11. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 10/13/25.
We make this recipe at least twice a month. It is a family favorite! I use leftover roasted chicken.
This is one of the best chicken soup recipes I’ve ever made. I’ve literally been making this recipe for years and is my favorite. I don’t love soup or chicken soup but this one is so good that I keep coming back to it. In fact, I think I am going to make it tonight!
Can I make this with orzo pasta instead of rice?
That should be fine! You wont need to cook it as long so just keep that in mind!
This soup is delicious! To make it vegan, I leave out the chicken and add a can of coconut milk instead of the butter and flour. I also add 2 Tablespoons of the vegetable BTB mix with 6 cups of water, instead of just plain water. We love this soup, even my picky six year old eats it!
This soup is delicious. I followed the directions exactly and it turned out great.
I make soups and freeze them for lunches.
I had a craving for this kind of soup and of course I turned to trusty Budget Bytes. It is DELICIOUS. The older recipes definitely hold up. I followed instructions exactly.
This was delicious! My daughter is obsessed with the Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi soup and she said the broth was exactly like it.
I have made this twice now and I really enjoy it though I do make a couple of changes. I add some better than bouillon for added flavor and I like adding mushrooms too. This will be one of my soup go to’s.
I was so excited to make this. All the ingredients were on hand, including the exact same rice blend. I had some shredded, rotisserie chicken which I had planned on adding that at the end instead of the chicken breast. Well, it turns out the soup is so delicious, I was halfway through nomnomnomming my bowl of soup before I realized I had forgotten to add it!
I have following your ingredients. That soup is a super delicious; full of vegetables.
There are just two of us here, and we try to have a soup in the fridge every week. Some goes to work as lunches, some is for at home when we just don’t want to cook. This is a winner every time. I’ve made it with leftover cooked chicken, and sometimes I add some cooked yellow eyed beans and use chicken broth instead of water. I wish I could give it more stars.
This is one of my favorite recipes! I actually sub coconut milk for regular milk and it is DELICIOUS!
Excellent! I use better than bullion mixed with the 6 cups water and coconut milk instead of dairy and it is delicious.
I made this in my instant pot on medium for about 25 minutes and it turned out great!
The vegetables were still hard after cooking for an hour, so I had to throw my first attempt out. It smelled really good though, so I’m going to try again and see if I can figure out where I went wrong.
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that Katie. Could have possibly been cooking too low or veggies chopped too large.
I’m a fan of fresh veggies and having them done. I use a 1 cup food chopper to make the veggies small and they cook quickly