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    Chicken and Rice Soup

    Updated October 1, 2025 / By Natalie Mortimer

    This easy, healthy chicken and rice soup recipe makes for the coziest weeknight dinner! Loaded with lemon and dill, it brightens up even the dreariest of days.
    A bowl of homemade chicken and rice soup with chicken, vegetables, and herbs in a comforting broth, perfect for cold days.

    When the endless Pacific Northwest rain gets me down, I fight back with this cozy, healthy chicken and rice soup recipe. It’s almost no work at all! My trick? I simmer the chicken breasts whole in the chicken soup base, making prep super easy. 

    A bowl of homemade chicken and rice soup with chicken, vegetables, and herbs in a comforting broth, perfect for cold days.

    Lots of fresh lemon and dill brighten this simple soup up so much, even on the dreariest day! It’s also gluten-free, and still so comforting. For more simple, homemade chicken soup recipes, try my easy chicken noodle, chicken soup with wild rice, or a deliciously creamy version of this chicken and rice soup.  

    ingredients laid out to make comforting & healthy homemade chicken and rice soup with carrots, celery, spinach and dill.

    Chicken and Rice Soup Ingredients

    Find the exact measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    • Chicken broth: Homemade is great if you’ve got it, store-bought is also fine. 
    • Chicken breast: Make sure they are boneless and skinless, in this recipe it really matters. 
    • Long-grain white rice: If you want, you could swap in wild rice. 
    • Seasonings: Garlic, onion and fresh dill. If you don’t have 2 tablespoons of fresh dill, use about 1-2 teaspoons of dried dill. 
    • Veggies: Carrots, celery, and spinach.
    • Lemon juice: A lot of lemon juice is my secret ingredient! More about that below. 
    minced garlic and diced onion sautéed in a pot
    chicken breast and rice cooking in a pot of chicken stock with onion and garlic to make chicken and rice soup

    How To Make Chicken Soup With Rice

    See the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom. 

    1. Sauté the onion and fresh garlic.
    2. Pour in the broth, chicken breasts and rice.
    3. Bring the soup to a boil. 
    4. Shred the chicken once it is cooked. Note: Shredding chicken is much easier when the chicken is warm! 
    5. Add the chicken, carrots, celery, and dill. 
    6. Simmer for 15 minutes.
    7. Stir in spinach and lemon juice. 
    8. Eat up! 
    shredded chicken, carrots, dill, celery being added to a pot of homemade chicken a rice soup
    spinach being added to homemade chicken and rice soup cooking in a pot

    How To Freeze + Store

    I love to make a big batch of this soup on the weekend and eat it for lunch well into the week. It keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. This soup also freezes beautifully! Let it cool and freeze it in well-marked, freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw it overnight in the fridge and then warm it in a saucepan over medium-low heat. 

    A pot of homemade chicken and rice soup with chicken, vegetables, and herbs in a comforting broth, a great family meal.

    My Secret Chicken Rice Soup Ingredient: Lemon!

    People who watch their salt intake, take note: Did you know that adding lemon juice acts as an overall flavor enhancer, similar to salt? Not that you have to forgo salt to enjoy the flavor-boosting power of a little lemon juice. Or, in this case, a full ¼ cup lemon juice, which probably qualifies as a lot of lemon juice! Especially when paired with fresh dill, the other ingredient that gives this chicken rice soup a little bit of a bright zing, lemon juice brings this simple chicken and rice soup to life.

    A bowl of homemade chicken and rice soup with chicken, vegetables, and herbs in a comforting broth, perfect for cold days.

    4 More Easy, Healthy Chicken Soup Recipes

    Ditch the canned stuff for good. These four soup recipes are just as fast and delicious as this chicken and rice version:

    Happy Once, Happy Twice, Happy Chicken Soup With Rice

    There’s a reason that Maurice Sendack wrote an entire book about chicken soup with rice—there’s just nothing quite as purely comforting as a big bowl of homemade soup. For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!

    Fall is Here: 5 Days of Fall Comfort Food!

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    A bowl of homemade chicken and rice soup with chicken, vegetables, and herbs in a comforting broth, perfect for cold days.

    Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe

    Updated October 1, 2025

    By Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  45 min
    • Calories:  356

    Description

    This easy, healthy chicken and rice soup recipe makes for the coziest weeknight dinner! Loaded with lemon and dill, it brightens up even the dreariest of days.
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      Ingredients

      • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
      • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
      • 6 garlic cloves, minced
      • 6 cups chicken stock
      • 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
      • 1 cup long-grain white rice
      • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
      • 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into ⅓-inch-thick rounds
      • 4 celery ribs, cut into ½-inch-thick pieces
      • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for serving
      • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh dill, plus more for serving
      • 4 cups loosely packed baby spinach
      • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, (from 2 lemons)

      Method

      1. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute.

        minced garlic and diced onion sautéed in a pot

      2. Add the stock, 4 cups of water, chicken breast, rice, and salt to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the rice is tender and the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer the chicken to a plate.

        chicken breast and rice cooking in a pot of chicken stock with onion and garlic to make chicken and rice soup

      3. Using two forks, shred the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Return the chicken to the pot along with the carrots, celery, pepper, and dill. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the carrots and celery are tender, about 15 minutes. 

        shredded chicken, carrots, dill, celery being added to a pot of homemade chicken a rice soup

      4. Stir in the spinach and lemon juice and simmer until the spinach is wilted, about 3 more minutes. Divide the soup among 6 bowls. Garnish with dill and pepper. 

        Chicken and Rice Soup 11
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      Nutrition Info

      • Per Serving
      • Amount
      • Calories 356
      • Protein 39 g
      • Carbohydrates 36 g
      • Total Fat 10 g
      • Dietary Fiber 2 g
      • Cholesterol 97 mg
      • Sodium 430 mg
      • Total Sugars 6 g

      Chicken and Rice Soup

      Questions & Reviews

      Rated 5 stars by 13 readers

      or
      • Laura

        Will this soup freeze ok?

        Yep, freezes great!

      • charlie

        How do you get the white color for the broth?

        We cook the chicken and rice in the broth and water.

      • Jess

        If I use cauliflower rice instead, how would the calories per serve be affected?

        I'm not sure exactly. You'll have to run the recipe through nutrition calculator.

      • Stacey

        Can we use precooked chicken roasters instead of chicken breasts?

        Sure! Just go ahead and add it in step 5 with the veggies since the chicken won't need to be cooked. Hope you enjoy!

      • Laura

        Should I leave the lid on while the chicken and rice are simmering?

        No need to cover. Hope you enjoy Laura!

      • Jane

        Does this recipe work well if you use brown rice? It almost looks creamy from the rice. I love the Lundberg short grain brown rice. It takes longer to cook so I thought I could pre-cook it and add it add it at the end or let it simmer longer after removing the chicken to shred.

        We haven't tried it, but I think your idea would work nicely.

      • Mikie

        5-star rating

        I made this yesterday and am enjoying it. I love soup. My kids and husband were so so on this recipe. But they aren't soupies (obsessed soup eaters).

        I do find a dollop of sour cream adds a nice creaminess and makes it a bit more filling.

        Thanks Mikie, glad you loved it!

      • Carrie

        5-star rating

        This was so so good. I was feeling under the weather and it was the perfect comforting soup! Outstanding flavors. Next time Id use less rice to make it more soupy.

        Thanks Carrie, so glad you loved it!

      • SF

        5-star rating

        Delicious! I used beet greens instead of spinach, and 1/2 cup of long grain brown rice, which took a few minutes longer to cook. This can be tailored to your liking with other herbs as well.
        A definite keeper!

        Thanks, we are so happy you loved it!

      • Rebecca

        5-star rating

        Great soup! We prefer thin noodles to rice and make that substitution. The lemon juice adds a nice bite to the soup. Perfect with some fresh bread or rolls!

        Thanks Rebecca, glad you loved it!

      • Melissa

        5-star rating

        Thanks for this recipe! It’s a good one for meal prep.

        Thanks Melissa! Glad you love it!

      • Ashley

        5-star rating

        Weekly staple! Alterations I prefer: 8 cups of broth and 2 cups of water (2 boxes of stock = 8 cups), 1/2 tsp dried dill, 1/8 cup of lemon juice

        Thanks Ashley, we are so happy to hear it's a staple! YAY!

      • Dina

        5-star rating

        This soup is good if you are sick. I just made it a few weeks ago and it was perfect for the snowy weather too. I added a little too much rice. Next time I’ll only use a 1/2 cup.

        Thanks Dina! We are so happy you enjoyed it!

      • Georgie

        5-star rating

        So tasty! The lemon makes all the difference
        Despite being the middle of Australian summer I was craving soup and this ticked all the boxes! Definitely making again

        Thanks Georgie! We are glad it fulfilled your craving!

      • Alissa

        5-star rating

        I LOVE this recipe. I have made it a few times now. I use chicken thighs instead of breast meat for a little more flavor, and I also use brown rice instead of white. One of my favorite soups I make! Thank you!

        This is so great, we love that it has become a favorite! Thank you Alissa!

      • Abbie

        5-star rating

        This was so delicious! Loved the dill and the lemon, it really brought a freshness to this classic comfort food. I added a couple egg drop dumplings to the soup at the same time as the carrot and celery!

        Yum! That sounds great!

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