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    Creamy Chicken And Rice Soup

    April 3, 2025 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    Cozy and rich, with a splash of lemon and a dash of dill, this easy-to-love creamy chicken and rice soup recipe is hearty, bright and just right.

    • Spring
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Soup
    • One Pot
    A bowl of creamy chicken and rice soup, elegantly topped with fresh dill and black pepper for an extra touch of flavor.
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    If you’ve got a soup skeptic in your life, this creamy chicken and rice soup recipe is almost sure to convert them. Brimming with chicken and cabbage, it’s hearty and creamy, with an almost stew-like heft proving that yes, soup really can fill you up. But, at the same time, lots of fresh lemon juice and dill keep the flavors from being too heavy — despite its lovely creaminess, the soup is still so bright and zippy. Thanks to a store-bought rotisserie chicken, it’s also so easy and fast to make. Long time TMP readers know that we’re BIG soup fans, so if you’re hungry for even more, check out our 30 Best Soup Recipes for super cozy soup recipe ideas, like our Herby White Bean Soup with Cabbage, classic Chicken Noodle Soup, our rib-sticking Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup. 

    Ingredients laid out for creamy chicken and rice soup: shredded chicken, chopped veggies, butter, flour, spices broth & milk

    Key Ingredients

    • Chicken: Using a store bought rotisserie chicken is one of our favorite easy dinner tricks. However, if you have Shredded Chicken leftover from another meal, or make it regularly as part of a meal prep routine, feel free to use that.
    • Rice: Long grain white rice is best for this one, but if short grain is all you’ve got, it will probably work fine, too.
    • Veggies: Onions, carrots, cabbage. The cabbage is a real star in this soup, it adds a lot of bulk and nutritional value, and helps keep the carb factor down a bit. Win win!
    • Herbs & seasonings: Fresh garlic, fresh dill, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.
    • Butter: Unsalted is best here, because you can always add more salt to taste but can’t take it out!
    • Flour: Just a little flour to thicken the soup. If you need this recipe to be gluten-free, you could skip the flour, but the soup would not be quite as thick.
    • Milk: Whole milk is best, milk with a lower fat content could make your soup watery. That said, if 2% is all you’ve got, it’s OK to use it in a pinch.
    • Chicken stock: We call for six cups of stock BUT you may want to add a little more (up to 1-2 cups) if you like your soup a little less thick. 
    Butter added to a pot with onion, carrot, and garlic cooking in olive oil.
    Flour being stirred into carrot, onion, garlic and butter in a pot.
    Chicken broth being poured into a pot with onion, garlic and carrot in a butter and flour roux.
    Chicken broth being stirred into a pot with onion, garlic and carrot in a butter and flour roux.

    How To Make Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup

    1. Heat the olive oil in your favorite pot, and add the onions, carrots and garlic.
    2. Make a roux. Add butter, and then once it is melted and gently bubbling, stir in the flour. This fat-and-flour mixture is what thickens the soup and makes it so satisfyingly creamy.
    3. Add the stock, rice, and cabbage and simmer for about 20 minutes.
    4. Prep the chicken. This is a great moment to remove the meat from a rotisserie chicken. Look at you multi-task!
    5. Finish the soup by pouring in the milk, dill, lemon juice, and chicken. 
    Rice and cabbage added to a pot of well seasoned chicken broth, vegetables and roux to create creamy chicken and rice soup
    A pot of creamy chicken and rice soup being stirred, with milk, dill, lemon juice, and tender shredded chicken.
    A pot of creamy chicken and rice soup, elegantly topped with fresh dill and black pepper for an extra touch of flavor.
    A bowl of creamy chicken and rice soup, elegantly topped with fresh dill and black pepper for an extra touch of flavor.

    How To Store + Freeze

    This easy soup will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days and you can definitely freeze it if you’d like to! It’ll keep in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat it, defrost the soup in the fridge (allow at least a few hours for this) and then gently warm it in a pot on the stove, stirring often so that the creamy broth doesn’t separate. 

    A pot of creamy chicken and rice soup, elegantly topped with fresh dill and black pepper for an extra touch of flavor.
    A pot of creamy chicken and rice soup, elegantly topped with fresh dill and black pepper for an extra touch of flavor.

    More Deliciously Creamy Chicken Soups

    Soup Lovers, We’ve Got You

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    Creamy Chicken And Rice Soup Recipe

    Published April 3, 2025

    By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  20 min
    • Cook Time:  40 min
    • Calories:  347
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    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
    • 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
    • 6 cups chicken stock or broth, (see Note)
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
    • ¾ cup long-grain white rice
    • 4 cups roughly chopped green cabbage
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • ¼ cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for serving
    • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, (from 3 lemons)
    • 1 rotisserie chicken, coarsely shredded (about 3-4 cups)

    Method

    1. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onions and carrots and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

      Butter added to a pot with onion, carrot, and garlic cooking in olive oil.

    2. Add the butter to the pot. Once the butter is bubbling, sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until a thick paste forms, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in the chicken stock, then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the salt, pepper, rice, and cabbage and cook, stirring, until the rice is tender, and the soup has thickened, about 20 minutes more.

      Rice and cabbage added to a pot of well seasoned chicken broth, vegetables and roux to create creamy chicken and rice soup

    3. Stir in the milk, dill, lemon juice, and chicken. Let simmer until the chicken is warmed through, about 5 minutes.

      A pot of creamy chicken and rice soup being stirred, with milk, dill, lemon juice, and tender shredded chicken.

    4. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve topped with dill and pepper. 

      A bowl of creamy chicken and rice soup, elegantly topped with fresh dill and black pepper for an extra touch of flavor.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 347
    • Protein 23 g
    • Carbohydrates 23 g
    • Total Fat 18 g
    • Dietary Fiber 2 g
    • Cholesterol 74 mg
    • Sodium 828 mg
    • Total Sugars 8 g

    Creamy Chicken And Rice Soup

    Questions & Reviews

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    • Gayle

      Didn't realize how much I would love dill in soup. It was cozy and bright, really loved this soup.

      Thanks Gayle, glad you loved it!