Chicken Vegetable Soup Rice (Printable)
A comforting blend of chicken, vibrant vegetables, and rice in a savory broth for nourishing meals.
# What You'll Need:
→ Poultry
01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced (about 14 oz)
→ Vegetables
02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
03 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
04 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
07 - 1 cup frozen peas (5.3 oz)
→ Grains
08 - 3/4 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed (about 6.5 oz)
→ Liquids
09 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (48 fl oz)
10 - 1 cup water (8 fl oz)
→ Herbs & Seasonings
11 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
12 - 1 tsp dried thyme
13 - 1 bay leaf
14 - Salt, to taste
15 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Oils
16 - 1 tbsp olive oil
# How-To Steps:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic; sauté for 2–3 minutes until fragrant and translucent.
02 - Add sliced carrots and celery stalks; cook for an additional 4–5 minutes until slightly softened.
03 - Stir in diced chicken and cook until lightly browned, approximately 4 minutes.
04 - Add diced zucchini, rinsed rice, chicken broth, water, dried thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring mixture to a gentle boil.
05 - Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
06 - Incorporate frozen peas and chopped parsley; simmer uncovered for 5–7 minutes until rice, vegetables, and chicken are fully cooked and tender.
07 - Remove bay leaf. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot, garnished with extra parsley.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Ready in under an hour with minimal fuss—perfect for weeknights when you need something honest and filling.
- The vegetables soften just enough to taste cooked but keep their character, and the rice soaks up all that savory broth.
- It's the kind of soup that tastes even better the next day, making it ideal for meal prep without any extra effort.
02 -
- Don't skip rinsing the rice—starchy water makes the broth murky and the rice texture gluey instead of fluffy and distinct.
- Frozen peas go in at the very end; if you add them too early, they turn soft and drab, losing the bright pop they're supposed to bring.
- Low-sodium broth matters because you control the salt level from start to finish, and once you oversalt a big pot, there's no coming back.
03 -
- Use chicken broth that actually tastes good on its own—it's the foundation of the whole soup, so don't cheap out here.
- If you brown the chicken properly before adding the liquid, the soup will have noticeably more depth and richness than if you skip that step.