This chicken soup happened by accident in my house. It’s fall and we were in the mood for soup so I was going to make a chicken noodle soup. I diced up the traditional beginnings of most soup, my carrots, celery, and onions, and started sauteing them. Then I thought that I would like a creamy soup instead of just a plain broth. So I went to pull out my heavy cream from the fridge and saw the leftover green beans from the night before, and the leftover rice from two nights before. All of a sudden my chicken noodle soup became a creamy chicken and vegetable soup with rice. I looked at what else we had and I added in peppers and bacon and now Creamy Chicken, Vegetable, and Rice soup is my favorite soup for this fall season.
Can this soup be made ahead of time?
Yes! I made this in the morning, let it simmer until the evening, and only put in the cream and rice five minutes before serving it. We also reheated it the next day and it was just as good if not better as leftovers.
How can I use leftovers in soup?
I used a mix of fresh food and leftovers but I could have used all leftovers or all fresh. Leftover rice, pre-cooked bacon, leftover or rotisserie chicken, and whatever vegetables you need to get rid of will all work great in this recipe.
Can the vegetables in this recipe be changed?
Absolutely. I used what I had on hand. If I didn’t use green beans I might have used kale or spinach. You can also adjust the quantities of each vegetable to suit your family’s taste.
What kind of chicken works best for chicken soup?
Any kind! So long as it’s cooked. I had chicken tenderloins in the fridge that I seasoned and sauteed but I could have used leftover cooked chicken, thighs, or breasts.
Can this soup be modified for different diets?
Yes! As is, this recipe could be classified as a gluten-free recipe. If you don’t put in the heavy cream it will also become dairy-free. You could drop the meat and use a well-seasoned vegetable stock to make it vegetarian and if you drop the rice it becomes a grain-free soup as well. The key to making it taste really good is layering the flavors. At each step of adding different ingredients make sure to season with salt and taste. If you’re taking out the meat I would add some thyme and oregano as well.
How to make Creamy Chicken, Vegetable, and Rice Soup:
In a large stock pot, heat three tablespoons of oil or fat. I used bacon fat, but butter or olive oil would be great!
Add 1 ½ cup chopped celery, 1 ¼ cup onion, and 1 cup carrots to the pot and cook until the onions and celery are translucent. These can be loose measurements for the vegetables. The measurements are the equivalent of about 3-4 stalks of celery, 2 small onions, and 4 carrots. Sprinkle with salt and 1 tsp of garlic powder as it cooks. If you are a fan of the flavor of garlic then feel free to increase the amount of garlic powder to what your family would enjoy!
Frugal Living Tip: Save the ends of your celery, carrots, and onions in the freezer to use to make chicken or vegetable stock when you have the time.
In the meantime, I cooked the chicken tenders in a saute pan with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder, in bacon fat. If I had pre-cooked chicken I absolutely would have subbed that in here.
Add one pound of cooked chicken, 1 cup of chopped bacon, 1 cup of diced and seeded peppers, and 2 cups of green beans. Again, these measurements can be adjusted for what you have on hand! Stir in until everything is heated through, letting the flavors meld. Add 1 tsp garlic powder (or more depending on your taste!) and sprinkle salt on to taste.
Pour 6 cups of chicken stock into the pot and let it simmer for at least a half hour. If you want it to sit on the stove for longer, add more stock than 6 cups.
About 10 minutes before you’re ready to serve the soup, add ½ cup of heavy cream and 2-3 cups of cooked rice.
Bring the soup back to a simmer and serve immediately. I served it with a loaf of homemade sourdough sandwich bread but Bennett mentioned that this would be a great bread bowl soup.
Do you have a go-to fall soup recipe? Let me know in the comments below!
Creamy Chicken, Vegetable, and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil or fat
- 1 ½ cup diced celery
- 1 ¼ cup chopped onion 1 large or 2 small onions
- 1 cup chopped carrots 4 large, peeled
- 1 cup chopped peppers 2 large, seeded
- 1 cup chopped bacon cooked
- 2 cups green beans
- 1 lb diced chicken cooked
- 2 tsp garlic powder or more to taste
- Salt to taste
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2-3 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, heat three tablespoons of oil or fat. I used bacon fat.
- Add chopped celery, onion, and carrots to the pot and cook until the onions and celery are translucent. Sprinkle with salt and 1 tsp garlic powder as it cooks.
- Add the cooked chicken, bacon, peppers, and green beans. Stir in until everything is heated through, letting the flavors meld. Add 1 tsp garlic powder and sprinkle salt on to taste.
- Pour 6 cups of chicken stock into the pot and let simmer for at least a half hour. If you want it to sit on the stove for longer, add more stock than 6 cups.
- About 10 minutes before you’re ready to serve the soup, add heavy cream and cooked rice. Bring the soup back to a simmer and serve immediately.
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