This Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup is wonderfully thick and luscious without any cream. Infused with simple curry spices, it’s both healthy and satisfying, perfect for warming up on a chilly night. Plus, it’s easy to prepare on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot!
This healthy chicken and rice soup is the perfect cozy recipe for fall! It’s simple, easy to make, and thick and creamy without using any cream. The curry flavor is perfectly balanced, making it a dish you'll want to enjoy again and again.
Spicy seasonings meld with the chicken thighs, carrots, rice, and broth as they simmer slowly, creating a hearty and delicious dish. This comforting soup is a favorite go-to for busy fall and winter evenings. I love serving it alongside crusty rolls, breadsticks, or a grilled cheese sandwich.
While I adore a from-scratch recipe using a whole chicken simmered for hours until the meat falls off the bone and the broth is rich and flavorful, busier days call for quick and easy soups.
Similar to the Tuscan chicken soup recipe, this soup takes a shortcut by cooking chicken thighs and rice directly in the broth, delivering a savory, homemade flavor in under 30 minutes.
My favorite part of this recipe is that it doesn’t require thickening agents like flour or cornstarch. The rice and carrots are blended with the spicy broth, naturally adding thickness and creaminess to the soup.
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Why you’ll love it?
- Quick, easy and ready in under 30 minutes.
- Cozy and comforting
- One pot meal
- Thick and luxurious
- No cream or milk
- Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free
- Mega flavorful with Indian curry spices
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Rice - As with all instant pot rice recipes, I used Basmati rice, but you can use any type—white, brown, wild, jasmine, or even risotto rice—all work well in this recipe.
- Chicken - As for all recipes with boneless chicken thighs, I used boneless, skinless thighs for their moist, juicy, and tender qualities, but breasts or tenderloins will work just as well.
- Broth - I prefer to use reduced sodium chicken stock because you can you can adjust the salt.
- Carrot - It boosts the nutritional value of the soup and adds a subtle sweetness that complements the spices.
- Spices - Basic Indian curry spices such as ground coriander and cayenne pepper powder.
Variations
This creamy chicken and rice soup recipe is delicious as is, but feel free to customize to suit your taste. Here are a few suggestions:
- Spinach - Stir in chopped baby spinach at the end along with the shredded chicken.
- Rotisserie chicken - While we love the flavor that cooking chicken thighs in spicy broth imparts, leftover rotisserie chicken works well in a pinch.
- Peas - Stir in frozen peas after blending the soup and simmer until the peas are thawed and warm.
- Wild rice - Use wild rice instead of white rice; however increase the cooking time by 10 minutes.
- Bone-in chicken - If you are using other types of chicken, like bone-in thighs, breasts then make sure that the skin is removed before adding into the broth.
How to make?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
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Instant pot method
- Saute - Set instant pot to saute and let it heat up. Add oil and let it heat up for about one minute. Cook chopped onion and garlic until translucent and then toast curry spices.
- Pressure cook - Cancel saute function, stir in thighs, rinsed rice, stock, chopped carrots and salt. Close lid, making sure that the valve is set to sealing position. Pressure cook for 10 minutes in normal pressure and open lid after 10 minutes of warm mode.
- Shred - Remove the cooked chicken onto a plate and shred into chunks using two large forks.
- Blend - Blend all remaining ingredients using an immersion blender until thick and creamy.
- Finish - Stir the shredded chicken back into the instant pot and serve.
How to store?
The chicken and rice soup thickens as it refrigerates, so I recommend adding a splash of stock or water to thin it out, as the cooked rice absorbs some of the broth.
To freeze - This creamy chicken and rice soup is made without cream, making it perfect for freezing! Unlike typical creamy soups, which can separate and become mushy upon freezing, this recipe's dairy-free base ensures excellent results.
Recipe tips
- Chicken - Use boneless chicken thighs or breasts.
- Broth - I used 33% reduced sodium stock, so feel free to adjust salt if using regular or no sodium stock.
- Spice level - Adjust cayenne pepper based on your spice tolerence.
- Thickness - The chicken and rice soup will thicken as it cools. Simply mix in more stock to adjust consistency before serving.
- Blenders - A good quality immersion blender or Vitamix is perfect. If using the immersion blender, make sure to use a large pot, so that it doesn't splatter outside when blending leaving you a mess to clean up after. If using the Vitamix, make sure that the soup has cooled down for a few minutes before blending.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, while I love how the raw rice cooks in the soup and absorbs all the flavors, leftover cooked rice works well in a pinch.
No! Some chicken and rice soup recipes recommend cooking the chicken and rice separately and adding them at the end to prevent the rice from absorbing too much broth and becoming overcooked. However, I prefer cooking the rice grains directly in the broth. This method infuses the soup with flavor as the grains absorb all the deliciousness, and blending it at the end eliminates the risk of overcooking.
More chicken and rice recipes
Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper powder increase or decrease based on your heat tolerence
- 2 14.5 ounce cans chicken stock I used 33% reduced sodium
- 2 medium to large carrots peeled and chopped
- ½ cup white rice rinsed and drained
- 2 to 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Stovetop method
- Heat oil in a large pot, over medium heat. When hot, saute chopped onion and garlic, for 3 to 5 minutes or until translucent.
- Stir in coriander and cayenne powders, cook stirring for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add all remaining ingredients (stock, carrots, rice, chicken thighs and salt), bring to a boil, cover with a lid, reduce heat to low, and cook for about 15 to 18 minutes or until the rice is tender and chicken is cooked through.
- Turn off heat, remove the chicken onto a plate, and let it cool down until you blend the soup. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup, until thick and creamy.
- Shred the chicken - Using two large forks, shred the chicken thighs into big chunks and transfer back into the blended soup. If the soup looks too thick , then stir in more stock to thin it down.
- Ladle into bowls and serve topped with chopped cilantro.
Instant pot method
- Set the instant pot to saute mode and let it heat up. Add oil, onion, garlic and saute until translucent. Stir in the coriander, cayenne and saute for a minute.
- Cancel saute mode, stir in thighs, rice, stock, chopped carrots and salt. Close lid, making sure that the valve is set to sealing position. Pressure cook for 10 minutes and then in warm mode for 10 minutes.
- Open the instant pot, remove the chicken onto a plate, and let it cool down until you blend the soup. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup, until thick and creamy.
- Shred the chicken - Using two large forks, shred the chicken thighs into big chunks and transfer back into the blended soup. If the soup looks too thick , then stir in more stock to thin it down.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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