Nov 20, 2020
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This slow cooker chicken and rice soup is everything you expect from the classic recipe without the fuss of watching it cook!
It’s perfect for a chilly day, make it for the family in the middle of the week for a filling meal that everyone will love, or have it in the freezer for when you need a bowl of comfort.
No-fuss recipes like chicken soup are essential for when you want a healthy meal that feeds a family without dirtying a lot of pots and pans.
The slow cooker does all the work and since there’s no browning of the chicken involved, there’s even less cleanup.
Chicken and Rice Soup Ingredients
As promised, the ingredients to make this soup are simple and wholesome. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 Onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 medium carrots
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (or dried thyme)
- 1 bay leaf, optional
- 64 ounces chicken stock or broth
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 chicken breasts, about 1lb
Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup with Rotisserie Chicken
You can make this slow cooker chicken and rice soup with 2 cups of store-bought rotisserie chicken. Or, you can roast your own rotisserie chicken at home.
Using rotisserie chicken meat is one of my favorite meal prep moves to make entire recipes in a fraction of the time. One bird usually yields 4 cups of meat which I use to make chicken salad, in tacos, and of course soup!
You can also use leftover grilled, baked, or pan-seared chicken breasts or thighs. Just make sure to shred it before adding it to the broth.
How to Make Crockpot Chicken and Rice Soup
Follow the directions to make chicken and rice soup in the crockpot, and you’re all set for a cozy meal.
- Chop the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery.
- Combine the veggies, chicken breasts, seasonings, chicken broth, or stock, and water in a slow cooker dish. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Remove the lid, take out the cooked chicken breasts onto a plate and shred them with two forks. Return the shredded meat back into the slow cooker.
- Add the rice. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked. Serve.
Best Rice for Chicken and Rice Soup
Brown rice, white rice, wild rice, Jasmine… whatever rice is readily available in the pantry can be used in this soup.
Just be sure to adjust the amount of time the rice has to cook in the simmering soup accordingly. Brown and wild rice take much longer to cook than white rice.
Tips for the Most Flavorful Soup
This recipe is already delicious, but there are a few tricks to make each spoonful even better.
Use Homemade Chicken Broth
While chicken broth from the carton is convenient, there’s nothing like a homemade broth simmered on the stove-top with veggies.
Use dark meat (chicken thighs) or a roasted chicken
Chicken thighs or a rotisserie chicken is more tender and flavorful than white chicken breast. It’s why I often use shredded rotisserie chicken or leftovers from a previous dinner to make this soup. Details in the recipe notes.
Enjoy leftovers
Like many soups, this recipe is also better on the second day since all of the ingredients have time to soak in the herb-infused broth.
More Ways to Make this Recipe
Stovetop | Instant Pot | Turkey & Rice Soup
More Slow Cooker Soups
Love slow cooker soups? Me too which is why I’ve got quite a few recipes in my repertoire and I’m sharing my favorites with you:
- Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
- Crockpot Lasagna Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Crockpot No Bean Chili
Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- ½ cup celery chopped
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or thyme
- 1 leaf bay
- 64 ounces reduced-sodium chicken stock or broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 chicken breasts about 1lb chicken meat*
Instructions
- Combine the veggies, chicken, seasonings, broth, or stock, and water in the dish of your slow cooker dish. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Remove the lid, take out the cooked chicken breasts onto a plate and shred them with two forks. Return the shredded meat back into the slow cooker.
- Add the rice. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked. Serve.
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