Recipe

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This slow cooker chicken and rice soup is a comforting meal at the end of the day without the fuss. Zero cooking required.

Some of the most delicious recipes can be as easy as this to make as this slow cooker chicken and rice soup.

Rotisserie Chicken and Rice Soup in the Crockpot

If my old-fashioned chicken and rice soup is already the epitome of comfort food, this slow cooker version is the next best thing when you want to get home and have healthy goodness waiting to ladle and enjoy.

For this recipe, I use rotisserie chicken, 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, tacos, and, of course, soup!

Ingredients

The base of this recipe is chicken broth or stock, white rice (or any other; just remember to adjust the cooking time), and cooked chicken breasts or thighs. This soup is packed with flavor thanks to onion, garlic, carrots, celery, poultry seasoning (or dried thyme), and bay leaf (optional).

How to Make Crockpot Chicken and Rice Soup

This chicken and rice soup comes together by cooking all the ingredients (except the rice) in the slow cooker on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8 hours. Then, you shred the chicken, return it to the crockpot, add the rice, and let it finish cooking for an additional 30 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked.

Tips for the Most Flavorful Soup

This soup is already delicious, but there are a few tricks to make each spoonful even better.

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.

Add the rice at the end
If you add rice at the very beginning, it will overcook and turn out mushy. Add the rice once the veggies are cooked, and the chicken is done and shredded. This way, you can control rice cooking time depending on the variety you're using.

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.

Use other cooking methods
If in a rush, make this chicken and rice soup in the Instant Pot or this stovetop version with turkey or chicken.

More Slow Cooker Soups

Love slow cooker soups?c Me too, so I know you’ll want to try my favorites: slow cooker chicken stew, crockpot lasagna soup, crockpot no bean chili, and this chicken pot pie soup.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup

top view of a bowl of chicken and rice soup

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 6 30

Total Time: 6 40

This slow cooker chicken and rice soup is a comforting meal at the end of the day without the fuss. Zero cooking required.

5 from 34 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

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 bay leaf
64 ounces reduced-sodium chicken stock or broth
1 cup water
1 cup white rice
2 cooked chicken breasts, about 1lb chicken meat*

Instructions

Cook:

Combine the veggies, chicken, seasonings, broth, or stock, and water in the dish of your slow cooker dish. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours.

Shred the chicken:

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.

Cook the rice:

Add the rice. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked. Serve.

Notes

You can use 2 cups of cooked chicken in this recipe instead of raw chicken. You can reduce the cooking time in half and add the chicken to the soup to heat through in the last 30 to 45 minutes of cooking when you add the rice.