• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free Instant Pot Recipe Guide! download now!

FREE 5 Instant Pot Meals in 5 Minutes E Course!


Thank you for subscribing!


Formerly Your Homebased Mom

  • About
  • Latest
  • Contact
NEW! Watch on youtube!

Your Homebased Mom

Leigh Anne Wilkes

  • Recipes
    • Course
      • Appetizers
      • Beverages
      • Bread
      • Breakfast and Brunch
      • Dessert
        • Bars and Brownies
        • Cake
        • Candy and Treats
        • Cookies
        • Ice Cream
        • Pie
      • Main Dishes
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches and Burgers
      • Sauces and Dressings
      • Side Dishes
      • Soup
    • Cooking Method
      • Crock Pot
      • Grilling
      • Instant Pot
      • One Pan
      • Oven
      • Quick and Easy
      • Recipes for Two
    • Ingredients
      • Beef
      • Eggs
      • Pasta
      • Pork
      • Poultry
        • Chicken
        • Turkey
      • Seafood
      • Vegetarian
      • Gluten Free
    • Cuisine
      • American
      • Asian
      • European
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
    • Holiday
      • New Year’s Eve
      • Valentine’s Day
      • St. Patrick’s Day
      • Easter
      • 4th of July
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
      • Christmas
  • Travel
    • Europe
    • United States
      • New York City
      • Portland
    • What To Wear
  • Life
    • Home
    • Party Ideas
    • Empty Nesters
    • Church
      • Activity Day
      • Relief Society
    • Organizational Tips
    • Recommended Reads
  • New? Start Here
  • Subscribe for weekly recipes

    FREE 5 Instant Pot Meals in 5 Minutes E Course!


    Thank you for subscribing!


Recipe Finder

  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • Dessert
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches and Burgers
    • Sauces and Dressings
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup
  • Cooking Method
    • Oven
    • Crock Pot
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • One Pan
    • Quick and Easy
  • Ingredients
    • Beef
    • Eggs
    • Pasta
    • Pork
    • Poultry
    • Seafood
    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten Free
  • Cuisine
    • American
    • Asian
    • European
    • Indian
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican
  • Holiday
    • New Year’s Eve
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
Home / Latest Posts / Recipes / Course / Soup / Quick Chicken and Rice Soup

Quick Chicken and Rice Soup

Jump to Recipe Print Share
Share on:
By: Leigh Anne WilkesPosted: 4/15/11Updated: 7/01/22

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure policy here.

Lemon Parmesan Chicken and Rice Soup

This delicious quick Chicken and Rice Soup is hearty, filling, and can be put together in less than 15 minutes with a few shortcuts.

Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup topped with parmesan cheese

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

Who doesn’t love the idea of dinner in fifteen minutes or less?!   With today’s chicken and rice soup recipe you can do just that.  The first trick is using leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken.  The chicken is already cooked and ready to pop into the soup.  And the second trick is using instant rice like Minute Rice for this chicken soup recipes.

Ingredients Needed

  • Chicken broth
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Lemon. We are using the zest but you can add in 1 Tbsp of lemon juice too for extra lemon flavor.
  • Chicken. A rotisserie chicken makes it the quickest. See tip box below for how to make your own shredded chicken. You can also substitute leftover turkey.
  • Minute® White Rice
  • Chicken broth
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Chives or Fresh Parsley. For garnish 
Lemon Parmesan Chicken and Rice Soup

How To Make Shredded Chicken

You can also make your own shredded chicken instead of using a rotisserie chicken.

  1. Microwave. This method is quick and easy and takes about 10 minutes depending on the size of your chicken breast. Depending on the size of your microwave you can do 2-3 chicken breasts at a time. Find all the details here.
  2. Slow Cooker. If you have time, the slow cooker makes a moist and tender shredded chicken. It takes about four hours on low. If I have to make a large batch of shredded chicken this is the perfect way. Find all the details here.
  3. Instant Pot. This is another great method and I usually do about 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts at a time. It will take about a total of 45 minutes. Find all the details here.
warm bowl of lemon chicken and rice soup topped with freshly grated Parmesan

How to Make Easy Chicken and Rice Soup

  • Bring 1 cup chicken broth to a boil. Stir in 1 cup minute rice, cover and turn off heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
  • Put olive oil into a pan and cook onion and garlic until onion softens.
  • Combine 10 cups chicken broth, diced chicken, lemon zest, onion mixture and crushed red pepper into pot.
  • Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add in cooked rice.
  • Top with parmesan cheese and chives.
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup Bowl

Tips from Leigh Anne

We are big rice fans at our house and it is actually one of my favorite things to add into soup. 

  • I always cook the rice before putting it in the soup as this keeps the rice from absorbing too much of the soup broth. 
  • Cook your rice in chicken broth instead of water to give it some more flavor.

Pair This with:

Easy French Bread

Easy Breadsticks

Garlic Bread

Skillet Cornbread

Instant Pot Bread

hearty chicken and rice soup

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use Minute Rice?

Minute rice just makes the soup quicker to put together but if you prefer to use regular rice that is fine. I like to use basmati or jasmine rice and cook it in the Instant Pot if not using Minute Rice.

Can I use wild rice or brown rice?

It would be delicious with wild rice, it just takes a lot longer to cook so the soup is no longer quick!

Can I add vegetables to this soup?

If you want to add some vegetables and keep the soup easy and quick I would recommend adding in some frozen vegetables such as a carrot and pea mixture or frozen broccoli or some fresh mushrooms.

How to store leftover soup.

Soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat the soup use the microwave or on the stovetop. The soup freezes well too for up to 3 months.

I love to top my soup with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Lemon and Parmesan complement each other nicely and cheese just makes everything more delicious.

Try some of our other favorite rice recipes:

  • Instant Pot Brown Rice
  • Mexican Rice
  • Cilantro Lime Rice
  • Fried Rice
  • Rice Pilaf

Be sure and follow me over on You Tube for weekly cooking demos.

5 from 2 votes
two bowls of chicken and rice soup

Quick Chicken and Rice Soup

Recipe From: Leigh Anne Wilkes
This easy and quick chicken and rice soup is full of delicious flavor with the addition of lemon and parmesan.
serves: 8 servings
Prep:5 minutes
Cook:15 minutes
0 minutes
Total:20 minutes
Rate Recipe

Ingredients

  • 10 cups chicken broth
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tsp garlic minced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 lemon zested
  • 2-3 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 1 cup Minute® White Rice
  • 1 cup Chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
  • 1/4 cup chives chopped

Instructions

  • Bring 1 cup chicken broth to a boil. Add in 1 cup minute rice, cover and turn off heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
  • Put olive oil into a pan and cook onion and garlic until onion softens.
  • Combine chicken broth, diced chicken, lemon zest, onion mixture and crushed red pepper into pot.
  • Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add in cooked rice.
  • Top with parmesan cheese and chives.
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Tips & Notes:

If you want to add some vegetables and keep the soup easy and quick I would recommend adding in some frozen vegetables such as a carrot and pea mixture or frozen broccoli or some fresh mushrooms.
Can I use other rice? Minute rice just makes the soup quicker to put together but if you prefer to use regular rice that is fine. I like to use basmati or jasmine rice and cook it in the Instant Pot if not using Minute Rice.

Recommended Products

Dutch Oven
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 157kcal (8%) Carbohydrates: 13g (4%) Protein: 9g (18%) Fat: 8g (12%) Saturated Fat: 2g (13%) Cholesterol: 23mg (8%) Sodium: 1474mg (64%) Potassium: 358mg (10%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 1g (1%) Vitamin A: 124IU (2%) Vitamin C: 36mg (44%) Calcium: 80mg (8%) Iron: 2mg (11%)
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Course:Soup, Soup Main Dish
Cuisine:American
two bowls of chicken and rice soup
Did you make this?I love seeing what you made. Be sure to share a picture and tag @yourhomebasedmom on social media!
Tag on Insta! Leave a Rating
Previous Post
Twine Storage
Next Post
Homemade Flour Tortillas

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made this? Rate this recipe:




  1. Jeannie Brooks says

    Posted on 5/16 at 4:00 pm

    I love making my home made chicken and rice soup with celery seasoning and lemon juice. Especially when you have a cold. It smells good taste good and makes you feel better.

    Reply
  2. Annalea says

    Posted on 11/12 at 4:13 pm

    Wow . . . this looks really, really good. But honestly, the real hook here are those adorable bowls. lol Where did you get them?

    Reply
    • Leigh Anne says

      Posted on 11/12 at 5:05 pm

      The bowls are my favorite too! They are the Latte Bowl from Anthropologie – fairly reasonably priced!!

      Reply
  3. Rachel Jensen says

    Posted on 4/23 at 10:26 am

    I ALWAYS have leftover rice!! I am going to try this recipe for sure!

    P.S.- I LOVE that you’ve added the ability to easily “print” your recipes, especially when they include a photo. THANK YOU!

    Reply
  4. Ivonne Loving says

    Posted on 4/18 at 7:25 pm

    Hi! I included this post in this weeks from my reader round-up. Loved the post and thought it would be super useful to my friends and readers.

    Reply
  5. Mary Kathryn says

    Posted on 4/15 at 3:03 pm

    We are in Southern Utah and thankfully don’t need soup anymore but sometimes you do just need a good soup. Crank the air on and turn on the fans and enjoy some soup. We loved the last one we tried from you and this one looks yummy too.

    Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Seasonal Posts

lemon yogurt cake with drizzle

Lemon Yogurt Cake

small batch carrot cake sliced

Small Batch Carrot Cake

broccoli crunch salad in a bowl

Broccoli Crunch Salad

four deviled eggs

Easy Deviled Eggs

Most Popular Posts

texas sheet cake for two in a baking pan

Chocolate Sheet Cake for Two {Texas Sheet Cake}

Lemon Oatmeal Cookies

Lemon Oatmeal Cookies

Herb Rice

baked riblets

Easy Oven Baked Riblets

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window

Trending Now

overhead shot of cinnamon rolls

One Hour Cinnamon Rolls

plate of smashed potatoes and a fork

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

overhead shot of bowl of almond chicken

Almond Chicken

baked riblets

Easy Oven Baked Riblets

No knead bread in a pan

Instant Pot Bread

Tomato tart pieces

Easy Tomato Tart

spoon full of mac and cheese

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

Almond Torte

  • Crock Pot
  • Instant Pot
  • Chicken
  • Breakfast
  • Appetizers
  • Bread
  • Salad
  • Dessert

Order my Cookbook, Holiday Slow Cooker!

Buy Now!
Back to Top
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • Contact
© 2013–2023 Leigh Anne Wilkes Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled