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This slow cooker chicken and rice soup is an easy and comforting meal that’s perfect for cold nights!
My slow cooker is my go-to for those extra busy days when it seems like I’ll never have time to make dinner! This chicken and rice soup is a family favorite; it’s healthy, easy to make and kid friendly. It’s great for a chilly day or for when you’re feeling under the weather. Best of all, it’s super easy to make!
The ingredients for this slow cooker chicken and rice soup are quite simple. We’ve got veggies, chicken breasts, chicken broth, garlic and herbs. One pitfall to making chicken and rice soup in a slow cooker is that if you put the rice in with the other ingredients in the morning, it will be quite soft by the time you’re ready to eat. Some people don’t mind this, but others prefer their rice to be on the firmer side. If you choose to put your rice in at the beginning of the cook time with the other ingredients, you’ll want to use brown rice as it will stand up to the long slow cooking process. What I typically do is add the rice during the last hour of the cook time. Another alternative is to simply stir some cooked rice in right before you’re ready to eat. However you decide to cook the rice, it’ll still be delicious!
I often serve this soup with a side of cornbread or garlic bread for a hearty meal that satisfies even my most picky eaters. If you’re more of a chicken noodle soup kind of person, you can swap out the rice for egg noodles and add them during the last hour for a little different twist on this recipe. However you decide to serve it, it’s sure to be a hit!
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Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 3 medium carrots peeled, halved and sliced
- 3 stalks of celery sliced
- 6 cups of chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup white rice if you'd rather add the rice during the beginning, use brown rice instead
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts, onion carrots, celery, chicken broth, garlic, dried thyme, dried parsley, salt and pepper into a slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- Remove the top and add the rice. Cook for one more hour on LOW or HIGH heat.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the soup and shred with two forks. Return the chicken to the soup.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Made this for dinner yesterday. Easy to make. Excellent flavor! This is going into my recipe collection!
Have a cold going around the house & wanted to make some soup that everyone could enjoy . This is SO good . I saw the comment about the onion , and chopped it very fine and it worked perfectly.
If adding brown rice at the beginning, do I still do the extra hour at the end that usually comes after adding the rice? For example, I added all the ingredients and set the slow cooker on high for 4 hours. Will I need an extra hour if not adding the rice as a separate step? Thanks!
No, you will not need that extra hour at the end.
When I add the rice at the end do I leave the lid off for the last hour?
Yes, that sounds great!
This chicken soup is so tasty! And it’s so easy to throw together. It will be my go-to chicken soup recipe from now on.
I followed the recipe exactly (minus the fresh parsley, which I didn’t have on hand), and the only issue I had is that the rice absorbed all of the broth. So I added an additional 6 cups of chicken broth to the soup after it was done cooking, and then it was perfect.
So I add uncooked brown rice or cooked brown rice ?
I would add in cooked rice at the end.
This soup looks really tasty! I wanted to use wild rice. What would be your suggestion for adding it in? Thanks so much!
Stacie 🙂
I would add the rice in at the same time as the chicken.
I’ve looked for the crack chicken and rice soup you have a picture posted on the first page, and l give up. Couldn’t find it .
Hi Judy,
Here is the link to the chicken and rice soup: https://therecipecritic.com/easy-and-quick-chicken-rice-soup/. Hope that helps! You are always welcome to even search my site for any key ingredient or recipe title. Thanks for following along with me! XOXO
Do you have the calorie count?
I like to use skinny taste.com or myfitnesspal.com for any nutritional information. Hope that helps and you are able to find the things you are looking for. Thanks for following along with me! XOXO
Do you add cooked white rice or uncooked white rice for the last hour?
I typically add the rice during the last hour of the cook time. Another alternative is to simply stir some cooked rice in right before you’re ready to eat. However you decide to cook the rice, it’ll still be delicious!
For the chicken and rice soup recipe – I found the onion to be overpowering. I
I wonder if it would be better to sautee them before putting them in the slow cooker.
The onions don’t seem to do well in the slow cooking recipe??
I really enjoy reading your recipes
This looks delicious! My two kiddos and I are all sick with influenza, so I put this together tonight ready for tomorrow. This looks so comforting.
Yum!! It’s my favorite soup.
All your soups that you show us my mom always cook it for me. It’s very good for our healthy.
Hi,
It look so delicious. It make me hungry.
Hello to you young lady, I have been looking at the easy ways your show how to make , well just anything and they just make my mouth water. I am about to getsome of these things in the making and I just know they will all just come out perfectly. I want to Thank You for all your help that you give. Please keep up the good work.
All these comments are comeing
to you from the cool
weather we are having
here in Germany.
Bill
Hello Bill from Germany!! That is amazing! Thank you so much for your sweet comment and your kinds words. You made my evening even better! I am so grateful for faithful followers and people that are able to make a quick and delicious meal for themselves and family. Enjoy your cool weather in Germany and I look forward to hearing from you again! Thanks for following along with me! XOXO