This Creamy Tomato, Chicken and Rice soup is one of the most useful recipes you can have on standby. It's a hearty meal in a bowl the whole family loves that's made with canned tomatoes for convenience. Plus it can be made with leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or chicken you cook at home. Easy!
I've been working on a recipe for quick and easy tomato soup made with canned tomatoes for ages and this is the happy result.
I find that kids love a smooth and creamy tomato soup base - so it makes sense to add in rice and chicken to make it more of a meal.
Homemade soup is not only economical, but it tastes better than anything store bought. You also have control over the amount of salt and sugar you are adding.
Why You Should Make This Chicken & Rice Soup?
- Soup is a great way of packing vegetables into our diets, and when blended til smooth the kids don't even notice.
- We hate wasting food in The Family Food Kitchen. If you happen to have leftover chicken and rice this is the perfect way to use it the next day in this creamy tomato soup. For another great soup using leftovers try my Leftover Roast Beef & Wild Rice Soup.
- For convenience, you can use leftover, ready cooked or microwave bagged rice to make this a really quick meal.
How to Make Chicken & Rice Soup?
Find a full printable recipe with measurement below.
Soften onion, carrot and garlic in butter. Season well.
Add the tomatoes, water and honey and simmer gently then blend it until smooth.
Return the soup to the heat and add in the cooked shredded chicken and rice. Simmer until the chicken is piping hot.
Take the soup off the heat, stir through the cream and check the seasoning before serving with a swirl of greek yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh dill.
Do not boil the soup or the cream may split!
If I don't have leftover cooked chicken what can I use?
Don't have any leftover chicken? No problem. You can cook the chicken in the pan before you start cooking the vegetables.
If using raw chicken for soup I like to use chicken thighs. They are inexpensive and full of flavor. Simply cook through, remove from the pan and set aside. You can then get on with cooking the rest of the soup.
While the soup cooks, shred the chicken and add it back at the end, as per the recipe instructions.
Can I use cooked Rice In Tomato Rice Soup?
I like to use ready cooked rice or leftover rice in this tomato soup recipe as it is quick and convenient. This is exactly the type of cooking I like to do when I'm busy during the week or want to get ahead so I can relax at the weekend.
Ready cooked rice can be added just when you are ready to serve the soup which stops it from overcooking and becoming soggy.
How to Stop Rice Going mushy in Soup?
Some recipes like to add the rice while the soup is cooking. However, rice is super absorbent and I find the rice overcooks and becomes soggy using this method.
A different method is to use ready cooked or leftover rice and add it just towards the end of the cook, along with the chicken. That way you are only heating up the rice and avoid it soaking up too much liquid.
Variations of Chicken & Rice Soup:
- If you'd like to make this soup vegetarian just leave out the chicken.
- Honey adds a natural sweetness to balance out the tomatoes, you could add a teaspoon of sugar if you prefer.
- Heavy cream (double cream) adds the creamy texture to the tomato soup. However, if you prefer a broth based soup you can leave the cream out entirely, it's still declious.
- The vegetable base of this soup comprises onion, carrot and garlic. If you want to pack in more veggies you could also add in some celery, bell peppers or courgettes.
- Try using cooked wild rice for a nuttier taste and texture.
Can I make this Soup Dairy Free?
This is a really simple soup to covert for anyone following a dairy free diet. Firstly soften the vegetables in a little olive oil in place of butter. Then replace the double cream in the soup with coconut milk.
The final swirl of Greek yoghurt that I like to add before serving is entirely optional and can be omitted entirely or replaced with a suitable dairy free alternative.
Tips For Making Chicken & Rice Soup:
- This is a thick and comforting bowl of soup, but if you prefer a thinner soup add a little more water.
- When blending the soup you can use either a blender or stick blender. To get it really smooth, blend in batches and let the blender run for a while, at least 1-2 minutes.
- You can make the tomato soup element of this recipe up to 2 days ahead of time. Prepare the soup to the point where you blend the tomato soup to smooth (up to the end of stage 3 in the recipe card). At this point the soup can be covered and kept in the fridge until you are ready finish it.
How To Serve Rotisserie Chicken Soup?
This thick and creamy soup is a hearty meal on it's own - a perfect balance of chicken, vegetables and rice. I like mine topped with a swirl of Greek yoghurt and a sprinkle of fresh dill. Although you could also add parsley or coriander.
If I'm going to serve anything alongside, I love to add a slice of crusty bread to dip into the soup.
For another soup that is a filling meal in one, try a filling bowl of my Italian Tortellini Soup.
How To Reheat Chicken & Rice Soup?
This soup is a great make ahead dish. When reheating, place the pot over a low heat and warm up gently. Do not allow this soup to boil or the cream in it may split.
When heating up stir the soup constantly and this helps to stop the cream from curdling. The soup needs to be piping hot - but bring it up to the point just below boiling.
How to Freeze Chicken & Rice Soup?
If you plan to freeze this leftover chicken soup I recommend cooking the soup and adding the chicken to it. Leave out the rice and cream as it's best added just before serving.
This soup will keep in the freezer for 3 months. When ready to enjoy remove from the freezer and defrost thoroughly before warming up gently on the stove.
I like to make a big batch of the tomato soup and pop it into the freezer. That way it's ready to take out and finish any time I have leftover chicken to use up.
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What Do You Think?!
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More Easy Soup Recipe Ideas
Printable Recipe
Creamy Tomato, Chicken & Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 Onion - large, peeled & roughly chopped
- 2 Carrots - large, peeled & roughly chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic - peeled
- 3½ lb Canned Diced Tomatoes - 3½lb = 4 x 14oz cans or 2 x 28oz cans
- 2 cups Water
- 1 tsp Honey
- ½ cup Heavy Cream (Double Cream)
- 3 cups Cooked Chicken - shredded
- 3 cups Cooked Rice
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper
- Greek Yogurt - optional garnish
- Dill - optional garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Sauté the onions, carrots and garlic cloves on a medium low heat until soft, around 10 minutes. Season with sea salt and pepper.
- Add the canned tomatoes, water and the honey. Simmer for around 30 minutes. If you prefer a less thick soup you can add more water.
- Remove the soup from the heat and carefully blend until very smooth. This will take 2-3 minutes in the blender (or with a stick blender). Work in batches if necessary.
- Return the soup to the heat and add the cooked shredded chicken and rice then simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the chicken is piping hot.
- Take the soup off the heat and gently stir in the cream (you can add more or less depending on your taste). Taste and season again if required.
- Serve with an optional swirl of greek yoghurt and sprinkle of fresh dill.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was shared with the #cookblogshare community which was hosted this week by SewWhite.com
Sisley White - Sew White says
I love this combination idea. I think I will definitely have to make it again!
Thank you for linking up to #CookBlogShare
Jo Keohane says
Thanks so much for your comment, hope you loved the soup.
Tom says
Absolutely delicious - never tried chicken and tomato, but it makes so much sense..!
Jo Keohane says
So glad you liked this one Tom, thanks for commenting