Believe it or not, in the 2.5 year history of this blog, I have never made a basic chicken noodle soup. Well, I almost made it this weekend until I went perusing through my pantry to see what left over ingredients I had that needed to be used. I found a half bag of wild rice mix that I had left over from this holiday rice dressing last year. It’s a really delicious mix of all sorts of wild rices and since I had kept it tightly sealed, I thought it was definitely worth using.
You don’t have to use wild rice for this recipe, although it gives a really nice texture. White or brown will certainly work in a pinch. See the step by step photos for cooking adjustments for white or brown rice.
If you don’t like creamy soups (this one isn’t super creamy), you can skip the milk mixture at the end of the recipe and use chicken broth instead. Then you’ll have yourself a delicious, clear broth chicken and rice soup. You’ve got options!
I also used the carrots and celery that I had left over from this recipe a couple of weeks ago. I just cleaned and sliced the entire bunch then froze half to use later. I was happy not to have to peel and chop today!
Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup
Servings 8Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.11)
- 1 medium yellow onion ($0.56)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic ($0.24)
- 1/2 lb. carrots, sliced ($0.39)
- 1/2 bunch celery, sliced ($0.79)
- 1 lb. chicken breast ($1.99)
- 1 whole bay leaf ($0.15)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- to taste cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 1-2 tsp to taste salt ($0.05)
- 1 cup wild rice mix ($1.37)
- 6 cups water ($0.00)
- 1/3 bunch fresh parsley ($0.26)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 2 cups whole milk ($1.07)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, dice the onion (and mince the garlic if using fresh rather than pre-minced). Add the onion and garlic to the hot oil and saute until tender (5 min).
- If using fresh carrots and celery, clean and slice them while the onions are sauteing. Add them to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes more.
- Add the chicken breast (whole), bay leaf, oregano, thyme, cracked pepper, dry rice, and 6 cups of water to the pot. Do not add salt yet. Bring the pot up to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for one hour.
- Near the end of the hour, begin to make the creamy milk mixture. In a small pot, melt 2 Tbsp of butter over medium heat. When it is fully melted, whisk in 2 Tbsp of all-purpose flour. Cook and stir the butter and flour mixture for two minutes. Whisk in the milk and allow it to come up to a simmer, whisking occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. Once it reaches a simmer, it will have thickened slightly.
- Carefully remove the chicken pieces from the soup and shred or dice with a knife and fork. Rinse and chop the parsley. Add the parsley and the thickened milk mixture to the soup. Season with salt to taste. I used about 2 tsp of salt, but start with a little and add more as needed. I also added a touch more pepper at this point. Serve hot!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
Step By Step Photos
Start by dicing the onion. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the diced onion and minced garlic over medium heat until softened and transparent.
‘Till it looks like this.
Most recipes that I use only require half of the smallest bag or bunch of carrots and celery that you can buy at the store. I never let the other half get limp and moldy in my fridge. I just prep the entire bunch and freeze half so that I’ll have some for next time. I added these to the pot straight out of the freezer and just cooked it for about five minutes or until they were fully thawed.
Once the carrots and celery are thawed (they don’t have to be tender because they’ll boil for quite a while), add the raw chicken and herbs (bay leaf, oregano, thyme, cracked pepper).
This is the wild rice mix that I had in my pantry. I used one cup. Feel free to use any type of rice. Wild rice has a thicker hull so it can withstand one hour of boiling, but if you’re using a regular rice variety, add it a half hour into the simmer step.
Add the dry wild rice mix and 6 cups of water. Bring the whole pot up to a boil over medium high heat and then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for one hour.
After an hour, the rice will be cooked and the chicken will be tender.
Carefully remove the chicken pieces from the pot and cut/shred into bite sized pieces.
It will be hot, so use a fork and knife. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot.
Rinse and chop the parsley. Add it to the pot as well.
At this point you have a really great chicken, rice, and vegetable soup. You can stop here, season with salt, and enjoy it as is. Or, you can go on to the next step and make the creamy milk base.
To begin the cream sauce, melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a small pot over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in 2 Tbsp of all-purpose flour. Stir and cook this mixture over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
Whisk in the milk and allow the mixture to come up to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk occasionally as it heats to prevent the bottom from scorching. Once it reaches a simmer, it will be slightly thickened.
Pour the thickened milk mixture into the soup. Stir to combine.
Season the soup with salt to your liking. Start with a 1/2 tsp of salt, stir, taste, and add more as needed. I added close to 2 tsp before it reached a point that I liked. I also added a little more pepper. A little cayenne wouldn’t be too bad either!
This is a really hearty soup that is everything you need in one pot! Protein, vegetables, and carbohydrates!
This came out wonderful. Creamy and flavorful. I used to buy this in a can (horrors!) but this is a thousand times better. I also froze the rest of the chicken breasts and some of the chopped celery and carrots.
Thanks for a great recipe.
I just made this tonight and it was incredible! I had to halve it to fit it in our largest pot, but I prepared the full amount of ingredients so I could make a second batch tomorrow (soooo glad I did!) Next time – because there will definitely be a next time – I’m going to try it in the slow cooker, adding in the cream sauce at the end. We ate ours with French bread, and it looks like we’ll get six servings using it as the entree. Thank you for such a delicious, simple recipe!
Hey! I am just curious if the serving size for this is one cup? Just trying to portion it out right for the nutritional info I have on it =]
Your blog rocks, and has helped me get my fiance to eat at home more often!
Hi, sorry, that recipe is pretty old and it doesn’t look like I measured the volume or the volume measure of the servings got lost when I transferred to my new format. :(
Beth, I love Budget Bytes! Thank you for taking the time to post so many yummy & affordable recipes. I have a question about the Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup; if I were to substitute precooked shredded turkey for the raw chicken breast, do I need to shorten the cooking time? I am afraid that if I cook the soup for an hour, the turkey will be overdone. What do you think? Thanks again!
Yep, in that case you only need to simmer it as long as needed to make the rice tender. :)
Beth, first off, your blog has been saving my budgeting life! We are loving trying out new recipes that won’t break the bank. I’m wanting to make this one this week and I was just wondering if I could substitute almond milk for the whole milk. We’ve got some milk intolerance over here. :) Thanks!
Hmmm, I think it will definitely be less creamy, but if you’re used to almond milk the difference might not be as noticeable to you. I think it’s one of those things you’ll just have to try. I would portion out a bowl of the soup, then try adding some of the almond milk to see how it affects the flavor.
This was an awesome soup! I followed the recipe for the most part, but used boneless chicken thighs, more spices than called for and added the cayenne as Beth suggested. I could only find a long grain rice & wild rice blend, but it ended up working out and the rice didn’t deteriorate. Delicious!
how would you adapt this to a slow cooker please?
Where in the US do you find 1 lb of chicken for $1.99?!? I watch the sale ads to be able to buy it for $4.99/lb.
My grocery store puts chicken breasts on sale for $1.99/lb. about once a month or every other month, so I always stock up when they do. :(
Two years late, I know but – yeah. Meat around here is INCREDIBLY expensive, but now and again either Safeway or the Grocery Outlet have chicken breasts for $1.99/lb. I always buy like, 10-12 pounds when it’s on sale like that, and just separate and freeze it to use over the course of the month.
This soup is fantastic!
This looks superb! I’ve never made soup before and I was wondering, if I wanted to put sliced almonds in, at what point should I include them? I really like the added crunchiness.
I’d probably do it just before serving so they don’t soften up in the hot liquid, although I’ve never eaten soup with almonds in it before. :)
Thanks! It might be a Minnesota thing…..
This looks amazing. Any ideas on what could be used in place of whole milk? I am lactose intolerant.
Thanks!
Hmm, if you like coconut, you could try using some coconut cream. Coconut and chicken go great together and it will have a slightly Thai flavor to it. :)
This is my new favourite comfort food. Burnt the garlic on the first attempt but so glad I persevered! Also, 1/4tsp of cayenne pepper was an inspired addition – very nice little kick :)
Love this website, just discovered it a week ago and have been hooked trying tons of recipes from this blog! So similar to my style of cooking with ingredients and such. So perfect. Thank you. Hidden gem. What I have waiting/looking for!!!
This was delicious! Thanks! I substituted chicken stock for the water because I had some in the fridge, soy milk for cow’s and Earth Balance for butter. I poached the chicken first, in the chicken stock, then added cooked shredded chicken and 6 cups of stock to the rest of the ingredients. Who needs canned soup when you have this?!
I just made this today with one change, I used chicken stock in place of the water and it is DELICIOUS. Even my picky husband loves it.
I have yet to make something here we didn’t love.