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Creamy Chicken and Brown Rice Soup

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Make this Creamy Chicken and Brown Rice Soup for a comforting gluten free and dairy free meal. You can make this healthy soup on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.

Try brown rice as a gluten-free alternative to noodles in your chicken soup

I love traditional chicken soup, but I am always looking for ways to jazz it up and make subtle tweaks. Any kind of rice is an awesome substitute for noodles in chicken soup.

For this dish I chose to use brown rice because it is something I always have on hand in my pantry. I used a can of coconut milk to make this soup nice and creamy, but do not worry there is no coconut-y taste.

What kitchen tools will I need to make this Creamy Chicken and Brown Rice Soup?

What ingredients will I need to make this healthy chicken soup?

You will be amazed at how easy it is to make this simple one pot chicken soup with just a few basic ingredients.

  • Butter or ghee
  • Boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Dried parsley
  • Garlic powder
  • Yellow onion
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Brown rice
  • Coconut milk
  • Chicken broth

Let’s make a Creamy Chicken and Brown Rice Soup!

Step 1: Sear chicken thighs and saute veggies

To begin, dice onion, carrot and celery. Then, mix salt, pepper, dried parsley and garlic powder in a small mixing bowl.

Next, season chicken thighs on all sides with seasoning mixture. Heat ghee or butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Then, add chicken thighs to the pot and sear for 2 minutes each side. Remove the chicken from the pot, add the onion, celery and carrots to the pot and reduce the heat to medium.

Next, saute the veggies for 5 minutes tossing frequently.

Step 2: Boil and simmer soup

Then, add the seared chicken thighs back into the pot along with the chicken broth, coconut milk, brown rice. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 50 minute.

Step 3: Shred chicken thighs and serve

Then, after 50 minutes, turn the heat off and remove the chicken thighs from the pot. Shred the chicken thighs and return them to the pot. Finally, serve the soup with fresh cracked black pepper and fresh parsley.

Step 4: Enjoy!

How long will this brown rice chicken soup keep in the fridge?

Once prepared allow the soup to cool completely. Then, transfer to airtight containers. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!

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Creamy Chicken and Brown Rice Soup

★★★★★ 5 from 11 reviews
  • Author: Madeline
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Boil and Simmer or Pressure Cook
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

A healthy one pot chicken and brown rice soup

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter
  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 1.5 cups diced carrots
  • 1.5 cups diced celery
  • 3/4 cup dry brown rice
  • 1 (14oz) can of coconut milk
  • 4 cups chicken broth

Instructions

Stovetop Instructions

  1. Dice onion, carrot and celery
  2. Mix salt, pepper, dried parsley and garlic powder in a small mixing bowl
  3. Season chicken thighs on all sides with seasoning mixture
  4. Heat ghee or butter in a large pot over medium-high heat
  5. Add chicken thighs to the pot and sear for 2 minutes each side
  6. Remove the chicken from the pot, add the onion, celery and carrots to the pot and reduce the heat to medium
  7. Saute the veggies for 5 minutes tossing frequently
  8. Add the seared chicken thighs back into the pot along with the chicken broth, coconut milk, brown rice 
  9. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil
  10. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 50 minutes
  11. After 50 minutes turn the heat off and remove the chicken thighs from the pot
  12. Shred the chicken thighs and return them to the pot
  13. Serve the soup with fresh cracked black pepper and fresh parsley

Instant Pot Instructions ** This will only fit into an 8qt instant pot. If you have a 6qt Instant pot please reduce the size of the recipe by cutting back to 1/2 cup of rice and 3 cups chicken broth.

  1. Dice onion, carrot and celery
  2. Mix salt, pepper, dried parsley and garlic powder in a small mixing bowl
  3. Season chicken thighs on all sides with seasoning mixture
  4. Turn the Instant Pot on to saute and melt ghee or butter 
  5. Add chicken thighs to the pot and sear for 2 minutes each side
  6. Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and add the onion, celery and carrots to the Instant Pot
  7. Saute the veggies for 5 minutes tossing frequently
  8. Add the seared chicken thighs back into the Instant Pot along with the chicken broth, coconut milk, brown rice 
  9. Set the Instant Pot to Manual/high pressure for 15 minutes
  10. Allow the Instant Pot to come to pressure and then cook for 15 minutes
  11. When the Instant Pot beeps, immediately release pressure and remove the lid
  12. Remove the chicken thighs from the Instant Pot
  13. Shred the chicken thighs and return them to the Instant Pot
  14. Serve the soup with fresh cracked black pepper and fresh parsley

Notes

** I do not recommend Goya brand coconut milk for this recipe. It leaves too much coconut flavor

Keywords: creamy chicken and brown rice soup, creamy chicken soup, brown rice chicken soup

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Sarah says

    Yum. I made this soup for dinner and literally turned to my roommate and said “I could eat this every day for my whole life.” Such a yummy and cozy soup (you know, it’s getting all the way down into the 60s in San Diego so we are ice cubes) and so quick to make. I’ll be adding this to my regular rotation for sure. 🤤 10/10 recommend.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  3. Jackie says

    Made this for dinner. Amazing! Both my husband and I loved it and could not even tell it was brown rice. I have been looking for a new chicken and rice soup since the old one I used to do used a soup packet and wasn’t the healthiest. Definitely a winner!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  4. Brenda M Watrach says

    This recipe is forever going to be a kitchen staple of mine! So yummy and easy. Perfect for the winter!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  5. Carolyn says

    Love this!! I ended up using a rotisserie chicken and shredded that. Perfect cozy meal and will definitely be making again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  6. Jessica Williamson says

    Made this soup last night and it was EXCELLENT! I do want to note that it doesn’t all fit into a 6qt instant pot (which I *think* is the more common size?). I removed about a cup of liquid before cooking to make sure it was decently below the max fill line (to account for rice expanding) and it still shot out of my steam release at the end all over the kitchen. That’s ok though – I learned a lesson and it made dinner time more exciting ;). Next time I’ll make it in a dutch oven (or borrow my mom’s 8qt instant pot). Thanks for an excellent recipe!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  7. Courtney says

    Made this with my partner last night to gift to her family, it was a huge hit!
    I typically don’t like thigh meat, but it was amazing in this soup; very flavorful and tender!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  8. Sydney says

    This soup was so good. Tasted almost like a healthier version of a classic chicken noodle (in a good way!!) I ended up cooking the chicken thighs in the oven and making the rice separately as well and combined it at the end. Turned out great!

    Reply

  9. Katie says

    So yummy and perfect on a snowy Sunday! This soup will be going on rotation. The whole family was very happy!

    Reply

  10. Elizabeth says

    This is a simple, yet flavorful and delicious classic soup! I made a couple substitutes based on what I had on hand (breasts instead of thighs, white rice instead of brown) but it was still delicious! My husband and I are currently fighting over who gets the last bowl for lunch today 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  11. Kailey says

    This was amazing!!!! It had so much flavor and was so comforting on our cold winter night! I did swap the brown rice for wild rice because that was all i had in the cupboard but it turned out fantastic!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  12. Ashley says

    I can not recommend this recipe highly enough. Just made and enjoyed for dinner and already dreaming about the leftovers!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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