This soup came out of one of those “What the heck am I going to cook for dinner?” moments. You know, those days when you open the fridge and see nothing but odd bits of vegetables and a piece of meat. I’ve been having a lot of those days lately.
When the weather gets cooler in the slightest, my brain immediately turns to soups. Ok, so maybe I have hot chilis in the middle of summer, too (don’t judge). Now that it’s fall, however, I don’t need to come up with any excuses for making this delicious meal in a bowl.
The one herb I probably can’t live without is thyme. Yes, those tiny little leaves that are a pain to extract. A pinch of thyme can transform any dish from “blah” to “yah.” Maybe that rhyme was a bit of a stretch. My rhyming skills have been underused since my last English class almost 10 years ago.
But, seriously, fresh thyme is amazing. I usually have some dried thyme lying around the house, but the flavors don’t compare to a nice pinch of the fresh stuff.
Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 stalk of celery, sliced
- 1/2 large red pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 cups ~1L chicken stock
- 1 cup 240ml 2% milk
- 1 large yellow squash, diced (you can also use zucchini)
- 1 and 1/4 cups, ~210g cooked brown rice
- 1/2 pound 225g cooked chicken breast, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and pepper. Let the vegetables “sweat out” in the pot for about 3-4 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add the cornstarch, and mix it with the vegetables. Add the chicken stock, and bring it to boil.
- When the liquids boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add in the milk, diced yellow squash, brown rice, chicken, thyme, and salt. I added a few teaspoons of salt.
- When the liquids bubble again, turn off the heat.
- Serve immediately, and refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
LOOKING FOR MORE RECIPES?
Thai-Spiced Butternut Squash Soup
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Jodee Weiland says
This soup looks delicious and hearty for fall weather! Love the ingredients…thanks for sharing!
Lisa says
Thanks, Jodee! Let me know if you make this!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
I think your rhyme was pretty good. You made me laugh at least….:-)
Lisa says
Haha, thanks, Liz! I’ll come up with better ones next time.
Elaina Newton says
Yum! I’m saving up soup recipes to try this fall since I’ve been roasting lots of whole chicken lately and have a bunch of homemade chicken stock in the freezer. I have to come up with creative ways to use it cause my boyfriend gets tired of my favorite brothy, spicy soups. 🙂 Pinning for later!
Lisa says
Thanks, Elaina!! I need to make my own chicken stock, too.
Eileen says
Hooray for soup! I am feeling under the weather, so this looks especially appealing right now. Soup to the rescue!
Lisa says
Oh no, hope you feel better, Eileen! Chicken soup is the best when I’m feeling down.
Erin | The Law Student's Wife says
Thyme is one of my favorite herbs, and I bet it is lovely in the soup!
Lisa says
Yes, the thyme definitely pumps up the volume in this soup!
David @ CookingChat says
Looks like a nice, hearty soup!
Lisa says
Thanks, David!
Zanna says
My family loves a good soup, and this one is simple and delicious! Unfortunately, thyme isn’t really something my sister is a fan of. Our variation is a little curry powder. Absolutely wonderful : )
Lisa says
Thank you SO MUCH for letting me know how it went for you, Zanna! So glad that you made adjustments that worked for you!
cynthia lantz says
does the yellow squash mean butternut squash? or do you mean a yellow summer squash? you didn’t mention peeling it so I think you are talking about a summer squash
Lisa says
Hi Cynthia – that’s right, the yellow squash means yellow summer squash. I will edit the recipe card to make it more clear. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!
Teresa says
This was amazing! So good and filling. My husband 4 kiddos loved it! I’ve been on the hunt for gluten free meals/ideas since I was diagnosed and this was a keeper. Thank you!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you so much for trying out my recipe, Teresa! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Sada says
To make this soup dairy free, do you have a good ingredient suggestion to replace the 2% milk?
Lisa Lin says
I’d probably use soy milk instead. However, add the soy milk in the end, just before serving to prevent it from curdling. Another good option is canned light coconut milk. The flavor profile will be different, but it will still taste great. If using coconut milk, don’t add it until the end.
Sada says
Perfect, I’ll give the soy milk a try. Thanks!
Teresa McFarland says
I’ve made this more than once and LOVE it.
Do you have the nutrition/calorie details for this recipe?