Chicken Soup made in less than 45 minutes with two variations – Chicken Soup with Rice and Chili Chicken Soup with Beans.
Text and illustration by Carol Egbert
What is it about chicken soup? There is a series of inspirational books titled Chicken Soup for the Soul, John Steinbeck talks about it in East of Eden, Moshe ben Mainmon, a twelfth century Egyptian physician and philosopher, recognized it as a remedy for cold symptoms and his advice has been supported by evidence from a scientific study done at an American university. My resolution to cook simple food and the poem Chicken Soup with Rice, written by Maurice Sendak and set to music by Carole King, inspired me to make my favorite chicken soup.
In February it will be 
My snowman’s anniversary
With cake for him and soup for me!
Happy once, happy twice
Happy chicken soup with rice
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Chicken Soup and Two Variations
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 - 10 1x
Description
Chicken Soup made in less than 45 minutes with two variations – Chicken Soup with Rice and Chili Chicken Soup with Beans
Ingredients
- 2 litres chicken stock
- 1 litre water
- 1 rotisserie cooked chicken
- 30g unsalted butter
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 3 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp thyme leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- salt and pepper
- ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS - Chicken Soup with Rice
- 140g rice, uncooked
- 500ml broth
- chopped flat leaf parsley to garnish
- ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS - Chili Chicken Soup with Beans
- 30g chili powder
- 10g ground cumin
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 800g tinned tomatoes, diced
- 450g frozen sweet corn
- 1 medium tin white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium tin black beans, rinsed and drained
- fresh cilantro and sour cream to garnish
Instructions
- Combine stock and water in a large stockpot, cover and heat over medium heat.
- Add chicken skin and bones to stockpot, shred meat and set aside.
- Bring broth mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain broth into large bowl, discard skin and bones.
- Melt butter in stockpot, add onions, carrots, celery, thyme and garlic. Saute until vegetables are soft, 10 minutes.
- Add strained broth and shredded chicken meat, simmer for 5 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Chicken Soup with Rice Add rice and additional broth when adding shredded chicken in Step 6 and increase simmer time to 20 minutes or until rice is cooked.
- Garnish each serving with parsley.
- Chili Chicken Soup with Beans Add chili powder, cumin and jalapeno pepper to onion/carrot/celery mixture in Step 5.
- Add tomatoes, corn and beans when adding shredded chicken in Step 6.
- Garnish each serving with cilantro and sour cream.
- A rotisserie cooked chicken from the market significantly reduce the cooking time for this soup. the chicken stock can be tinned or home made.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 200
Cooking chicken soup can be an all day affair but by beginning with chicken broth and a rotisserie chicken from the market, I had a full flavored, body-and-soul warming soup ready in less than an hour.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this recipe use a rotisserie chicken instead of raw chicken?
The notes say a store-bought rotisserie chicken “significantly reduces the cooking time” — combined with tinned or homemade chicken stock, it brings total prep-to-table time under 45 minutes, far faster than traditional all-day chicken soup.
What is the difference between the two soup variations?
Both start from the same base. The Rice version adds 140g uncooked rice and 500ml extra broth in step 6, simmering 20 minutes. The Chili Bean version adds 30g chili powder, 10g ground cumin, a seeded jalapeño, 800g diced tinned tomatoes, 450g frozen sweet corn, and tins of white and black beans — garnished with cilantro and sour cream.
Why are the bones and skin simmered in the broth before being strained out?
Simmering the rotisserie chicken skin and bones in the combined stock and water for 20 minutes extracts extra collagen and flavour before straining — it’s what gives the soup its “full flavoured, body-and-soul warming” depth without an all-day cook.
What a cute illustration, thanks for a great article.
Thank you. I hope you try the recipe.