A quick, small batch creamy chicken and rice soup with herbs.
Small Batch Cream of Chicken Soup with Rice
You cannot beat a homemade soup, though there's not a single thing wrong with canned soup either, and in fact, you can always find a can or three in my pantry.
I mean how can you not at least have some Campbell's chicken noodle soup on hand?! Seriously.
Some canned soups are better than others of course, but... sometimes, you just want a few servings of soup that's homemade, fresh and hot and not out of a can, but without a lot of work or that makes a massive pot! This is that.
Just inserting a quick reminder here.... that this is a blog, not just a "recipe site," and yes, there is a difference! I want to first thank all of you who have supported my work over the years, but if you aren't interested in the chit chat, info, photos, tips and such in a post, as always, you'll find the complete recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll down to the bottom of the post!What makes this soup homemade, but so quick and easy?
1. A quality, premade chicken stock.
This can be a homemade stock that you've made in advance and put up or choose a high-quality commercial product. I highly recommend Kitchen Basics chicken stock because it's rich and loaded with flavor.
2. Already cooked chicken.
A rotisserie chicken can stand in, but those are usually quite salty so keep that in mind with any added salt sources! I prefer having cooked chicken put up in the freezer and when I catch whole chickens on sale, I buy as many as I can and cook up at least one of them using this "Ready Chicken" recipe. Pick off the meat and vacuum seal it in 2 cup portions for the freezer. It comes in super handy... your freezer and a vacuum sealer are your friends in this economy y'all!!
3. Leftover steamed rice!
We eat a good bit of rice down here and I cook it a lot. In this economy, I try to use up all of the leftovers in my fridge, including rice - a leftover that a lot of folks seem to throw away. Granted, even in a good Lock and Lock container, rice can get dehydrated, but it's so easy to rehydrate in an appliance we almost all have - the microwave. A splash of water, loose cover and heat on high for a few seconds at a time and it's hot, soft and fluffy just like freshly made y'all!
4. Creamed corn.
Whether you make your own, or buy it frozen or in a can, using some in this soup provides a little texture along with a thickening and creaminess that would only typically come from a much bigger batch soup, and a long simmer.
I didn't happen to have a can of creamed corn on hand, so I used my hand chopper to whirl up some thawed, frozen corn.
Close enough! Now of course, if you have a can of creamed corn or frozen creamed corn on hand, you can just use that.
It's rich and beautiful and tasty and makes a great base for a quick small batch soup like this one. Bring chicken stock to boil and add the seasoning veggies.
For seasonings veggies, I'm using onion, celery and garlic. Reduce heat and simmer the stock with the vegetables for 10 minutes.
I'm also using some chicken that I thawed from the freezer from a batch of ready chicken and some leftover steamed rice, along with the corn kernels I creamed.
Add the chicken, rice and creamed corn to the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook another 10 minutes.
Stir in whole milk or half and half. You can substitute evaporated milk as well. A fat free or low-fat milk may be substituted, but also will reduce the creaminess.
Add Creole or Cajun seasoning, if using. Of course, y'all know that I'm using!
Taste for salt, and add some along with pepper, as needed, keeping in mind all sources of salt that you have used - chicken, stock, even the leftover rice.
Add dried herbs. I'm using parsley, thyme and marjoram though you can certainly use your favorites too. Continue heating through, then taste and adjust seasonings further as needed.
Ready to serve!
For more of my favorite soup recipes, check out my Pinterest page!
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