This Curry Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe is a delicious twist on an old classic! It’s quick and easy to make and totally a family friendly meal.
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Several years ago my sister-in-law made this Curry Chicken and Rice Soup for one of the dinners at our family cabin weekend and it was a total hit!
We loved how cozy it was. And though it’s filling, it’s not too heavy, which is perfect for a weekend of doing a lot of nothing!
And while I still love traditional chicken and rice soup, I really enjoy the unique sweet and savory flavor combination that the curry gives to this recipe. Such a fun twist!
I often serve it with my Classic French Bread and a salad for a totally easy, satisfying meal that the whole family loves
Chicken Curry Soup Ingredients
- Large carrots. I love using this tool to dice veggies quickly.
- Celery. Optional, but great to add if you like it.
- Onion. This should be finely diced.
- Butter. Salted or unsalted is fine.
- Flour. Just simple all-purpose works great.
- Seasoned salt. You can easily make your own if you don’t have any on hand.
- Curry powder. Use mild or hot, which you prefer.
- Milk. Whole milk will make it the creamiest, but any dairy milk will be fine. You could also use coconut milk if you prefer.
- Chicken broth. You can use store-bought or make my homemade chicken broth.
- Chicken. Cooked and cubed.
- Rice. I love basmati or jasmine rice but any rice should work okay.
- Salt. Only add the salt if you feel the soup needs it before serving.
How To Make Easy Chicken Curry Soup with Rice
STEP 1: Saute the celery, carrots, and onion in a large skillet with butter until softened.
STEP 2: Mix in the flour, seasoned salt, and curry powder. Stir until smooth.
STEP 3: Pour in the milk gradually while stirring, continue to cook while it thickens.
STEP 4: Add the chicken broth, cooked chicken, and cooked rice. Stir occasionally and warm over low to medium-low heat.
FAQ & Expert Tips
- Storing and freezing. Store in an airtight container for 3 days in the refrigerator or freeze in a Ziploc bag for two months. To reheat the soup, place it in a saucepan and heat on low until it’s warm completely through.
- Tip for using curry. Curry powders vary so much in how hot and spicy they are. The brand that I use is pretty mild, so I always add more than 1 teaspoon. But if you have a spicier variety, you may want to err on the side of caution. It’s always easy to add more if you want it!
- Making ahead of time. If you want to get a head start on making the soup, chop the veggies in advance so you can just pour them in.
- Chicken. For a quicker meal, use canned chicken or rotisserie chicken.
More Easy Soup Recipes You’ll Love
- Cream Cheese Potato Soup with Ham
- Easy Vegetable Beef Soup
- Creamy Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup
- Easy Tomato Basil Soup with Parmesan
Creamy Curry Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large carrots, diced (link in Notes for the tool I love to use to dice veggies quickly)
- 2 celery ribs, diced (optional)
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp. seasoned salt
- 1/2-1 tsp. curry powder (or more to taste)
- 4 1/2 cups milk
- 4 cups chicken broth (link in Notes for Homemade Chicken Broth recipe)
- 2 to 3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
- 2 cups cooked rice
- salt if needed
Instructions
- In large saucepan, saute carrots, celery and onion in butter until soft.
- Add flour, seasoned salt and curry powder and stir until smooth.
- Gradually add milk; stir and cook until thickened.
- Add chicken broth, chicken and rice. Cook over low to medium low heat until hot, stirring occasionally.
Notes
- Curry powders vary so much in how hot and spicy they are. The brand that I use is pretty mild and so I always add more than 1 tsp. But if you have a spicier variety, you may want to err on the side of caution. It’s always easy to add more if you want it!
- Tool for quickly dicing veggies
- Homemade Chicken Broth
Caren
I used Unsweetened coconut milk and it’s soothing and delicious.
Lydia Beiler
Great tip for subbing coconut milk, Caren. I bet that makes it extra creamy! Glad you enjoyed it!
Debbie Cope
Curry Chicken Rice soup
great flavor. I
should have paid attention to the amount of servings, large amount for two people. Will probably use a little less milk/chicken broth by 1/2 cup less of both, so it might be a little thicker.
But again it has great flavor.
Will take your advice on freezing some of the soup without the rice. Therefore we can freeze it and add rice for another meal in a week or so.
Lydia Beiler
So happy to hear that you liked the soup, Debbie! And so sorry that you missed noticing that it makes such a large amount. Yes, it’s most definitely a recipe that was designed more for feeding a bigger family. But I’m grateful that you were at least able to figure out a way to not have the extra go to waste!
Abbie L
Is this soup too thick? I usually use 1 cup liquid for each tablespoon of flour to get a thick consistency. This one has 8 cups liquid and 12 T flour. I would imagine it would be VERY thick. Thanks for any input!
ThriftyFrugalMom
It is a thicker soup, but the amount of flour and liquid listed has always worked well for me. And I know several friends and family that make it and love it and they have never mentioned anything about it being too thick. If you prefer a thinner soup, feel free to either cut back the flour or add more broth. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a thinner version and will add a bit more broth. And any leftover tend to get a bit thicker because the rice seems to continue to absorb the liquid. Hope that helps!
Ellen
Can this soup be frozen?
ThriftyFrugalMom
Unfortunately, any soup with pre-cooked rice doesn’t seem to freeze well because the rice doesn’t have a great texture once frozen, thawed and reheated. I freeze cooked rice by itself all the time and it’s fine. But freezing it with other liquid doesn’t seem to work well. If you don’t mind if the rice get’s a little mushy then you can freeze it. I’ve done it before and while it’s not ideal, it still tastes fine…just has a rather different texture.
If you’re wanting to make this ahead to freeze and then have on hand for an easy meal, I’d make it without the rice and freeze it that way. Then you can either freeze the rice separately or just cook it up and add it to the soup once you are ready to serve it.
Stef
This sounds perfect for a cool fall night. I want to try your bread too! I love the touch of sweet in the soup.
ThriftyFrugalMom
You can’t go wrong with soup and bread, can you?