There’s nothing more comforting than a big bowl of Scottish Chicken and Rice Soup. Packed with delicious chicken, fluffy rice, and plenty of vegetables; this hearty one pot wonder is the kind of meal that warms you right through and leaves everyone asking for seconds.

A bowl of Scottish chicken and rice soup with shredded chicken, carrots, celery, herbs, and rice in a broth, served on a wooden table in natural sunlight.

Chicken and Rice Soup was my Mum's soup of choice. And it's funny how, as you grow older, you have a new appreciation for things you didn't particularly love in childhood.

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Ingredients for Hearty Chicken and Rice Soup
Can I use leftover chicken instead of a whole chicken?
Method for Hearty Chicken and Rice Soup
Storage and Reheating
More Tasty Soup Recipes
Scottish Chicken and Rice Soup

I've never been a huge fan of rice, so I was never overly enthused when she made it. But now? That glossy chicken broth packed full of vegetables, juicy chunks of chicken and perfectly cooked rice has me gripped. I've since learned that I'm simply not a fan of overcooked rice, so that was easily fixed.

My version of this recipe is simple, wholesome and just what you need on a busy weeknight or relaxing Sunday with the family.

Ingredients for Hearty Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients for Scottish Chicken and Rice Soup. A whole raw chicken on a plate, a bowl of uncooked rice, a bottle of soy sauce, two bouillon tablets, a jar of bouquet garni seasoning, and a plate with chopped carrots, celery, leeks, and leafy greens on a wooden surface.

Whole chicken: cooked and shredded (you can also use leftover chicken in this recipe - please refer to: Can I Use Leftover Chicken?
Vegetables: celery, onion, carrot, leek and swiss chard. Swiss chard is not a traditional inclusion, but I like adding some leafy greens in to increase the fibre content. If you prefer a more traditional version of the soup, then simply leave out the swiss chard.
Rice: I use either long-grain rice or basmati rice
Other ingredients: chicken stock cubes, bouquet garni (see below), soy sauce and seasoning

What is a bouquet garni?

A a bouquet garni is bunch of herbs, typically encased in a bag (similar to a tea bag), used for flavouring a stew or soup.

Herbs typically included include marjoram, oregano, thyme, bay leaf and parsley. But they may also include basil, chervil, rosemary, peppercorns and tarragon too.

I use this product from Schwartz, which is handy because it can be removed from the soup before serving and leaves no physical trace of herbs behind in the broth of the chicken and rice soup.

If you want to use fresh herbs, you can tie an assortment together using butchers twine or string, cook it with the soup and then remove at the end. However, you tend to find that leaves from rosemary etc. will fall off into the soup using this method, so keep that in mind.

Can I use leftover chicken instead of a whole chicken?

Yes - you can. There are two options:

Leftover Chicken Carcass and Meat

The optimal situation would be to retain the chicken carcass and skin from your Sunday roast and boil this in water for an hour first. Remove this (as you would the whole chicken) and proceed with the recipe as described. This would add the same flavour to the soup broth as this recipe.

Leftover Meat Only

If you only have leftover chicken from a Sunday roast or otherwise, then you can still use it to make this Scottish Chicken and Rice Soup recipe - it's how my Mum did it.

Simply add 2 additional chicken stock cubes to the recipe below. This ensures the depth of flavour in the chicken broth we need for the volume of liquid.

This method would also reduce the cook time to approx. 45 minutes (as you are not required to ensure the whole chicken is cooked through first).

Two bowls of cooked, shredded chicken are placed on a wooden surface. The chicken in the top bowl includes skin and bones, while the chicken in the bottom bowl is boneless and more uniformly shredded.

Method for Hearty Chicken and Rice Soup

Add whole chicken, chicken stock cubes, bouquet garni and water to a large pot. Bring to the boil then reduce to a bubbling simmer for 1.5 hours.

A raw whole chicken is placed inside a large black pot, which is set on a wooden surface.

Raw whole chicken placed breast-up in a black pot, with its wings spread and a tea bag resting on top; the pot is on a wooden surface.

Add rice to a jog or bowl with water to soak. After the chicken has been cooking for 1 hour, add chopped vegetables to the pot. After a further 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the pot and allow to cool.

A glass Pyrex measuring cup contains water and soaking rice, with the water turning cloudy. The cup is placed on a wooden surface, and books are visible in the background.

A pot of soup simmering with lots of vegetables, including carrots, leeks, onions, and leafy greens, along with pieces of chicken submerged in broth.

Rinse the rice and add to the pot - cook for a further 15 minutes then switch the heat off and remove the bouquet garni. Once the chicken has cooled, separate the meat from the bones .

A pot of vegetable soup with carrots and greens is simmering, while a bowl of uncooked rice is being poured in from the top left corner.

Add soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir through the cooked, shredded chicken and serve with some chopped fresh parsley.

A pot of homemade chicken soup with shredded chicken, chopped carrots, celery, and leeks in a clear broth, viewed from above.

A pot of homemade chicken soup with shredded chicken, sliced carrots, leafy greens, and broth simmering on a stovetop.

Storage and Reheating

My Scottish Chicken and Rice Soup will last for 4-5 days in the fridge and the will freeze for up to 6 months.

To reheat: microwave or heat in a pot on the hob until piping hot throughout. Please ensure the rice is heated thoroughly.

A black bowl of chicken and rice soup with carrots, herbs, and shredded chicken sits on a wooden table, with a white pot of soup and pepper mills in the background. Sunlight highlights the fresh ingredients.

More Tasty Soup Recipes

If you want to try any other soup recipes, then I have a whole Soup Category with lots to choose from.

My Mum was partial to Carrot and Coriander Soup. She left the traditional Scottish recipes for Lentil and Ham Hough Soup and Scotch Broth to my Gran.

A close-up of a bowl of creamy yellow soup, garnished with crispy vegetable strips and fresh cilantro, served in a black speckled bowl on a wooden table.

A black bowl filled with a hearty soup on a wooden table. The soup has a creamy texture with visible pieces of meat and is garnished with chopped parsley and a parsley leaf in the center.

If you have any questions please leave a comment and I'll get back to you. Or I would really appreciate it if you left me a review below.

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Scottish Chicken and Rice Soup

Lauren

If you grew up in Scotland, it's pretty much a given that you would have had Scottish Chicken and Rice Soup made for you at some point. It's hearty, filling and the perfect remedy for perking up your mood as the colder weather rolls in.

5 from 13 votes

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Prep Time 1 45

Total Time 1 45

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup, Starter

Cuisine British

Servings

Calories 458 kcal

Ingredients

1 kg whole chicken 300g of cooked shredded chicken is required - See Notes modify this recipe to use leftover chicken instead
2 chicken stock cubes
3 litres boiling water
1 bouquet garni
3 stalks celery
2 carrots
1 onion
1 leek
100 g swiss chard optional leafy green inclusion
150 g rice
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
fresh parsley optional garnish

Instructions

Add 1 kg whole chicken, 2 chicken stock cubes, 1 bouquet garni and 3 litres boiling water to a large pot - bring to the boil then reduce to a bubbling simmer for a total of 1.5 hours
Chop 3 stalks celery, 2 carrots, 1 onion, 1 leek and 100 g swiss chard - as fine or as chunky as you’d like
Add 150 g rice to a jug or bowl with water - it will be rinsed before we add to the soup pot
After the chicken has been simmering for 1 hour, add chopped vegetables to the pot
After 1.5 hours, remove the chicken from the pot and allow to cool on a plate on the side, leaving the vegetables cooking in the stock
Rinse the rice and add to the pot with the stock and vegetables - cook for a further 15 minutes then switch the heat off and remove the bouquet garni
Once the chicken has cooled, separate the meat from the bones and weigh approx. 300g to be stirred through the soup (you can use the rest to make a sandwich filling, curry, or add to a pasta dish)
Stir through the cooked, shredded chicken, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon white pepper
Serve with some fresh parsley (chopped) and crusty bread for scooping - enjoy!

Notes

Shredded Chicken: you could use 300g of leftover rotisserie chicken from a roast. Although I would always recommend using the chicken carcass to make the base stock of the soup, it isn't necessary. So if you opt to use leftover meat, simply increase the number of chicken stock cubes used from 2 to either 3 or 4 (dependant on individual preference).

Nutrition

Calories: 458kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 28gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 1748mgPotassium: 629mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 7460IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 143mgIron: 6mg

Keyword chicken and rice soup, scottish chicken and rice soup, scottish soup

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