This comforting chicken soup tastes like it took hours to make but comes together in a flash. Simmering a handful of uncooked rice directly into soup is a great trick for giving a quick, broth-y number like this one lip-smacking body and richness; as the rice cooks, it releases starches that thicken the cooking liquid. And a finishing drizzle of spicy oil and crunchy fried garlic chips takes the whole thing to the next level. About that garlicky chile oil: Go ahead and double it, because you're going to want to put it on everything this week. You'll thank us later.
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What you’ll need
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Sieve
$18 At Amazon
Large Saucepan
$60 At Amazon
Small Bowl
$15 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Tongs
$21 At Amazon
Fork
Ingredients
4 servings
1
6
⅔
¼
2
1
2½
1
1
3
Preparation
Step 1
Get some prep out of the way. Peel and finely chop 1 small onion. Peel and thinly slice 6 garlic cloves. Rinse ⅔ cup white rice in a fine-mesh sieve until water runs clear.
Step 2
Time to make the garlic-chile oil! (Doubling or tripling it wouldn't be a bad idea, just saying.) Heat ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add garlic and cook, swirling pan often, until golden brown, 3–5 minutes; the garlic will continue to cook and darken slightly after it's off the heat, so be conservative here. Transfer to a small heatproof bowl, leaving 1 Tbsp. garlic oil in pot. Stir 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes into garlic oil in bowl; set aside.
Step 3
Add the onion to the 1 Tbsp. of garlic oil that remains in the in saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and beginning to take on some color, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Pour in 8 cups water and stir to combine. Stir in rice, 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Step 5
Using tongs, transfer chicken to a plate and let sit until cool enough to handle. Shred meat with two forks. Continue to simmer soup while you’re prepping the rest of your ingredients (this will concentrate the flavor of the broth).
Step 6
Strip kale leaves off of thick center ribs from 1 bunch Tuscan kale, discarding ribs. Rinse kale thoroughly in cold water, shake off excess water, then thinly slice leaves crosswise.
Step 7
Add kale and shredded chicken to pot. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until kale is bright green and chicken is warmed through, about 4 minutes.
Step 8
Remove pot from heat. Squeeze in lemon juice (being careful not to let any seeds fall in), season with 2 tsp. salt (or more to taste), and stir to combine.
Step 9
Divide soup among bowls. Drizzle with reserved garlic-chile oil. Tear 3 sprigs dill over, then top with a few grinds of black pepper.
How would you rate Chicken and Rice Soup with Garlicky Chile Oil?
Leave a Review
Reviews (330)
Back to TopCook the rice separately and add at the end for a less mushy experience. Lol
Johnny
Corvallis
10/23/2023
This is one of those recipes that I just come back to over and over again! It's delicious and easy to prepare.
Katy
Philadelphia, PA
9/15/2023
This is a winner ! I tweaked slightly by using leftover roast chicken and cut back on the chili pepper flakes to 1 tsp only. Also I used home made chicken broth . Thanks!
Anonymous
Elkhart, Indiana
6/7/2023
We make this every Sunday! Love love love!!!!
Anonymous
Santa Monica, CA
3/6/2023
Delicious! The flavor developed nicely. I used mustard greens, because that is what I had on hand, and I did not have lemon so I used amchur powder. It was great, but the oil put it over the top! Thanks for this one!
TLCooks
Las Vegas
2/1/2023
Did you seriously write a recipe for congee without making any mention to its Asian heritage? And to add insult to injury, you colonize it with kale? Sounds about white.
Anonymous
11/10/2022
Delicious and versatile. I change it and make the chicken broth as directed, but then add pho and Demi glacé along with water. Fun to make and a hit in our household.
Anonymous
San Luis Obispo, CA
10/6/2022
This was good! A note to the editors- the recipe never says when to add the rice (the video cues the rice, though). I used bone broth as a sub for some water and added miso to give it more flavour. Used frozen spinach and chicken breast (because I had it on hand) - it was great. Love the tangy lemon with the crunchy garlic oil.
Anonymous
Toronto, ON
10/5/2022
Revising my previous review in which I called the soup bland. Revision: Chicken broth (not water) Tripled the garlic oil Added some fish sauce Put Trader Joe’s frozen garlic cubes into the broth And a little msg. I put just maybe 1/4 cup rice in with the chicken and added cooked wild rice at end.
Doby
Bellingham WA
6/12/2022
I used broth, extra garlic crisps, spicy chili crisp and it was still bland.
Anonymous
Bellingham Wa
5/19/2022
Instead of salt at the end I thought the soup needed a more chickeny flavor so I used Better than Bouillon. Otherwise it was good.
Jill R
Sacramento, CA
3/12/2022
I was skeptical that this soup would be tasty given there are so few ingredients but I was so wrong!!! Came together quickly and with minimal mess, can’t wait to make again.
Anonymous
Toronto
2/28/2022
This is Arroz Caldo. The Filipino dish.
Anonymous
Chicago
2/15/2022
So comforting and so simple! Had to use chicken breast so the cooking time was reduced. Also used basmati, lemon zest, and thyme. The flavors work so well together and the garlic oil is amazing. Will definitely be making this recipe again.
noor
New York
2/10/2022
This soup is insanely yummy. Will make this over and over again.
Anonymous
Switzerland
2/6/2022