Rotisserie Chicken Rice Soup – Make delicious chicken rice soup from rotisserie chicken, vegetables, herbs and spices. Warm, comforting, richly flavored stock.
I’ve had this lingering feeling for the past week that I can’t seem to shake. I’m not sick, but it’s almost like I’m “fighting something.” Maybe it’s the weather change or those seasonal allergies that tend to hit me during the winter. Have you felt that way? Let’s just say I’m not operating at 100%. Whenever this feeling comes around, I know it’s time for Jewish penicillin – chicken soup! Just what the doctor (and grandma!) ordered.
Sometimes my best cooking tips come from you, my readers. A few years ago, a reader commented to let me know that they make their soup stock using a rotisserie chicken. This might seem counter-intuitive– after all, rotisserie chickens are already cooked, why cook them again?– but stick with me here. The rotisserie-roasted chicken bones produce a rich, dark, strongly flavored stock. The chicken is seasoned and salted, so you don’t need to add much in the way of flavoring to the stock– a few veggies, some herbs (fresh dill is key!), and a pinch of spices. Throw in some rice, let it all simmer together, and you’ve got a healthy, hearty, winter soup. It’ll cure what ails you, and taste good doing it!
Now, don’t go using a barbecue rotisserie chicken, or anything with a strong flavoring or sauce. Herb, lemon herb, garlic and plain salt-and-pepper rotisserie birds work best here. This is also a great tip for getting the most out of your rotisserie chicken– eat the chicken, then use the bones (along with the veggies, herbs and spices outlined below) to create a yummy stock that you can freeze and keep for later!
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Rotisserie Chicken Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 pounds)
- 15 black peppercorns
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 medium yellow onion, rinsed and halved, skin on
- 4 large celery stalks, sliced (divided)
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced (divided)
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 3/4 cup white or brown rice
- 1/4 cup chopped dill
- Salt to taste
NOTES
Instructions
- Carve the rotisserie chicken, pulling the meat in pieces from the bones. Reserve the meat.
- Place the chicken carcass, skin and fat into a 6-quart pot. Cover with 4 quarts (16 cups) of water. Bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the top.Add the peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, onion, 2 sliced celery stalks (feel free to include celery leaves), 1 sliced carrot, parsley and 2 tsp salt to the pot. Do not add the rice yet. Reduce to a low simmer (do not boil after this point, only simmer on low). Let the stock cook for 90 minutes. While stock is cooking, slice the reserved chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cover in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
- When the stock is fully cooked, strain it through a mesh strainer into another clean large pot.
- Discard the carcass and vegetables from the stock. At this point, if you'd like, you can skim some of the fat off of the top of the strained stock. I prefer to leave the fat, it makes the soup taste better and richer. Add the reserved bite-sized chicken pieces to the strained stock along with the remaining fresh sliced carrot, celery stalks, rice and dill. You may use either white or brown rice; keep in mind that brown rice will hold up better for leftovers, while white rice has a tendency to dissolve a bit in the stock over time. Bring back to a low simmer (not a full boil). Add additional salt and black pepper to taste, if desired. I like lots of black pepper! Simmer the mixture for about 30 minutes longer or until the rice is cooked and the vegetables are tender.
- Serve hot and enjoy! It's good for the body, good for the soul.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
My husband and I love it! I tweaked it a bit, added some rosemary and garlic to the broth; added a potato, more garlic, and broccoli at the last part 🙂
This sounds yummy. I Googled it as an idea and you’ve done all the guess work. Thanks Tori! I can’t wait to try it.
Do you cover the stock while it is cooking (the first 90 min?) Thanks!
No need to cover; generally if a soup needs to be covered I will recommend it in the ingredient instructions.
I forgot to add my five stars in the previous comment. This recipe is so versatile and I keep coming back to it over and over. Thanks Tori!
This was delicious! I added green beans and corn from my garden, and they complimented the recipe quite well. I also added lemongrass into the stock once, not bad. I once made a mistake of adding too much rice, but it turned into a delicious casserole that way yum.
Question…. the recipe calls for cloves?! That’s clove-cloves or garlic cloves?!
Whole spice cloves. 🙂
I just made this soup stock. It was amazing! I added garden green beans, corn, mushrooms, and substituted half the rice for quinoa. It’s so healthy and delicious!
This is a remarkable recipe. Using the rotisserie chicken as the base for a real stock is a short cut I’ll be using from now on. In 2 hours, I got what I normally get after slaving over stock for a lot longer than that. This stock has fine flavor and body, and creates wonderful soup fast! My twist to the recipe was throwing in frozen, pre-cooked brown rice, so I’d have a little more control over the starch.
Again, first rate! I will use this recipe often!
Thanks Tori. This has become one of my ‘go-to’ recipes. Great pot of soup, or stock. I sometimes add egg noodles or matzo balls instead of rice.
i just made this and it is so good! i added mushrooms. thanks for sharing!!!!
Its that time of year again in Wisconsin and soups and stews and chilli’s are my thing around this time.. I remember my mother and grandma always made there own stocks for soups and never once have I tried it I always used cubes or box. Lol
I purchased a rotisserie chicken and we ate very little. Googled rotisserie chicken soup and landed here.
My apartment smells glorious as the stock simmers. I have no doubt that the final product will be fantastic. So happy to have found your blog Tori!
If you want a fuller flavored stock, add oxtail to the boil. I like to add beef bones from the butcher
Fantastic recipe, we had quite a bit of rotisserie chicken left and this is a very tasty recipe. Didn’t have bay leaves handy, used basil instead and it’s delicious.
Oh my gosh! That was so delicious and easy! I’ve always made chicken soup with bouillon cubes. In all these years I’ve never made my own stock – shame on me! This soup had such a fresh and delicate taste. I’ve been waiting for it to get cold enough in Florida to warrant making chicken soup, and it finally did last night!
Congrats on your first chicken stock Lori! I’m guessing you’ll never go back to bouillon. 😉
I make chicken soup throught the whole winter months. It always make me feel comfortable even when I’m not sick. I love homemade soups the best.
Just cooked up a batch of this delicious soup .Added homestyle eggs noodles instead of rice. My only complaint is as soon as I made it , it was consumed ! Everybody wanted a second serving.! I have to admit this was infinitely better than cooking a soup with an uncooked fryer. Thank you shiksa !! This is now my number one recipe for homemade chicken soup.
Fabulous Orly! I’m so pleased you and your family liked it. 🙂
Shalom Tori and Shiska fans! Love your blog, websites and recipes Tori! I want to be a good weekly challah baker, but need a little help. I have an egg allergy and have been experimenting with water challah. I have suffered through some pretty tough loaves! lol I was hoping you, or one of your fans, have experience or any expert methods to making moist delicious water challah. I have King Arthurs’ unbleached flour and white wheat, olive oil, sugar, molasses and a jar of Fleischmann’s active yeast (not quick rise)..and water! Shabbat Shalom! 😀
i have been making chicken soup for 40 plus years, and i have never had to……
Bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the top
never have i seen foam rising to the top. maybe because i cook it slow and low….i don’t know…….
Hi Linda, I cook stock low and slow as well, but I always bring it to that initial boil and skim the foam. The foam contains lipoproteins that, if left in the stock, can lead to cloudiness. If you’re not concerned with whether or not your stock is cloudy, then there is no need to skim– it’s really a matter of preference.
I usually make my matza ball soup from a rotisserie chicken and it works great. I also add parsnip, green pepper and about 15-20 whole allspice, just like my grandmother used to do……wonderful!