You will love making this easy lemon turmeric chicken and rice soup filled to the brim with healing anti-inflammatory ingredients and layers of flavor! My magical, medicinal chicken soup provides immune support and will warm you from the inside out.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my creamy chicken & mushroom soup, too!
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Is chicken soup medicinal?
So many cultures around the world have versions of chicken soup and they are generally associated with comfort and even healing. So what makes my lemon garlic chicken & rice soup special and particularly healing? It's the ingredients.
This homemade chicken and rice soup with turmeric also has fresh lemon, and loads of garlic. So it's full of flavor as well as anti-inflammatory and immune supporting ingredients (Mayo Clinic Health).
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple Whole Food Ingredients - There's nothing you can't pronounce in this immunity boosting soup recipe and everything is accessible at the average grocery store or farmer's market.
Ready in 30 Minutes - You don't have to stand over the stove all day to make fragrant chicken soup with turmeric and lemon, which is especially important if you're making it for somebody feeling under the weather.
I live for a quick chicken dinner like my peanut butter chicken stir fry and Moroccan chicken thigh skewers or honey mustard baked chicken! And everyone loves my Nigerian chicken stew and 30-minute tomato basil chicken.
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Chicken - I use boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts for quick cooking and ease but you can also process your own from a whole chicken to incorporate all the cuts you like.
Turmeric powder in chicken soup adds beautiful golden color, antioxidants, and, of course, anti-inflammatory benefits (NIH).
Rice soaks up so much of the soup's flavor and makes it more filling. You can use just about any variety of white or brown rice just note that brown rice will extend the cooking time.
Lemon and Garlic add flavor and extra immune support! I recommend using fresh lemons and garlic cloves for the best quality and flavor.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Fresh or Frozen Spinach - I prefer to use fresh spinach and add it in at the very end so that it gets tender but still has all its flavor but frozen spinach will also work in a pinch. You can also use other greens like kale or Swiss chard.
Broth or Stock will work interchangeably in this recipe and you can use chicken, turkey or even vegetable broth. Here's how I make bone broth from leftover turkey bones.
Cooking Method - I make this chicken vegetable turmeric soup on the stove top in a dutch oven or stock pot but you could also make it in an instant pot, crock pot or slow cooker.
What vegetables to add to chicken soup - I am the queen of stuffing veggies in any dish I can. Carrots and celery are chicken soup staples and spinach in chicken soup is really good, too. Toss in chopped frozen broccoli or cauliflower, peas, squash or sweet potato. Feel free to customize this immune boosting soup recipe to your liking.
How to Make Chicken Soup with Turmeric Rice
Step One: Cut the chicken into chunks then cook in olive oil with turmeric, salt, and pepper.
Step Two: Meanwhile, chop up the carrots, onion, and garlic.
How to add flavor to chicken soup: To get the most garlicky flavor, you want to cut it as small as possible so that more of the surface of it is exposed to the food and increase the chances of having garlic in every bite. I recommend a garlic press for this step.
Step Three: Remove the chicken from the pot then cook down the vegetables and rice in butter.
Step Four: Add broth or stock and bring to a boil.
Pro Tip: Do I need to cook the rice before adding to the soup? Briefly frying the rice then allowing it to boil with the other soup ingredients in broth cooks it through the a nice fluffy texture, however, after repeated reheating for leftovers, the rice can become very soft, which I don't mind.
If you want the rice to be more firm, I recommend cooking it separately and adding to individual portions of soup as you serve it. Note that the rice will not be as flavorful this way.
Step Five: Add back the chicken plus lemon juice and red pepper flakes then simmer.
Step Six: Stir in the baby spinach until wilted.
Step Seven: Remove the soup from heat, give it a stir, and serve hot.
Easy Chicken Turmeric Soup Video
Frequently Asked Questions
Allow the soup to cool to room temperature then transfer in an airtight container and refrigerate. Keeps for up to four days.
Chicken soup freezes and reheats quite well. I like using souper cubes for freezing chicken soup and really recommend them because they work for so many other things as well. If you don't have access to souper cubes, freeze portions of soup in small (1-2 cups) airtight containers. Keeps for up to three months.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
I hope you enjoy a warm bowl of anti inflammatory turmeric and chicken soup soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure pin this lemon chicken soup with rice recipe for later and follow follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Healing Lemon Turmeric Chicken and Rice Soup
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 dutch oven or cooking pot at least four quarts in size
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pound chicken breast or thighs boneless
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- ½ onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 cup rice
- 8 cups chicken broth or stock
- ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ lemon
- 2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a heated dutch oven or large sauce pan over medium high heat. Cut up chicken breast into bite-sized pieces and add to pot.
- Season chicken with sea salt, black pepper, and turmeric. Cook through (about 6 minutes). Meanwhile, dice onion, mince or press garlic, and rough chop carrots.
- Remove chicken from pan and add butter to pan to melt. Add in carrots, onion, garlic, and rice and cook until slightly softened and fragrant (about 4 minutes).
- Pour in chicken broth or stock, stir, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, add cooked chicken, crushed red pepper, and lemon juice. Stir and cover then allow to simmer for about seven minutes.
- Remove soup from heat and stir in spinach until wilted. Serve warm with lemon wedges so everyone can add more, if desired, and enjoy carefully.
Analisa says
I love this recipe! It's simple and clean yet easy and quick. Very satisfying to eat, except that I would personally use less broth maybe like 1/2 to 1 cup less. I like a thicker soup and I found the 8 cups of broth left it a bit thin for my preference. I also slightly up the carrot amount and spinach too. Otherwise, no notes! It would be fun to try adding mushrooms in the future.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Analisa! Thanks for your notes--I'm glad you could make this recipe your own. Mushrooms sound like a great addition, you might like my chicken & mushroom soup, too!
Whitney says
The only question I have is what kind of rice can I use? Minute rice? Brown? White? Somebody hpe out here so I can make this tomorrow.
Jazz says
Hi, Whitney! You can use brown or white rice. I would not use minute rice in this recipe because it will cook too quickly.
Lilly says
I am so glad I found this recipe! This is my go-to soup whenever I feel even the slightest signs of a cold coming on.
Tamara Johnson says
This has quickly become one of my favorite soups to prepare for my kiddos when they aren't feeling well. It is super flavorful, and so comforting.
Shanna Jones says
This soup was so flavorful! I enjoy soup all year round and this was right on time --- and I loved that you added turmeric!
Jen says
There’s nothing better than healing and comforting food. I’m a strong believer in food being medicine so this chicken and rice soup ticked all of my boxes! Yum.
Crystal DaCruz says
I'm someone that eats soup year round and I'm so happy I came across this recipe! It was delicious and so easy to make! A winner in my house!
Robin says
I used chicken thighs and a little bit extra red pepper when I made the soup. I couldn't get enough of the lemony flavor - so scrumptious.
Chenée says
This soup is one of my new favorites! I love the addition of spinach and turmeric! Definitely a great weeknight meal!
Britney Brown says
This was such a delicious and healthy soup. So flavorful and light, I could seriously eat this all year long!
Marta says
With all the rain we've had, soup was definitely on the menu. We loved the flavor of the soup and how satisfying it was.
Marta says
We are not feeling sick, but with all the rain we've had, soup was a must. Loved the flavors and how satisfying it was.