Wholesome Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup

Name: Wholesome Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 medium onion, diced; 3 carrots, sliced into coins; 3 stalks celery, sliced; 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning; 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional – but adds a nice depth of flavor); 2 teaspoons sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 8 cups chicken broth; 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts; 5 ounces baby spinach; 14 ounces fresh cauliflower rice; 1/4 cup fresh dill or parsley, chopped; juice of 1 lemon; Salt and pepper to taste

February 21, 2021 · Nyssa Tanner 26 Comments

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The whole family will love warming up with this wholesome chicken and cauliflower rice soup. Made in just one pot with plenty of flavor and tons of veggies! The perfect “soup season” soup that’s ready in less than an hour!

Close up bright and sunny shot of nourishing chicken and cauliflower rice soup in a shallow white bowl, on a light background surrounded by cut lemon and scattered fresh herbs.

Ahh chicken soup – the ultimate “feel better”, hug-in-a-bowl, immune boosting soup that is an absolute classic comfort food recipe.

And when you load it up with extra veggies (hi cauliflower rice!) and add the fresh herbs and fresh lemon at the end it really takes it to the next level.

I love making this healthy chicken soup with bone broth for an extra layer top notch flavor, but feel free to use whatever type of broth you have on hand.

Why you’ll love this nourishing chicken and cauliflower rice soup

This chicken soup is:

Packed with vegetables
Comforting
Hearty
Flavorful
Brothy
Warming
Herby
SO delicious!

Overhead bright and glowing image of nourishing chicken and cauliflower rice soup in a shallow white bowl, on a light background surrounded by cut lemon and scattered fresh herbs.

Ingredient notes

(If you’re already ready to get started, scroll all the way down to the bottom for the full recipe!)

Chicken breast – Chicken breast is my choice for chicken in this recipe, but you could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Chicken broth – Bone broth – whether homemade or store bought – is absolutely delicious in this chicken soup. However, you can also use whatever type of broth you like for this recipe!
Onion, carrots, and celery – These three vegetables provide the flavor base for this soup.
Cauliflower rice – Fresh cauliflower rice is my first choice, but frozen also works well!
Spinach – Added just at the end just long enough to wilt, to keep it bright green slightly tender.
Nutritional yeast – Nutritional yeast is optional, but it does add a very nice depth of flavor to the soup.
Fresh herbs – Fresh dill or even fresh parsley would both add a lovely fresh note to this soup.
Lemon – Added just at the end to brighten the soup up and bring all the flavors together.

Overhead image of all the ingredients needed for nourishing chicken and cauliflower rice soup - raw chicken breasts, cauliflower rice, sliced carrots, celery, diced onion, and baby spinach.

How to make this soup

This chicken soup is made in one pot, and comes together easily in under an hour. Chicken soup has never been so easy and delicious!

(If you’re already ready to get started, scroll all the way down to the bottom for the full recipe!)

Here’s the step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large soup pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery, and saute until starting to soften – about 5-7 minutes.

Step 2: Add the seasonings and chicken breasts

Add nutritional yeast, poultry seasoning, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, broth, and chicken. Bring up to a simmer. Make sure the chicken breasts are submerged beneath the broth and cover the pot. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender – about 15-20 minutes.

Step 3: Shred the chicken

Remove chicken to a cutting board and add cauliflower rice to the soup and stir to combine. Simmer 5 minutes or until the cauliflower rice is tender. While the soup continues to simmer shred the chicken using two forks.

Step 4: Finish the soup and serve

Return chicken to the pot along with baby spinach, dill or parsley, and lemon juice.

Allow chicken to warm through and spinach to wilt before serving – this should only take a few minutes on low heat.

Season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Overhead image of onion, celery, and sliced carrots, in a large white ceramic soup pot.

Overhead image of slightly cooked onion, celery, and sliced carrots, in a large white ceramic soup pot.

A 45 degree angle shot of a large white ceramic soup pot filled with chicken and cauliflower rice soup. Topped with fresh herbs and a generous pile of shredded chicken.

An overhead shot of a large white ceramic soup pot filled with chicken and cauliflower rice soup.

What vegetables do you put in chicken soup?

For this recipe I included a classic mix of onion, celery, and carrots, cauliflower rice instead of regular rice, and baby spinach.

The result is an incredibly flavorful vegetable rich broth that is both filling and wholesome.

How to store, re-heat, and freeze

To store: This healthy chicken soup can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To re-heat: To re-heat this healthy soup, simply heat gently on the stove, stirring frequently, until warm. Alternatively it can be re-heated in the microwave for a minute or two, until heated through.

To freeze: This soup freezes perfectly. To thaw, transfer to the refrigerator overnight, and warm gently on the stove before serving. This recipe would be an excellent way to get a bit ahead on some meal prep for nights when you just don’t feel like cooking!

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Love this chicken soup? Here’s some other dairy free soup recipes to try!

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