Chicken Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe – comforting and delicious! We don’t even like broccoli and we both had two bowls of this yummy soup! Ready to eat in under 30 minutes! Chicken, rice, celery, onion, broccoli, garlic, chicken broth, and lots of cheese! Use cornstarch for a gluten-free soup. Can freeze leftovers for a quick meal later. All you need is a salad and some crusty bread and you are set!
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Pin This RecipeEasy Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Soup
I’m not a huge broccoli fan, but I love a good bowl of Broccoli Cheese Soup. I always get a bowl when we eat at McAlister’s or Panera Bread. It is SO good! I wanted a big bowl of soup last week, BUT I didn’t want to go out to eat, so I made my own. OMG! Y’all, this soup is next-level good. Comforting broccoli cheese soup loaded with rice AND chicken. So much flavor. The best part about this recipe is that it is ready in under 30 minutes. All you need is a salad and some crusty bread and you are set!
How to Make Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Soup
This soup recipe is super easy to make with only a few ingredients. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and cook until they start to get tender. Add butter and flour to the pot. Slowly whisk in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add cream cheese, Mexican cheese, chicken, broccoli florets, and cooked rice—season with salt and black pepper. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until broccoli is tender and serve.
Helpful Tips & Frequenly Asked Questions
- I used rotisserie chicken for the cooked chicken in this soup.
- You can use any cooked rice you prefer—brown, jasmine, basmati, white.
- Variations/Additions:
- carrots
- garlic powder
- paprika
- I use a Mexican cheese blend. Substitute your favorite cheese – sharp cheddar cheese works great.
- For a gluten-free soup, omit the flour and make a slurry with 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
- You can use fresh or frozen broccoli.
- To make this in the slow cooker, melt the butter and flour in a saucepan. Whisk in broth and bring to a boil. Transfer to the crockpot and add the remaining ingredients. Cook on LOW until warm.
- If making in the slow cooker you can use raw chicken breasts instead of cooked chicken. Cook soup on low until chicken is cooked. Shred with two forks. Add back to the crockpot and serve.
- Can Broccoli Cheese Soup be frozen? Yes! You can freeze the leftovers for a quick meal later. Cool soup and freeze in plastic containers or freezer bags. To reheat, thaw and heat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Add chicken broth if the soup is too thick.
- If making this exclusively as a freezer meal, leave out the cooked rice and add it when you reheat the soup.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Reheat in the microwave,
- You may need to add some chicken broth to the soup as the rice will absorb some of the soup liquid.
What to Serve with Broccoli Cheese Soup
This soup was a huge hit at our house. It is comfort food at its best! We ate this for dinner and had the leftovers for lunch during the week. They were equally delicious! We usually serve this hearty soup with a salad and some bread. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this yummy soup:
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Chicken Broccoli Cheese Soup with Rice
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup celery, diced
- ½ cup onion, diced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
- 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese
- 4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 3 cup cooked rice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- In a Dutch oven, melt butter. Add celery and onion. Cook until starting to soften.
- Add flour and stir. Slowly whisk in broth. Bring to a boil.
- Add remaining ingredients and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until cheese has melted and broccoli is tender.
Notes:
- I used rotisserie chicken for the cooked chicken in this soup.
- Can use any cooked rice you prefer. Brown, jasmine, basmati, white.
- I used a Mexican cheese blend. Feel free to use any cheese you prefer.
- For a gluten-free soup, substitute corn starch for the flour.
- Can use fresh or frozen broccoli.
- To make this in the slow cooker, melt the butter and flour in a saucepan. Whisk in broth and bring to a boil. Transfer to the crockpot and add the remaining ingredients. Cook on LOW until warm.
- If making in the slow cooker you can use raw chicken breasts instead of cooked chicken. Cook soup on low until chicken is cooked. Shred with two forks. Add back to the crockpot and serve.
- You can freeze the leftovers for a quick meal later. Cool soup and freeze in plastic containers or freezer bags. To reheat, thaw and heat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Add chicken broth if the soup is too thick.
- If making this exclusively as a freezer meal, leave out the cooked rice and add it when you reheat the soup.
Steph
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Easy delicious recipe!
It was really yummy! will make again. Thanks for the recipe.
I used frozen chicken breasts and used my crock pot. I put crock pot on high for 2 1/2 hours and then I lowered it to low for a few more hours. This was quite delicious. Thick and hearty. I served with salad and sourdough bread loaf from Panera. Definitely adding into my rotation.
Would cooked minute rice work?
Any cooked rice will work.
If you aren’t using Mexican cheese blend- would
you suggest adding spices to just cheddar cheese?
There are no spices in the Mexican cheese blend. Cheddar will be fine.
Looking forward to making this recipe! I am going to use a crockpot and use raw chicken. How long would you cook it at low and do I cook the broccoli the full time as well? Thank you!
This was delicious I will definitely make again
Can canned chicken be used?
sure!
I see Mexican cheese listed in the description, but not in the ingredients list…. how much do you use? Thank you for all your yummy recipes!
4 cups – I corrected the recipe. Thanks!
If using corn starch, would it be the same amount as the flour?
yes