I've made this for years, and it's always excellent. I do now make some modifications to make it more healthy. First, I sautee about 1/2 c. onion with a couple of garlic cloves in a bit of olive oil, and add a 1/2 c. each carrot and celery and sautee it for a couple of minutes until softened before adding the broth, water and chicken. I also use 2 c. skim milk, and cut the butter to 6 tablespoons, and the flour to 1/2 c. It's still thick, creamy and delicious but cuts out a considerable amount of fat and calories, and adding vegetables gives it extra flavor and body. Perfect.

To be honest, I did a number of things differently with this, so I guess this is a review of a VARIATION of this recipe. After reading through it I knew I wanted a heartier soup with more depth of flavor. I sauteed a few strips of bacon, then added chopped celery, onion, mushrooms and a big clove of garlic. Since I used a larger package of rice I decreased the amount of flour to 1/3 c. to allow for the added thickness the extra rice would provide, and I used 1 c. cream and 1 c. milk. I also added an extra chicken breast and, during the final simmering, a healthy splash of white wine, probably a good 1/2 cup. The result was positively outstanding!

This is an oustanding, restaurant quality soup with great flavor. You do not need to use heavy cream. I have made this with 1% milk several times with fantastic results and it is still plenty rich and thick. Make sure to add some carrots and celery, as the soup all by itself seems like its missing something.

I’d describe this soup as “comforting”. The flavors and thickness turn a gray day into a great day. I read others’ advice and recommend these changes: start by sautéing ½ cup each of diced onion, celery, and carrots plus 1-2 minced garlic cloves using 1 tablespoon of the ½ cup of butter. Then add the broth (5 cups), water (3 cups), and chicken. For the roux, cut the flour to ½ cup and use 1½ cup milk instead of heavy cream. Once it’s smooth (not thick), add it to the broth/chicken/rice and add ¼ cup white wine if desired. A friend of mine, who is a restaurant connoisseur, declared the soup to be restaurant quality! What a compliment!

Spectacular! Will be making this often during the winter. I hunted high and low for a 4.5 oz package of the quick cooking rice with seasoning. Couldn't find it - had to use a 6.5 oz box with seasoning packet. I cooked the rice separately (didn't add seasoning packet) - it cooked for 25 min. While the rice was cooking I poached the chicken - both took 25 min. so they were finished together. Then I proceeded with the recipe but I left out the 2 cups of water since I was adding cooked rice. (the uncooked rice would have absorbed the 2 cups of water if I had used it). I used the seasoning packet as directed. I did find that 3/4 cup of flour was too much - I was slowly adding it so I was able to stop before it was too late - I used probably about 1/2 cup. Anyway - this was the creamiest, thickest soup I have ever tasted and the flavor was great - oh, I followed the suggestions of other reviewers and sauted some onion, carrots and celery and I am glad I did. It was much thicker the next day so I just thinned it a little with chicken broth - milk would have done the trick too. Thank you so much submitter.

WOW!!!! This is my new favorite allrecipes recipe and my new favorite soup. I ate the entire pot (save the one bowl my bf got) over the weekend. So, I made another pot today. I think it would've been fabulous with no changes made but naturally I couldn't help myself. Changes I made...used 3 cups homemade stock and 3 cups water/ chicken base (Minor's brand). Because I used chicken base I omitted the salt. I chopped a small onion and clove of garlic and cooked for a minute in butter/seasoning mixture before adding flour. I reduced flour to 1/2 cup. Used half and half instead of cream. For the chicken I used 1 giant chicken breast that I grilled on my foreman and used the allrecipes Cajun Chicken marinade. So the chicken was pretty heavily seasoned. The folks who said this is restaurant quality are totally spot on. Tonight I'm making bread bowls and serving it in that.

Great recipe! My whole family could not get enough. I did have a few minor changes. I added 1/2 cup carrots, 1/2 cup celery and 1/2 onion. I sauteed the vegetables in a little bit of olive oil and garlic. Like other reviewers, I also cut the cream in half and used milk as a replacement(I would recommend 1 or 2% and not skim). I would also recommend Uncle Bens wild rice. Great flavor! Will make again!

Wonderful soup! This one really sticks to your ribs and it's so flavorful. Talk about comfort food at it's finest, this will cure what ails you on a cold, snowy night. I use Uncle Ben's quick cooking Long Grain and Wild rice, how easy can it get? I use a 16 oz. carton of half and half instead of heavy cream. I add chopped celery and carrots and cook them with the chicken. This is so thick and rich, absolutely delicious.

I looked for this recipe because I absolutely love the kind that Panera Bread Company makes. It was delicious. Don't scale down the recipe, because you will want leftovers!!!

Pretty good, and really easy to make! For the chicken, I bought a warm, already-roasted chicken from the deli section of the grocery store -- delicious. I substituted the heavy cream for skim evaporated, and I used Rice-a-Roni brand instant rice. My only criticism is that it tasted like a slightly better-quality canned soup: the chicken was better than you'd ever find in a can, but the flavor, though tasty, wasn't terribly unique.