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    You are here: Home / Soups / Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup

    LAST UPDATED: January 4, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: April 10, 2020

    Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup

    This simple vegan "chicken" and rice soup is super easy to make and oh-so-comforting. Perfect for lunch or dinner with a crusty piece of bread!

    Table Set with Two Bowls of Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup, Tea Towel and Spoons

    Can we just declare an extension to soup season in light of recent events? I mean, folks are staying at home and doing lo of cooking lately.

    Sure, it's getting a little warmer out, but I think we all could still use a little cozy comforting goodness in a bowl to help us get through the rough time we'll all dealing with.

    Are you  with me? Great!

    When I was growing up, chicken and rice soup was about as comforting as it could get. Creating a vegan version seemed like just the thing to do right about now.

    Vegan "Chicken"

    Ladle Drawing Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup From a Pot

    There are lots of ways to replace chicken in vegan recipes. Sometimes I use tofu, like I did in my vegan chicken noodle soup. Soy curls have become a new favorite (you can learn more about them here). You can even go super simple with something like chickpeas.

    Frankly, any of the above would work in this recipe (and feel free to make a substitution if need be). But seitan is one of the easiest, most realistic, chicken substitutes, so that's what I went with for this recipe.

    If seitan is a new-to-you ingredient you can read up on it and even learn to make your own here. Don't feel like making it yourself? Buy some at the store! Lots of supermarkets carry it near the tofu these days.

    How to Make Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup

    Bowl of Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup with Napkin, Pot and Second Bowl in the Background

    Start by heating up some oil in a large pot, then add onion, carrots and celery. Sweat the veggies for a few minutes to soften them up, then add some finely diced seitan. Cook the seitan with the veggies for a few minutes to brown it a bit.

    Now add some garlic and cook everything for just about a minute more.

    Two Images Showing Steps 1 and 2 for Making Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup: Sweat Veggies and Cook Seitan

    Finally, add your broth, some dried herbs, and brown rice. Bring the pot up to a boil and let everything simmer until your rice is tender. Keep some extra broth on hand and add it to the pot if your soup reduces too much while it simmers.

    Two Images Showing Steps 3 and 4 for Making Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup: Add Rice and Broth, and Simmer

    Add a splash of white wine vinegar, and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

    Pot of Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup with Tea Towel in the Background

    Ladle into bowls and devour!

    Two Bowls of Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup on a White Wooden Surface

    Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup Tips & FAQ

    • Is there a substitute for the seitan? Absolutely! You can use soy curls soaked in some broth (these will give you a very realistic vegan "chicken"), tofu, prepared according to the method used in my vegan chicken noodle soup, or go super simple and simply throw a can of chickpeas into your soup.
    • Can this soup be made gluten-free? Yup! Seitan is the only ingredient that contains gluten, so simply swap it out with any of the substitutions noted above.
    • Can I use white rice instead of brown? You can! You will probably need to cut the cooking time since white rice cooks faster than brown.
    • Leftover storage: leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 4 days, or in the freezer for 3 months. The rice will probably suck up most of the broth during refrigerator storage. Feel free to add some more when you reheat your soup.

    Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!

    Table Set with Two Bowls of Vegan Chicken & Rice Soup, Tea Towel and Spoons
    5 from 1 vote
    Print

    Vegan "Chicken" & Rice Soup

    This simple vegan "chicken" and rice soup is super easy to make and oh-so-comforting. Perfect for lunch or dinner with a crusty piece of bread!

    Course Soup
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
    Servings 6
    Calories 215 kcal
    Author Alissa Saenz

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 medium onion, diced
    • 2 medium carrots, sliced
    • 2 medium celery stalks, diced
    • 1 (8 ounce or 226 gram) package seitan, finely diced
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 6 cups vegetable broth (plus up to 2 additional cups, as needed)
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1 cup dried long grain brown rice
    • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
    • Salt and pepper, to taste
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place it over medium heat.

    2. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook the veggies for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften.

    3. Add the seitan to the pot and cook it with the veggies for about 5 minutes, until it begins to brown.

    4. Add the garlic to the pot and cook everything for about a minute, until the garlic becomes very fragrant.

    5. Stir in 6 cups of broth, thyme, sage, bay leaf and rice. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a boil.

    6. Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer until the rice is tender, about 50 minutes, stirring frequently. Add up to 2 cups of additional broth if it reduces too much during cooking.

    7. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the vinegar. Remove the bay leaf. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

    8. Ladle into bowls and serve.

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan "Chicken" & Rice Soup
    Amount Per Serving (1.5 cups)
    Calories 215 Calories from Fat 33
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 3.7g6%
    Saturated Fat 0.5g3%
    Sodium 742mg31%
    Potassium 220mg6%
    Carbohydrates 32.3g11%
    Fiber 2.8g11%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 12.8g26%
    Calcium 54mg5%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. David Lawson says

      April 10, 2020 at 4:13 pm

      Is the seitan the frozen type or dehydrated that needs rehydrating??

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        April 12, 2020 at 3:39 pm

        It's the frozen or refrigerated type. :)

        Reply
    2. Lily says

      July 01, 2020 at 10:06 pm

      5 stars
      This was delicious! I didn’t have seitan so I used soy curls. And I tossed in a few chickpeas as well. Yum!

      Reply
    3. Ashlee says

      July 22, 2020 at 8:04 pm

      What kind of tofu should I use? Extra firm?

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        July 22, 2020 at 8:16 pm

        Extra firm would work best! Enjoy!

        Reply
    4. Chandler says

      October 24, 2020 at 5:47 pm

      Where does the sage come in...?

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        October 25, 2020 at 10:50 am

        With the thyme. Sorry about that! I just fixed it.

        Reply
    5. Lee says

      January 28, 2022 at 2:02 pm

      5 stars
      I made this with extra firm (pre-pressed) tofu. I didn’t have any sage so I omitted it, and had ground thyme so I used half a tsp.

      It is delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I enjoy it very much.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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