Cajun Chicken Soup

This Cajun chicken soup is a and easy Cajun soup recipe. Loaded with diced Cajun seasoned chicken, vegetables, rice, in a rich broth. A simple chicken and rice soup that is packed full of flavor.

It is like a Cajun chicken noodle soup but with rice instead of pasta. Now you could swap to pasta for another great option for a dinner. This soup takes about 30 minutes from start to finish! A 30-minute dinner that is a house favorite.

Now if you are new to Cajun food, it does have a bit of heat. We find this is a spicy chicken soup, but of course you can make it spicier or opt for a milder soup if you prefer. It all depends on the spices you use.

This Cajun Soup Is..

30 Minute Meal – It takes just 30 minutes to make this from start to finish. A complete recipe to whip up and serve your crew in half an hour.

Juicy Chicken – The chicken is packed with flavor and juices. This is the soup for a cold night to warm you up from the inside out.

Lime Juice – Drizzle a lime wedge over your bowl and let them lime juice enhance all the flavors and tickle your taste buds with flavors. It truly transforms the soup.

Creamy soup – Now if you wanted to make it a creamy soup, add in some cream cheese at the end of cooking, to create a creamy broth.

Oil

Chicken – You will use cubed pieces of chicken for this recipe. Reach for any of your usual boneless chicken.

Salt and Pepper

Creole Seasoning – You can use creole or any Cajun seasoning of choice for this soup.

Rice – You will want to use a long grain white rice for this recipe. We find it offers the best texture.

Onion – Yellow or white onion will work for this recipe.

Celery – Finely dice up the celery for this recipe.

Bell Pepper – You can use a red, orange, or yellow pepper for this. Now, if you don’t have that you can use a green bell pepper.

Broth – Chicken broth or bone broth both work for this soup.

Tools Needed

• Stockpot or Dutch Oven
• Vegetable Chopper

How to Make

Full steps on how to make Cajun chicken soup is in the printable recipe card. This is a quick walk through, scroll all the way to the bottom of the post.

Step One: Saute Chicken

In a stockpot or Dutch oven you will add part of the oil and heat it on medium heat. Then you will season the chicken with the creole, salt, and pepper.

Sear the chicken for about 6-8 minutes.

Step Two: Add Vegetables in With Chicken

Now you will add your prepped vegetables in the Dutch oven with the chicken. Add oil if you need. Cook the onions and peppers until they are slightly charred, this takes 6-8 minutes.

Step Three: Tomato Paste and Broth

Next add in the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes. You want the tomato sauce to become fragrant, this will enhance the flavor of the soup tremendously.

Step Four: Rinse and Cook Rice

Rinse your rice in cold water, and then place the rice in a pot with water. Cook until the rice is fluffy and fully cooked. Once it is done you will add the rice into the Dutch oven.

Then you will add in the cooked rice, and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then once heated turn off and serve.

Expert Tips and Variations

• Feel free to use leftover rotisserie chicken instead of raw diced chicken breasts if you would like.
• Stir in heavy cream at the end to make this a creamy soup. Now you could also add in 4 ounces of cream cheese if you wanted.
• Stir in 1/2 cup cooked red beans for another source of protein.
• Slice up a lemon into wedges. Then serve a lemon wedge with each bowl of soup.
• Serve with hot sauce for those who enjoy spicy food.

Storing Leftovers

Store your leftover Cajun soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can warm it up on the stove top or you can heat up the leftover soup in the microwave.

You will find that freezing the soup works, but the rice will become a bit more tender and it can break apart a bit.

Practical notes

What is Cajun seasoning?

You will find you can use Tony’s original Creole seasoning or a homemade style. This is made with rich spices so it creates tons of flavor. Garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and more.

Can you double this recipe?

Reach for a large pot so that it will hold all the soup. Then cook the soup with the Cajun spices and serve up this flavorful soup.

Want more creole inspired recipes? If so, check out these other Cajun recipes featured below.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 2 Tablespoons Oil, divided
• 2 cups Chicken, chopped
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 1 Tablespoon Cajun Seasoning
• 1 cup Rice, or 1 1/2 cups Cooked Rice
• 1 Small Onion, diced
• 2 stalks Celery, diced
• 1 small Sweet Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
• 4 Cups Chicken Broth

Equipment

• Dutch Oven
• Vegetable Chopper

Method

1. Add half the oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot on medium heat.
2. Season the chicken with the Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. Then you will add the chicken to the hot pot and cook the chicken for 6-8 minutes.
3. While the chicken is cooking you will want to rinse and then cook your rice as directed on the package. We did 1 cup dry rice.
4. Dice up the vegetables and add it into the pot with the chicken and continue cooking for another 6 minutes to char the vegetables a bit.
5. Add in the tomato paste and cook an additional 1-2 minutes, you want the tomato to become aromatic. It will darken a bit in color as it cooks.
6. Then add the cooked rice and the chicken broth. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it boils, turn off the soup, and serve.

Kitchen notes

Chicken – Dice up the chicken into 1-inch cubes. You will use any raw chicken. Creole – You are welcome to use creole or any Cajun seasoning as you would like. You can control the spice factor. Rice – You can also cook up a brown rice if you would like. You just can’t use instant rice for this recipe.