Chicken soup is always the answer—especially when you’re not feeling great. This Healing Ginger Chicken + Rice Soup is my go-to when I’m fighting off a cold, feeling run down, or just craving a cozy, comforting meal. It starts with a rotisserie chicken to keep things easy (and practical), then the broth is slow-simmered with ginger, garlic, and aromatics. It’s finished with a splash of fish sauce for deep savoury flavour and a squeeze of lime to keep everything bright and fresh.

It takes a little time, but it’s mostly hands-off, and the payoff is so worth it: layered, flavourful broth, tender shredded chicken, fluffy rice, and fresh herbs on top that make it feel like comfort and healing in one bowl.

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Why You’ll Love this Recipe:

• Healing + cozy: This is my go-to soup when you’re fighting off a cold, feeling run down, or just craving a comforting bowl of something warm.
• Rotisserie chicken shortcut: Using a store-bought rotisserie chicken keeps it practical, but still gives you that rich, slow-simmered flavour.
• Deeply savoury yet bright: Fish sauce adds serious depth, and lime at the end keeps everything fresh and balanced.
• Mostly hands-off: The simmer takes time, but the work is minimal—just let the broth do its thing.
• Loaded with the good stuff: Ginger, garlic, herbs, and nourishing broth make every spoonful feel extra restorative.
• Make it your own: Add more lime, fresh chilis, extra herbs, or grated ginger—this recipe is super customizable.

How to Prep for this Recipe:

• Remove the meat from the rotisserie chicken and shred it up. Set aside for assembling the bowls.
• Cut a few stems off a bunch of parsley and give them a quick rinse.
• Rinse and chop the celery and carrot.
• Peel and slice the ginger.
• Peel and halve the onion.
• Peel the garlic cloves.
• Chop your fresh herbs for garnish (I love mint + basil here).
• Make sure you have cooked rice ready to go (any kind you like).

How to Make Healing Ginger Chicken & Rice Soup:

Step One: 

Place the rotisserie chicken carcass in a large pot. Add the ginger, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, parsley stems, and peppercorns. Pour in enough cold water to fully cover everything in the pot.

Step Two:

Bring to a bubble, then reduce the heat to low, simmering for 2 hours. As it simmers, skim off any foam that rises to the top.

Step Three:

Strain the broth into a large bowl to remove the solids, then return the broth to the pot. At this point, you can keep simmering to reduce the broth for a more concentrated flavour, or move right on to seasoning and finishing.

Step Four:

Remove from the heat, then season with salt to taste, a few dashes of fish sauce, a pinch of sugar, and the lime juice. It should taste super savoury, slightly bright, and perfectly balanced.

Step Five:

Add shredded rotisserie chicken and cooked rice to each bowl, then ladle the hot broth over top. Finish with a bunch of fresh herbs and a lime wedge. Optional: top with sliced chili peppers and/or a little fresh grated ginger.

Substitutions:

Rotisserie chicken: If you’re feeling ambitious, you can absolutely roast your own whole chicken to shred and then use the carcass for stock—but I love the rotisserie shortcut.

Carrot, celery, onion: Mirepoix is the classic base here, but feel free to mix it up with whatever aromatics you have—parsnip, turnip, leek, fennel, and/or shallot all work beautifully in stock.

Garlic: I don’t recommend using pre-minced garlic here, you’ll definitely want a few fresh, whole cloves.

Parsley stems: Totally optional. Skip them if you don’t have parsley on hand (or don’t want to buy a whole bunch just for the stems).

Fish sauce: It’s worth keeping a bottle in the pantry for that savoury flavour, but soy sauce works in a pinch here.

Lime: I like the bit of bright, almost herbal quality that lime juice adds, but you can swap for lemon juice if you prefer it.

Rice: Any cooked grain or pasta can be used here. Try orzo, quinoa, or couscous.

Fresh herbs: Use anything bright + fragrant you love—mint, basil, cilantro, Italian parsley, chives, dill, even green onions.

How to Store/Reheat:

To store: Let the broth cool completely, then transfer to airtight containers. Store the broth, rice, and chicken separately if possible—this keeps the rice from getting mushy and the chicken from over-softening. Keeps well for up to 4 days in the fridge.

To reheat: Warm the broth on the stove over medium heat until hot, then add chicken just to heat through. Add rice to bowls, then ladle the hot broth over top.

To freeze: Freeze the broth (and chicken, if you want) for up to 3 months. Rice doesn’t always freeze well, so I recommend making some fresh rice when you’re ready to thaw and serve the soup. Wait to add the fresh herbs/lime wedges until serving so everything stays bright and fresh.

It’s simple, soothing, and the ultimate feel-better meal. Tag me on social if you try it out (@britacooks)!