Chicken soup is always a good idea, but sometimes you just don’t have hours to wait while it simmers away on the stovetop. This French Press Brothy Rice & Chicken Soup is the ultimate hack for a flavourful soup that comes together in 20 minutes and takes advantage of leftovers in the fridge.

Instead of simmering a pot on the stove, you steep all of your fresh aromatics, herbs, and seasonings in boiling water—just like coffee or tea. It creates a surprisingly layered broth that tastes like it’s been bubbling away for hours. Pour the broth over a scoop of cooked rice & some shredded or grilled chicken (rotisserie is perfect here), then top it with some chili oil for a kick of aromatic heat (my go-to is always my Aunt Lily’s recipe).

It hits that perfect balance of savoury, bright, and comforting. Light but satisfying, practical but still full of flavour—it’s the kind of back-pocket recipe you’ll keep coming back to whenever you need a fast bowl of comfort.

If you’re looking for more Soups that Don’t Suck you can check them out here!

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Why You’ll Love this Recipe:

• Big flavour, minimal effort: The French press does all the work—no long simmer required.
• Ready in about 20 minutes: Perfect for when you want soup now, not in three hours.
• Uses what you already have: Leftover rice and chicken transform into something delicious.
• Layered, savoury broth: Ginger, garlic, soy, and fish sauce make it taste slow-cooked.

How to Prep for this Recipe:

Make sure that you have cooked rice and cooked chicken on hand! Any kind of rice and any kind of chicken—totally flexible.

If you don’t already have a batch of chili oil on hand, it can be made ahead of time for convenience and then stored in the fridge! It truly makes this recipe.

Other prep steps:

• Peel and smash the garlic cloves.
• Peel and slice/chop the ginger.
• Slice the white + light green part of the green onions into two pieces, then finely chop the dark green bits.
• Tear the leaves off of a few cilantro stems. The stems steep in the broth, and you can garnish with the leaves later on

How to Make French Press Brothy Rice & Chicken Soup:

Step One: 

To a french press, add smashed garlic cloves, sliced ginger, whites from the green onion, cilantro stems, bouillon, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Cover with boiling water and let steep for 12-15 minutes.

Step Two:

Add a scoop of rice (I used leftover rice!) and some chicken (I used sliced rotisserie chicken) to each bowl.

Step Three:

Press the soup down in the french press carefully, then pour the broth over the chicken and rice.

Step Three:

Squeeze the juice of half a lime on top of each bowl, then top with chili oil, and the chopped green onions. You can also add an extra splash of soy sauce if you prefer it saltier.

Substitutions:

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

Ginger: You can leave it out if you’re not a fan or don’t have any on hand.

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

Soy sauce: Swap for coconut aminos or tamari if needed.

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

Lime: I love the brightness that lime juice adds, but you can swap for lemon juice if you prefer it.

Rice: Fill your bowl with any type of rice you like, I like using leftover rice if I have some in the fridge. A small pasta like orzo would work too!

Chicken: Any kind of cooked chicken works here! I like using shredded or sliced rotisserie chicken.

Chili oil: Store-bought chili crisp works in a pinch, but my Aunt Lily’s homemade version is worth making. It’ll quickly become your new favourite condiment.

How to Store/Reheat:

To store: Let the broth cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. Store the broth, rice, and chicken separately if possible—this keeps the rice and chicken from getting too soft. Keeps well for up to 4 days in the fridge.

To reheat: Warm the broth on the stove over medium heat until it lightly simmers. Add rice and chickento bowls, then ladle the hot broth over top. Garnish with some fresh green onions and chili oil.

Once you try this French press trick, you’ll never look at leftovers the same way. Tag me on social if you try it out (@britacooks)!