My Panera-copycat keto chicken rice soup simmers rotisserie chicken in a rich, creamy broth with lupini rice instead of cauliflower. 8.3g net carbs and 30.7g protein, on the table in about 20 minutes.
If you're missing Panera's creamy chicken and wild rice soup but want a keto version without cauliflower rice, this is the one I keep coming back to. I've made it dozens of times, and it's a weeknight regular in my house now. The broth is thick, savory, and has that same rich, comforting flavor as the original. If you're building a soup rotation like I am, my turkey soup and cheeseburger soup are both in heavy rotation at my house too.
What I love most is how creamy and thick the broth gets without any flour. The arrowroot does its job with just a tablespoon, and the lupini rice absorbs the broth the same way wild rice does. Every spoonful has that hearty, satisfying bite. I've served this to people who had zero idea what was in it, and nobody questioned a thing. That's always the real test for me.
What makes this version work
Lupini rice instead of wild rice. I tested this with cauliflower rice first, and it completely changed the flavor of the soup. Lupini rice cooks up just like traditional rice and blends right into the broth with none of that cauliflower taste. I use it in my Italian chicken and rice too, so I always have a bag in the pantry.
Rotisserie chicken saves this recipe. I grab one from the store, shred it, and the soup is basically just sauteing veg and simmering from there. Rotisserie chicken is juicier than plain cooked breast and already seasoned, so the broth picks up extra flavor without any extra work on my end.
Arrowroot powder instead of flour. I switched to arrowroot years ago because it has greater thickening power, so I only need a tablespoon to get the consistency right. That keeps the carbs way down compared to a traditional roux.
The whole thing comes together in about 20 minutes, making it one of the fastest low carb soups in my rotation. I reheat it for lunch the next day and it's just as good (sometimes better, once the flavors have had time to settle). If you want more one-pot comfort meals like this, my chicken noodle skillet hits the same spot.
Low carb rice alternatives
Lupini rice is a staple in my pantry, but I know it’s not the easiest ingredient to track down. I order mine from Amazon and Thrive Market since my local grocery store doesn’t carry it yet. Once you try it, you’ll understand why I go through it so fast. I use it in my Tuscan chicken pasta and at least half a dozen other recipes at this point.
If you can’t find lupini rice, try these
cauliflower rice (works in a pinch, but I find it changes the flavor of the broth, which is why I switched to lupini)
shirataki rice (rinse it thoroughly or you’ll notice a slight taste)
How to store and reheat this soup
Refrigerator
I let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. It keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days, and honestly I think it tastes even better the next day once everything melds together.
Freezer
I portion mine into freezer bags, leaving a little room at the top for expansion. Frozen, it lasts up to 3 months. I usually make a double batch specifically so I have grab-and-go portions for busy weeks.
Reheating
On the stovetop: I warm it over medium-low heat, stirring every couple of minutes. If it’s thickened up in the fridge (it will), I splash in a little extra broth or water to loosen it.
In the microwave: I heat at 30-second intervals, stirring between each one, until it’s hot all the way through.
Remove all the chicken (dark & white meat) from the rotisserie chicken. Shred or chop into bite-sized chunks. Set aside. You should end up with about 4 cups of shredded chicken.
For this step
1 rotisserie chicken
2
Cook veggies
Place butter in a Dutch oven or large pot and melt over medium heat. Once melted, add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until almost tender.
For this step
1/2 cup salted butter
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup diced celery
3
Season and thicken
Stir in garlic powder, onion powder, salt, oregano, black pepper and arrowroot powder. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes.
For this step
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1 cup heavy cream
4
Turn it into soup
Pour in chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add lupini rice and cook over medium heat until rice is tender, about 6-10 minutes.
For this step
4 cups chicken broth
4 oz lupini rice
5
Add the chicken
Stir in cooked, shredded chicken. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 bowl (about 2 cups)
Calories
529
Fat
39.7g
Protein
30.7g
Total carbs
14.9g
Net carbs
8.3g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I substitute arrowroot powder with?
I've tested this with cornstarch and it works just as well. Use roughly the same amount. You can also whisk in one egg yolk at the end for a silky texture without any starch at all. When I'm completely out of thickeners, I just skip it. The soup is thinner, but it still tastes great.
Can I make this in the Instant Pot or slow cooker?
I developed this as a stovetop recipe because the whole thing is done in 20 minutes, but it should adapt well. I haven't tested these versions myself, so treat them as starting points. For the Instant Pot, I'd use the soup setting for about 8 minutes with a quick release. For a slow cooker, add everything except the cream and lupini rice, cook on low for 4-6 hours, then stir those in during the last 30 minutes so the rice doesn't get mushy. My minestrone adapts to the slow cooker the same way.
Can I make this dairy-free?
I'd swap the heavy cream for full-fat coconut milk and use ghee or olive oil instead of butter. The coconut milk adds a subtle sweetness that shifts the flavor slightly, but the broth base and lupini rice carry enough weight that it still tastes rich and satisfying. I haven't tested this version myself yet, so treat it as a starting point.
Can I use raw chicken instead of rotisserie?
I've done this with boneless chicken thighs. I cube them and brown them in the butter before adding the veggies, then let them simmer in the broth until they reach 165 degrees inside. It adds about 10 minutes to the total cook time. I wouldn't use chicken breast here because it tends to dry out in soup. That said, rotisserie is still my go-to because the pre-seasoned meat adds a layer of flavor I can't get from raw chicken. My chicken casserole is one where I do prefer raw thighs, for comparison.
How can I lower the carbs even more?
When I want this even lower in carbs, I skip the carrots and cut the diced onion in half. I also swap the arrowroot powder for an egg yolk whisked in at the end, which thickens without adding any carbs at all. Those changes bring the count down significantly while keeping the creamy base intact.
Can I use cream cheese instead of heavy cream?
I've tried this with about 4 ounces of cream cheese stirred in at the end, and it makes the broth noticeably thicker and richer. I'd still use the full amount of chicken broth to balance it out, or the soup gets almost chowder-thick. It's a solid swap if you're out of heavy cream or prefer a heavier consistency.
Is chicken and rice soup keto friendly?
Traditional chicken and rice soup is not keto because of the rice. My version swaps in lupini rice, which cooks up like regular rice without the starch, so each bowl comes in at 8.3g net carbs with 30.7g protein. That fits my macros even on a strict day.
Mei, I haven’t tried cauliflower rice in this one, but it usually goes soft fast in hot broth. I’d stir it in right at the end instead of simmering it. Let me know how it goes.
Hi Valerie, you won’t find it on grocery shelves yet, which drives me a little crazy. I order mine from Amazon and Thrive Market, usually a few packages at a time since I go through it so fast. I mention it in the post above the recipe card too.
It’s brutal out and I’m avoiding the stove, would this work in the Instant Pot? I’m thinking sauté the veggies and butter first, then add the broth and lupini rice to pressure cook, just not sure on timing.
I’d sauté right in the pot, then pressure cook on the soup setting for 8 minutes with a quick release. I haven’t tested it that way myself, so let me know how the lupini rice holds up.
Found out this gets way thicker overnight in the fridge so I’ve been adding a splash of extra broth when reheating, and the flavor is even better day two. Also switched to buying pre-shredded rotisserie from the deli counter and it cuts the prep down to almost nothing.
Day two on this one is genuinely better. The arrowroot kind of locks everything together overnight and the whole flavor deepens in a way that fresher soups just don’t. I usually add a good pour of broth when I heat it up, sometimes a small splash of cream too if I want it richer. The deli counter shred I started out of necessity after forgetting to grab a whole bird one too many times, but it goes straight in without any of the hot-chicken-pulling-apart step. Fifteen minutes flat after that.
I was genuinely skeptical about the lupini rice. I’ve tried cauliflower in soups before and it always turns into mush by the time everything else is ready, so I figured this would be more of the same. Used my Dutch oven on a random weeknight when I needed something fast, followed the recipe pretty much as written. The broth came together quicker than I expected and the lupini rice actually holds its shape (no disintegrating, no off texture). Sat there after the first bowl a little surprised because it really does taste like Panera’s chicken soup, not a close approximation of it. I think the arrowroot powder in the base is what makes the broth feel substantial without being heavy. Already on my third batch.
Stirred in a couple tablespoons of cream cheese near the end because I had some to use up, and the broth got this extra silky thickness I really wasn’t expecting. Not sure how much it changed the macros but it felt like a happy accident. Probably doing it again.
Broth is SO good, one of those soups where you keep sneaking spoonfuls while it’s still on the stove. The lupini rice threw me off a little (firm, almost chewy, not the soft rice texture I was expecting), but I get it’s the whole point of the swap.
My daughter has been asking me to recreate that Panera chicken soup for months. Made this on Sunday and watched her take one spoonful, pause, and ask me if I actually ordered from somewhere. She genuinely did not believe it came from our kitchen. The lupini rice is such a good call, it holds up in the broth without getting mushy the way cauliflower rice never quite does.
My mom made chicken rice soup from scratch every winter and I’ve missed it since going keto, the smell especially. Made this on a Sunday afternoon and the second it started simmering, there it was. The lupini rice actually fooled me, I kept expecting the texture to be off and it never was. I texted my mom the recipe.
Texting your mom the recipe is the best. The smell thing is real, I notice it every time I make it too. Something about the butter and carrots hitting the pot together.
Added a squeeze of lemon right before serving and it lifted the whole broth. Small thing but it works. Docking one star because my arrowroot clumped up on me (added it too fast), so whisk it in slowly.
The lemon thing is real, that citrus just wakes the whole thing up. What I do is mix the arrowroot into a tablespoon of cold water before it goes in. No clumps.
I’ve made every keto soup variation at this point and the cauliflower rice issue has always been the same: too much water release, falls apart in the bowl, turns into mush by day two. The lupini rice here doesn’t do any of that. Made this Sunday in my Dutch oven and the texture held all the way through to leftovers the next morning, actually held. The Panera comparison is no joke either, there’s something about the butter base with the carrots and celery that actually gets the original right instead of just being some watered-down version. Rotisserie chicken takes what could be a 45-minute project down to something you can finish before the kitchen smells even hit the living room. I’ve been keto six years and this is the first chicken soup that didn’t feel like a trade-off. Doubling the next batch.
Added a squeeze of lemon right at the end after reading through the comments, and it does something to the broth I can’t fully explain (brightens it? evens it out?). Before that tweak it was good but something felt slightly flat. Apparently that was the fix. The arrowroot slurry is also worth trying if you’re switching from cornstarch. Texture ends up noticeably smoother and the broth doesn’t cloud up.
Made this four times since January, and the version I landed on is adding a splash of heavy cream right before serving. The broth was already good, but it pulls the whole thing closer to the Panera version I used to get every time I was sick. Lupini rice texture is what finally sold me on it as a sub. Rotisserie chicken makes the prep so fast that this is becoming my go-to when I don’t want to think.
Rolled my eyes at the Panera comparison. Every copycat I’ve tried is just watered-down broth with cauliflower floating in it. The lupini rice fixed that. Soft, slightly chewy bite that actually feels like rice, and the broth had me scraping the bottom of the bowl. This one’s going in the rotation. The others are not.
