IBS-Friendly Clear Chicken, Rice & Carrot Soup

Preparation Steps

1. Prepare the rice in advance if possible. To encourage the formation of resistant starch — which is beneficial for your gut microbiome — cook the white rice in a pan of salted boiling water for 10–12 minutes, drain, then leave to cool to room temperature before refrigerating for at least 30 minutes. If you're short on time, you can also add it directly to the soup uncooked at step 5 — the result will be just as nourishing.

2. Prepare the chicken. Rinse the chicken breast under cold running water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut into small, even pieces of roughly 2 cm. This size allows for gentle, uniform cooking and makes the chicken easier to chew and digest.

3. Gently sauté the chicken. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the tablespoon of olive oil over a medium-low heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 3–4 minutes, turning regularly, until lightly golden on all sides. Avoid too high a heat — you're aiming for a light colour, not a fry.

4. Add the carrots and ginger. Add the sliced carrots directly to the pan with the chicken, followed by the freshly grated ginger. Stir gently for about a minute to allow the ginger's aromas to begin releasing into the warm oil.

5. Add the water (or stock). Pour in the 1.2 litres of cold water (or homemade stock made without garlic or onion) and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat. Once simmering, reduce the heat to maintain a soft, low simmer. Avoid a vigorous boil — a gentle simmer better preserves the texture of the chicken and the overall delicacy of the soup. Add the salt.

6. Add the rice. If you're using pre-cooked, cooled rice, add it directly to the simmering soup at this stage. If you're using raw rice, stir it in now and cook everything together. In either case, continue to cook over a low heat for 15–20 minutes, until the carrots are completely tender and the rice is cooked through.

7. Add the green spring onion tops. About 2 minutes before the end of cooking, add the finely sliced green tops of the spring onions (green part only — the white bulb is high in FODMAPs and should be avoided). Stir gently. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt. Add a few turns of white pepper if you wish and tolerate it well.

8. Serve and finish. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Garnish generously with freshly snipped chives added at the very last moment — this preserves their aroma and adds a fresh note. Serve immediately, at a comfortable temperature (neither piping hot nor cold, for better digestive comfort).

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Gut-Friendly Tips & Adaptations

🫚 For an even gentler broth: make your own stock by simmering a chicken carcass with carrots, a stick of celery, and ginger in water for 45 minutes — without any onion or garlic. Strain before use. You'll get a mineral-rich base that's perfect for sensitive guts.

🌾 Rice-free variation: replace the rice with diced potato (well cooked, in a reasonable portion) or small gluten-free rice pasta shapes for an even milder version.

❄️ Storage: the soup keeps for 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. The rice will continue absorbing the broth as it cools — simply add a splash of hot water when reheating. You can also freeze the soup without the rice, then stir in freshly cooked rice when serving.

📏 IBS portion guidance: if you're going through a sensitive phase, start with a medium bowl (around 300–350 ml). The irritable bowel can also react to large volumes — two smaller bowls spaced apart is often better than one very large serving.

🧄 Low-FODMAP reminder: never use standard shop-bought stock cubes — the vast majority contain onion and/or garlic powder. Always opt for homemade stock or a certified low-FODMAP product if you are in the elimination phase.