You guys know how much I love my one pot meals. They’re easy, cozy, and always satisfying. This Chicken and Rice one pot meal is kind of a mash-up of two of my other favorite recipes, Cajun Sausage and Rice and Mushroom Rice, and it’s definitely moving to the top of my list of favorites. The rice is rich and flavorful, the chicken is super tender, and the whole dish comes together almost effortlessly.
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What’s in Chicken and Rice?
This super simple dish includes juicy chicken thighs coated in herbs and spices (not spicy!), sautéed onions, and long grain white rice cooked in vegetable broth. Because you cook everything in one pot from start to finish, no flavors are lost. Every bite is packed with rich and delicious flavor.
Can I Use Chicken Breasts?
I highly suggest sticking to chicken thighs for this recipe because chicken breasts can tend to dry out a bit with the double cook (sear first, steam with rice second), and the fattier chicken thighs make the dish nice and rich. It can be done, but it definitely won’t be as juicy or tender as chicken thighs. And whichever you use, make sure it’s boneless because bone-in chicken needs more time to cook and may not cook through by the time the rice is finished.
What Else Can I Add to Chicken and Rice?
If you want to add some vegetables to the pot, I would try adding a ½ cup frozen peas when you add the broth, or sautéing some mushrooms after the chicken and before the onions.
What to Serve with Chicken and Rice?
Since I didn’t add any vegetables in the pot with my chicken and rice, I added some roasted broccoli on the side. I think roasted broccoli is the perfect side because the roasted flavor matches the coziness of the chicken and rice, plus the simple flavor doesn’t compete, leaving the chicken and rice to shine. You could also do some steamed green beans, sautéed zucchini, or a simple side salad.
One Pot Chicken and Rice
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 tsp paprika ($0.20)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp pepper ($0.02)
- 1.25 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (4-5 thighs) ($4.23)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil, divided ($0.08)
- 1 yellow onion, diced ($0.32)
- 1 cup long-grain white rice (uncooked) ($0.32)
- 1.75 cups vegetable broth ($0.23)
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley (optional garnish) ($0.10)
Instructions
- Combine the paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Coat both sides of the chicken thighs in the seasoning mix.
- Add 1 Tbsp cooking oil to a deep skillet and heat over medium. Once hot, swirl to coat the surface of the skillet, then add the chicken thighs. Cook the thighs for a few minutes on each side, or until well browned. The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point.
- Remove the browned chicken to a clean plate. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add an additional 1 Tbsp cooking oil to the skillet, then add the diced onion. Sauté the onion for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Allow the moisture from the onion to dissolve the browned bits from the skillet as you stir.
- Add the uncooked rice to the skillet and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes more to toast the rice.
- Add the vegetable broth to the skillet and briefly stir to dissolve any remaining brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Return the chicken to the skillet, setting it on top of the rice. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a full boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and let the chicken and rice continue to simmer over low, without lifting the lid or stirring, for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let it rest, without lifting the lid, for an additional 5 minutes.
- Finally, remove the lid and fluff the rice around the chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired, then serve and enjoy!
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Nutrition
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How to Make Chicken and Rice – Step by Step Photos
Combine 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in a bowl. Coat both sides of four or five boneless, skinless chicken thighs with the seasoning mix.
Heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a deep skillet over medium. Once hot, swirl to coat the surface, then add the seasoned chicken thighs. Cook for about five minutes on each side, or until well browned. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked at this point, just well browned on the surface. While the chicken cooks, dice a yellow onion.
Remove the browned chicken to a clean plate. Reduce the heat to medium-low, then add another 1 Tbsp cooking oil and the diced onion to the skillet. Sauté the onion until soft, allowing the moisture from the onion to dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Add one cup of uncooked long-grain white rice to the skillet. Continue to sauté with the onion for 1-2 minutes to slightly toast the rice. You should hear it crackling and popping.
Add 1.75 cups vegetable broth to the skillet with the rice and onions. Briefly stir to dissolve any browned bits that might remain stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
Return the chicken thighs to the skillet, placing them on top of the rice. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a boil. When it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let it continue to simmer on low, without lifting the lid or stirring, for 20 minutes.
After simmering on low for 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let it rest for five minutes without lifting the lid. After resting, it should look like the above photo.
Fluff the rice with a fork and stir the onions back into the rice (it tends to float to the top while simmering). Garnish with chopped parsley and serve!
Nice Recipe! I will definitely try this but I like veg biryani most and nowadays I have ordered from Hungry House.
If making with mushrooms as suggested in the preamble, do you leave the mushrooms in with the onions and rice, or take it out with the chicken?
Leave them in. XOXO -Monti
This recipe was really good. I always tweak mine due to what I have on hand. Boneless, skinless thighs is a must! I deglazed with some white wine-gives flavor some depth. I used basmatti rice, which takes a little longer and mushrooms. I suggest if you use any rice that needs more cook time, par cook it while cooking chicken and such, then add rice and liquid to finish it off.
The richness the chicken gave the dishe was really good. I would definitely make this again!
Easy and flavorful!
I made this for supper, and it was fantastic! I didn’t have any oregano so I used a little Italian seasoning and my paprika was smoked. Left off the parsley. Even the 11 year old happily ate it! Thanks for any other winner!
If you subbed in brown rice for white, how would that change timing do you think?
You would need to change the amount of liquid and it would also change the timing. Since we haven’t tested it with brown rice, I couldn’t say for sure. But it usually needs at least 50% more cooking time and at least 25% more liquid. XOXO -Monti
I subbed with Quorn veggie chicken and added chopped broccoli stalks and florets before covering and it came out superb!
Super easy dish with good flavor! I used smoked paprika because I didn’t have any on hand, and doubled the amount of oregano due to a lack of thyme. It was at a full boil before I realized so I think that’s why my rice turned out a bit crunchy.
So easy and delicious. I would re-use this spice mix for any kind of chicken. I did double the salt in the spices, but still needed to add more at the end as well.
Could you finish cooking this in the oven? At what stage , temp and time.
Oven-finishing is unnecessary. It adds the extra step of warming up an oven, which wastes time and energy. It’s also important to finish this recipe at a low heat. It is definitely a stove top recipe. But if you want to add the extra step, pre-heat your oven to 200, and finish in the oven. XOXO -Monti
Thank you….great recipe, loved by all, will definitely be a regular! Made a few tweaks just to suit what we eat etc. I used chicken breast cut into small chunks, coated it in the herb mix, then cooked in the pan with the onion at the same time. Then once lightly cooked, I added the rice, mixed it all together & poured the liquid (stock) over it – didn’t worry about the chicken being on the top. Also skipped the stock as we don’t use it (food intolerances), but instead used water mixed with Herbamare for extra flavour. Turned out beautifully 😊
I used this recipe to help my 10 yr old daughter make dinner. It was very easy to prep with BIG results in flavor! we loved it, especially our one year old! thanks for a great recipe that is now on repeat here.
I love that you’re cooking with your kiddo! Thanks for being here! XOXO
Thank you so much for your recipes that are not only delicious but budget friendly. I have, for good reason, had to work on a much tighter budget and I just made this tonight and it was fantastic. I served some green beans alongside of it and it was all gobbled up. I honestly can’t wait to make more of your recipes and also remember to rate them. Thank you!
This dish is ah-mazing!!! I cut the chicken thighs into bite sized pieces, and cooked it in 2 batches. My sister would like to make this dish for her lunch sometime. It was very easy to make, and I like the fact that everything is cooked in one pot. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe, Miss Beth!!! 😋
Lovely and comforting. Minimal hands on prep with big flavour. Thank you!