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) ($4.59)
- 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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Equipment
- Deep Stainless Steel Skillet
- Measuring Cups Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cup
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!
This was delicious, but my rice didn’t cook all the way. Instead of white long grain rice, I used brown long grain (also says whole grian on package) rice. Does white rice cook that much faster? I’d modify if I knew how. Any suggestions?
Brown rice requires more water and a longer cooking time. I’m unsure how to guide you, as we haven’t made the recipe with brown rice.
Another easy and tasty dinner added to the rotation. Thanks!
I’ve made this recipe twice and it’s coming out awesome each time. My kids love it.
Fantastic, easy dinner. Leftovers for lunches were claimed quickly. Thank you!
Easy love it!
Reminded me of ramen noodles. Or some gym bro who lifts and only eats chicken and rice. So many others o. Here have been sooo tasty. But this one will not be in rotation
REGARDING NUMBER OF SERVINGS:
4 opr 5 chicken thighs and a cup of rice plus side dish of vegetables (roasted broccoli, steamed green beans, side salad) sounds like more than 1 serving (as listed in the nutritional values shown). Can’t wait to try it out.
I make this recipe all the time now and it’s perfect ❤️ thank you!!
Easy to make in the Instant Pot. Completely delicious.
Please share how you converted to instant pot
Yum!!! Super easy and super flavorful!!
This has become one of our very favorite meals! We have been eating it every week! We make the recipe with bone-in chicken thighs and they cook well. I love how tender the chicken turns out.
I have tried to adapt tons of 1-pot rice recipes to use brown rice instead of white and they’ve never worked well. It takes hours of simmering, extra water, and even there are still some crunchy rice pieces.
But I tried this recipe with instant (read: parboiled) brown rice today and it worked! I probably could have reduced the liquid a bit because there was extra liquid left in the pan and the rice was a bit saucy, maybe reduce to 1.25-1.5 cups. But overall it worked so much better than expectedand tasted great. Can’t wait to apply this trick to other 1-pot protein+rice meal preps!
Hi
I have also been trying to adapt my white rice recipes to use brown rice…and have the same problems. Brown rice is so much healthier, but it takes forever to cook.
When you mention ‘instant’ brown rice what are you refering to?
The flavor is amazing! Such a great meal. I doubled the recipe and used a very wide skillet, so not all the rice cooked evenly. Luckily, the center part of the skillet was cooked to perfection, so we dished dinner out of the middle, and cooked the outside ring of the rice after dinner. We are all set for leftovers!
This was an easy and delicious dinner! It had a lot of flavor for the amount of effort needed. I didn’t make any modifications and served it with steamed broccoli on the side.
If I used boneless chicken breast how much longer does it cook? I’m thinking it doesn’t change Thanks
They may take a few extra minutes to cook than boneless thighs. I would suggest using a kitchen thermometer to check the internal temperature and make sure it reaches between 165-185*F in the thickest part of each piece. Otherwise, cut into the largest one and make sure the center is totally white and no pink spots remain. ~ Marion :)
Flavors were good, but the rice was hard in the end. Dinner came so close to being good. I cried. 9 months pregnant, and didn’t want to make dinner in the first place. Stood on my feet for all of that time for it to turn out like crap.
Hi Sarah, I’m sorry this recipe didn’t turn out well for you! Rice can definitely be tricky sometimes. If the rice is still crunchy, that’s usually a good indicator that the heat may have been a bit too low and broth stopped simmering at some point, which means the rice will also stop cooking. I hope you get the chance to try it again some day because I think you’ll really love it!
I’ve made this at least 5 times, I like to change up the seasonings, but it always comes out great. My family loves it. IF YOU FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS, it will come out perfectly!
Hi Beth, my family and I love this recipe! I was meal prepping this morning and accidentally cut the chicken thighs into pieces instead of leaving them whole. I forgot you weren’t supposed to cut them. Can I still use them for this recipe or do I need to get some whole thighs? Thank you!
Yep, you can definitely still use them! :) Just make sure the skillet is hot enough to brown them because the smaller pieces will release more water as they cook, so you’ll need the heat to be a bit higher to get that browning action. They’ll also cook very quickly.
Same here, Sarah.