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!
One Pot CHICKEN AND RICE was super delicious. Chicken thighs were tender. I threw in some chopped baby carrots when I sautéed the onions and they softened right up when the rice was cooking. New family favorite,
I’ve been a budgetbytes fan for years. Back in the day when I was a single gal, meal prepping in my own tiny apartment, your recipes were perfectly thrifty and practical for me. Now, I’m a stay at home mom still looking for smart ways to save and serve a nice meal – albeit for a larger audience (home economics indeed!). I made this last night and it was great, my two year old helped me chop the mushrooms, and then asked for a second helping. It reminds me of the “low country chicken bog” recipe I make when I have time to do a whole chicken. But perfectly suited for a weeknight. Keep up the good work, I’ll be using your recipes forever. Thank you!
New favorite in my household! This and the Lemon Pepper Chicken with Orzo are in the regular rotation. I usually use chicken stock for more of a savory flavor, and add some additional go-to spices (aleppo pepper, smoked paprika, TJ’s mushroom powder for some umami kick). I also dump out some of the chicken fat if there’s too much in the pan. All around great recipe!
It’s like magic. It has become a family favorite. I’m like a kid when I see the rice expand and surround the chicken. I increase the rice to 1 1/2 cups and the chicken broth to 3 cups, because my wife and kids are Filipino (rice lovers). I’m not usually so big on rice, but I can eat the rice all by itself. Many kudos!
This was delish! I seasoned the chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper before adding the other seasonings. I used jasmine rice and regular sodium chicken broth. Very flavorful and lasted all week! Added frozen peas and carrots. It’s going in the regular rotation!!
Can I use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth?
Yes :) It will change the color of the dish (more yellow than brown), but it will still taste good.
Awful no flavor bland and gross
It was good overall; however, I would have liked a little more flavoring. It was simple and I had all the spices on hand. I will try adding a little more of the spices and changing up the broth as suggested.
I bavented tasted this yet, but it sure was easy and smells delicious. The only thing I didn’t do was remove the skin 😩, but I’m sure I’ll make it again.
Was looking for recipe to use 2 chicken thighs so halved the recipe.
The end result was flavorful but seemed oily…
How do I tweak this recipe to cook in a rice cooker?
Unfortunately, as we have not made it in a rice cooker, we cannot give you any specific guidance. I would try it as is, maybe use 1/4 cup less liquid, and go from there.
My college age daughter and I loved it! Smelled amazing while cooking. Great use of spices. Tender chicken. She thought it was perfect as is. I would have added a little heavier dose of seasonings for my “old” palate.
I’ve made this 3 times now and it’s delicious. I do make sure there is extra seasoning (that fell off the chicken) when I mix in the rice, and I add a smidge of cayenne just because I find cayenne gives some depth. But even when I first made it exactly as written it was delicious, it’s actually my 14 year olds favorite meal.
Honestly not great. Rice has almost no flavor. Honestly it tasted like a bland boiled peanut because the rice was also undercooked. 1/4tsp of salt really hurts this dish. After adding more much needed salt (but not so much as to be overpowering) I couldn’t taste any other seasoning. Also rice needed an additional 20 minutes on low. Though I do understand not all stoves are the same so cooking may be different, but the flavor is just not there.
The amount of flavor in this dish is really going to be affected by the broth you use, so it might be that your broth was less flavorful or had less salt than the broth we used.
This recipe turned out great. I think if it didn’t for you, you must have done it wrong. The directions were easy to follow, 20 minutes was the perfect amount of time to cook the chicken and the rice perfectly. I would think if you do not have the proper pot and lid then this is where things could go wrong. I left out the oregano but I added a few teaspoons of Tony’s Cajun seasoning.
It’s not fair to say they did it wrong, especially when you didn’t follow the recipe to the letter yourself by ADDING seasoning. And a fairly salty seasoning at that. Nic is right about the flavor lacking. 1/4 teaspoon of salt is not enough to season over a pound of chicken and 1 cup of rice. Even if there isn’t a measurement, seasoning with salt to taste should be included in the step to saute the onions and adding the broth to the rice. Especially since not everyone is using store bought, salted broth. I think I’d make this again with those edits.
Can I use instant Minute Rice instead?
That may change the cook time and amount of liquid you need to use. I’d need to do some experimenting before offering concrete instructions.
Made this a couple times and it’s great, just wondering if this recipe can be doubled?
Yes, but I’d use something like a Dutch oven to cook it in so you get really nice even heat. Otherwise, the rice might not cook as evenly.