It’s been a while since I’ve posted a “one pot” recipe, but I’m really excited about this one. This One Pot Teriyaki Chicken and Rice is incredibly easy, requires very little chopping, and is one of those super satisfying meals that I look forward to every time I make it. Oh, and did I mention that it meal preps really well, too? I mean, what doesn’t this Teriyaki Chicken and Rice do? (Answer: the dishes. But since it’s one pot there aren’t many to do anyway!)
Can I Make This in a Rice Cooker?
This recipe is essentially a chicken version of my Rice Cooker Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice, but cooked in a skillet instead of a rice cooker. Could you cook this recipe in a rice cooker as well? Probably so! But I haven’t tested it yet myself. If cooking this in a rice cooker, I would sauté the chicken, garlic, and ginger first, then add the rice and water, and cook until the rice is finished. Add the frozen vegetables, cook five minutes more, then pour on the sauce and fold until combined.
Do I Have to Use Jasmine Rice?
No, but jasmine rice does give it a LOT more flavor. Luckily, jasmine rice is becoming more and more common in the U.S. and I’ve been able to find 5lb. bags of jasmine rice for very good prices at most grocery stores. They’re usually hiding on the bottom shelf in the rice aisle. If you can’t find jasmine rice, use long grain white rice instead. I don’t suggest short or medium grained rice for this recipe.
Tips for One Pot Rice Recipes:
One pot recipes can be tricky because every stove top and every piece of cookware transmits heat a little differently. I suggest mastering the skill of cooking rice in a pot on the stove top before attempting a one pot rice recipe. Here are a few other tips that will help you get perfectly cooked rice without burning and scorching:
- Use heavy or thick bottomed cookware. This will evenly cook the rice instead of scorching the bottom or leaving pockets of rice partially cooked.
- Make sure the pot/skillet comes up to a FULL boil before turning it down to low. This will help make sure it stays at a simmer when it continues to cook on low.
- Don’t skip the last step of letting the rice rest with the lid on and heat turned off for at least five minutes. This allows the steam to redistribute throughout and loosen any rice that may be stuck to the bottom.
But other than that, it’s super easy. I swear. ;)
What Kind of Skillet Should I Use?
You want something that is thick, heavy, has a wide bottom, and is about 3 quarts in volume. I am using a 3 quart deep sauté pan made by OXO. A good Dutch oven would also work well.
You might also like my One Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Rice!
One Pot Teriyaki Chicken and Rice
Servings 4 about 2 cups eachIngredients
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2/3 lb.) ($2.81)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 1.5 cups uncooked jasmine rice ($0.99)
- 2.5 cups water ($0.00)
- 12 oz. frozen stir fry vegetables ($1.59)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce ($0.24)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.10)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.15)
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breast into very small pieces, about 1/2 to 3/4-inch in size.
- Add the cooking oil, garlic, and ginger to a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat for about 1 minute, then add the chicken pieces and continue to sauté just until the outside of the chicken is no longer pink. Do not over cook the chicken here, it will finish cooking with the rice.
- Add the uncooked rice to the skillet and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes more. You should hear the rice popping. Finally, add the water and give everything a brief stir to make sure there is no rice stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
- Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the water to come to a full boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- While the skillet is simmering over low, prepare the teriyaki sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, and toasted sesame oil. The brown sugar may not fully dissolve, but that’s okay. Set the sauce aside.
- After the rice has simmered for 10 minutes, lift the lid briefly to sprinkle the frozen vegetables on top, then replace the lid immediately. Make sure the vegetables are spread evenly over the surface. Let the skillet continue to heat over low for an additional five minute.
- After steaming the rice and vegetables together for 5 minutes, turn the heat off and let the skillet rest with the lid in place for an additional five minutes.
- Give the teriyaki sauce another brief stir, lift the lid on the skillet, and drizzle the sauce over the vegetables. Make sure to scrape out all the sugar from the bottom of the bowl. Using a spatula or large spoon, gently fold the rice and vegetables together until everything is mostly coated in the sauce. Make sure to scoop all the way to the bottom of the skillet when folding, as the sauce will sink to the bottom.
- Place the lid back on top and let the skillet rest for a final 5 minutes to let the flavor soak in (heat turned off). Sprinkle sliced green onions over top just before serving.
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Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken and Rice – Step by Step Photos
Start by cutting one boneless, skinless chicken breast into small pieces, about 1/2 to 3/4-inch in size. This one chicken breast weighed about 2/3 lb.
Add 1 Tbsp cooking oil, 2 cloves of garlic (minced), and about 1 tsp minced fresh ginger in a large deep skillet. Sauté over medium for about one minute, then add the chicken and continue to sauté just until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside. Don’t over cook the chicken at this point because it will continue to cook with the rice.
Add 1.5 cups jasmine rice to the skillet and continue to sauté for a minute more. You’ll hear the rice popping. Then add 2.5 cups water and stir briefly to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Place a lid on top, turn the heat up to medium-high, and let it come to a full boil. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer over low for 10 minutes (lid on).
While the rice is simmering over low, prepare the teriyaki sauce. Stir together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil in a small bowl. The brown sugar won’t fully dissolve, but that’s okay. Set the sauce aside. It will be added at the end.
After the rice has simmered over low for 10 minutes, lift the lid only long enough to pour on one 12 oz. bag of frozen stir fry vegetables (not thawed). Make sure the vegetables are spread fairly evenly across the rice, and replace the lid immediately. Let them continue to steam with the rice over low heat for another 5 minutes. Then, turn the heat off and let everything rest with the lid on, no heat, for another five minutes.
After the vegetables have been in the skillet with the rice (five minutes over low, five minutes no heat), remove the lid and drizzle the teriyaki sauce over top. Make sure to scrape out any sugar that is left in the bowl.
Use a spatula or a large spoon to gently fold the rice and vegetables together until everything is mostly coated in the sauce. Make sure you’re scooping all the way down to the bottom of the skillet because that’s where all the sauce will pool. Don’t vigorously stir or your rice will get gummy. Put the lid back on the skillet and let it rest for about 5 minutes more to let all the flavors soak in.
Top it off with sliced green onions just before serving!
I made this with reconstituted soy curls for a vegan version and it was good! The recipe makes a lot and as an added bonus, leftovers are delicious cold.
Any suggestions for swapping the Jasmine rice for cauliflower rice?
That’s going to work very differently. Rice absorbs liquid as it cooks, while cauli rice releases liquid as it cooks. So you’ll probably want to eliminate the water in the recipe and just add the cauli rice at the same point in the recipe, then sauté until it is tender. Then I’d probably just add the frozen veggies, sauté until those are heated through, and continue on with the sauce. That’s my best guess, but it’s hard to say without testing it out to see how it would actually work. :)
This was so easy and so delicious – It will definitely be a part of my work night recipe rotation.
Any suggestions for using tofu or tempeh in this dish?
I think tempeh would definitely hold up a lot better than tofu here. I suppose you could just sauté it briefly, like the chicken, and proceed as usual. It’s hard to say how it would turn out without testing it, though.
I’ve made this twice, the first time with long-grain white rice and the second time with jasmine rice. I think this NEEDS to be made with jasmine rice. Of course the jasmine rice adds to the flavor, but I had a hard time getting the white rice to cook fully. When I stirred in the sauce I discovered that there was still a lot of water on the bottom on the pan so I had to cook it longer. I ended up with rice that was a bit mushy on the outside but still a little crunchy inside. I’m so glad I gave this a second chance with the jasmine rice. I followed the instructions as written and it was cooked perfectly.
The second batch I made (with the jasmine rice) was actually for a coworker’s family, so I’m sensing a third batch coming soon!
I’m trying this tomorrow!!!! Nice and amazing recipe shared by you, thank you so much for that.
Just meal prepped this for next week’s lunches, and it was so delicious I couldn’t stop sneaking bites! I used basmati rice instead of jasmine because that’s what I always have on hand. For the life of me I couldn’t find a 12 oz bag of frozen asian vegetables, so I used a 10 oz. Also did 1.5x for the sauce. Fast, easy and delicious. This a keeper, thank you!
Any tips/suggestions for using brown rice instead? We have a ton of it and I hate seeing it go to waste.
Unfortunately brown rice requires more liquid and a longer cook time than white rice, so you’d have to make several adjustments to make it work, and with the longer cook time the chicken may over cook. So it’s hard to say without doing several rounds of testing how to make it work properly.
Thanks! I may just cook the brown rice separately instead. :)
You can parboil brown rice for 12+ minutes in boiling water, then drain, and use just like white rice. I haven’t tried it in this recipe yet, but I will!
That’s a great tip! Thank you for sharing!
Hi, Aldi’s has quick-cooking brown rice, cooks in 15 mins like white rice. Really good. The only thing about Aldi’s is you can’t always count on something being there. :-(
I wish I could give this recipe 10 stars, it’s that good! It tastes exactly like something you’d order from a Chinese restaurant but so much better for you. I made this recipe exactly as written except I doubled the sauce. The rice came out perfect and the flavor was amazing. Thanks Beth :)
I’m so glad it was such a hit for you! :)
I think I might be able to do this in the instant pot! Any suggestions?
You can definitely do it the same way using the sauté and rice cooker setting, but I am not well versed enough with the IP to make a suggestion for the pressure cooker setting.
How do you recommend making this recipe vegetarian?
I would use shelled edamame in place of the chicken. :)
Made this for dinner last night – another winner! Made a TON of leftovers, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing :)
I made this last recipe last night (exactly as written), and it was SO good. Definitely adding it to my rotation.
I second that! Your instructions and pictures are so clear and helpful! Thank you!
What an excellent recipe! Because my husband is a meat lover, I doubled the amount of chicken and made twice the amount of sauce and it came out great. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. So many great layers of flavor! A real winner! My husband prides himself on his homemade fried rice (and it really IS awesome!) and it takes him a long time to layer in this ingredient, and let it simmer, then adding that ingredient, etc. After tasting this recipe, he doubted he’d ever make his traditional fried rice again!!! Wow! What a lovely compliment! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Wow, that’s a huge compliment! Thank you!