This easy ONE POT chicken and rice recipe is a healthy dinner made with simple and real ingredients. Perfect for any night of the week!
Easy One Pot Meal
As a busy mom of four I love meals that come together quickly in one pot. Some of my other favorite easy dinners are chicken broccoli rice casserole, chicken and veggie stir fry, crockpot Italian chicken and Mexican chicken casserole.
We love this one pot chicken and rice because it’s easy to prepare and is fairly inexpensive to make. The best part about is that everything is cooked together in one pot, cutting down on cleanup time later.
Not only is it healthy, but it also has amazing flavor too. Trust me, your family is going to love it!
Chicken thighs or breasts?
I love to use chicken thighs for this recipe but you can use either one. They are less expensive than breast meat and have more flavor since they are dark meat. The richness from the thigh meat gives the dish tons of flavor.
I like to add lots of healthy vegetables to brighten it up and add color to this one pot meal. I sautéed one diced yellow onion with the chicken thighs, then add grated carrots, chopped celery, and two whole garlic cloves.
How to make chicken and rice
Just follow the simple steps below to get started.
Step 1: Sauté the chicken
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Place chicken thigh pieces into heated oil and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, cooked through.
Step 2: Add in garlic and veggies
Add the diced onion and garlic to the pan with the chicken and sauté for another 3 minutes. Next add the carrots and celery.
Step 3: Add rice and broth
Increase heat to high and add broth, then stir in the rinsed rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Stir again and then cover and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked (stirring occasionally).
The garlic cloves are removed once it is completely done cooking. You get the flavor from the garlic without it overpowering the dish.
Stir in Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Add more salt, pepper or seasonings if desired. Enjoy!
More easy one pot meals:
- One-Pot Burrito Bowls
- Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
- One-Pan Dijon Chicken and Potatoes
- Chicken and Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs , or breasts (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 3-4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion , diced
- 2 carrots , peeled and shredded
- 2 celery stalks , chopped
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice , rinsed (basmati or brown rice works too)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat in a 3 quart pot. Place chicken thigh pieces into the heated oil. Add plenty of salt and pepper (I start with about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Add diced onion to the pot with the chicken and sauté for another 3 minutes. Next add the carrots, celery and garlic.
- Increase the heat to high and add broth, then stir in the rinsed rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Stir again and then cover and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked (stirring occasionally).
- Stir in the parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Add more salt, pepper or any other seasonings if desired.
Video
Notes
- Can used cooked chicken if desired. Simply skip step #1 and add in after sautéing veggies.
- For extra garlic flavor, add in 3 cloves of garlic (not minced) to help infuse the garlic flavor.
- You may also add in extra vegetables white sautéing the onions like bell pepper or mushrooms.
Originally written by Katie from The Casual Craftlete.
Loved! Everyone, even the Littles, gobbled it up! Adding to rotation ❤
My 14 yr old decided to make this and he added mushrooms and green peas to it as well. It turned out delicious! We will definitely have this again!
So glad your family enjoyed it! Love to hear that your son was cooking in the kitchen :)
I’m not able to use cheese (dairy allergy). Is it absolutely necessary or is there something else I could use to add a creamy texture? This looks incredible and I’d love to try it!
I think you could still make the recipe without the cheese and it would taste delicious. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
This became a staple meal in our house. Love that it is one-pan. It’s creamy and comforting!
Yay! So glad your family loves the recipe :)
It turned out good
So happy to hear that!
This was so tasty, I added a can of coconut cream as I didn’t have any cheese it was great.will definitely be making again x
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :)
For the 1.5 cups of rice, you only used 2 cups of broth?
That’s correct :)