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!
As a busy mom of four I love meals that come together quickly. 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 at my house! It’s easy to prepare and is fairly inexpensive to make. I can usually have this dish ready from start to finish under an hour, which is a win in my book! The best part about is that everything is cooked together in one pot, cutting down on cleanup time later. I don’t like doing the dishes so this is a win-win recipe for me and my family!
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 chicken and rice 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 one pot chicken and rice tons of flavor.
I like to add lots of healthy vegetables to brighten it up and add color to this one pot meal. I sauteed one diced yellow onion with the chicken thighs, then add grated carrots, chopped celery, and two whole garlic cloves. The garlic cloves are removed once it is completely done cooking. You get the flavor from the garlic without it overpowering the dish.
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).
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
- One-Pot Chicken Caprese Pasta
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
Chicken and Rice Recipe
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
- 2 teaspoons 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. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Add diced onion and garlic to the pot with the chicken and sauté for another 3 minutes. Next add the carrots and celery.
- 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 seasonings if desired.
Video
Notes
- Can used cooked chicken if desired. Simply skip step #1 and add in while sautéing veggies.
Nutrition
Originally written by Katie from The Casual Craftlete.
I love chicken and rice let overs for bk
We’ve been making this recipe since it showed up on your website…it’s a family favorite! Everybody loves it, even my picky teen. Warm, comforting, easy, delicious. We now double the recipe and freeze individual-sized portions for quick lunches. My youngest daughter calls this the perfect thermos meal for school lunches. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear your family loves this recipe! Thank you for leaving a comment and review Becky! :)
delicious!
I made this tonight, and you give two different ways to put in the garlic. Also, i think the parmesan at the end doesn’t quite go with the flavor profile. Maybe a fresh squeeze of lemon or something? I’m not quite sure.
Hi my name is Ally just wanted to ask if there is different chicken recipes? would you be able to help me find healthy recipes? Also wanted to ask if there is a chicken and rice recipes?
Hi Ally! Towards the top of the website, there are categories written in pink. If you hold your cursor over “Dietary” and click “Healthy Recipes”, it will pull up a lot of healthy recipes for you to try. Here are some other chicken and rice recipes: https://www.iheartnaptime.net/chicken-rice-soup/, https://www.iheartnaptime.net/chicken-broccoli-rice-casserole/, and https://www.iheartnaptime.net/baked-teriyaki-chicken-bowls/. Hope you enjoy!
Made the recipe exactly as written but my rice came out crunchy! I’m currently cooking it longer after adding lots more liquid. Not sure what I’ve done wrong. My rice pkg calls for 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice and cook for 20 minutes. I’ve added about 1 additional cup and am cooking another 20 minutes at this point and it’s still pretty crunchy. Any ideas for next time?
Hi Ella! I’m sorry you’ve had trouble with the rice. What kind of rice did you end up using? Every type of rice cooks so differently. I hope it ended up working for you eventually!
We love this, do you think it’s freezable, I want to make it for a sick friend and package it in small quantities and freeze for when he’s hungry?
Hi Laurie! I typically don’t freeze rice recipes since they tend to dry out a bit. I probably wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe!
Was really tasty and so easy to make! Didn’t have celery on hand but added some edamame beans for colour and extra protein and it was fabulous! Hubby said to add this to our weekly dinners! Thanks for the yummy recipe!
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit! Thanks for your comment and review Colleen!
This has become one of my favorite, go to meals. I’m not one to repeat recipes often, but this has become a staple in our house. It’s like the comfort of chicken soup, but heartier! My husband can’t have chicken, so I usually make it with turkey tenderloins instead, but you’d never know the difference. A good chicken or turkey bone broth makes all the difference in the flavor. Thanks for a great, comforting, easy weeknight meal
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for leaving a comment and review Elyse!