One-Pot Chicken And Rice Recipe

Chicken and rice is, for many, the ultimate comfort food. But do you know what makes it even more delicious? Only using one pot to create this timeless classic. This one-pot chicken and rice recipe will spare you a lot of dirty dishes, which will surely help with the comforting, relaxing aspect of this dish. It was created by Kristen Carli, registered dietitian and recipe developer at Camelback Nutrition & Wellness.

For this one-pot chicken and rice recipe, you'll need a dutch oven or a very sturdy soup pot. If you have neither, feel free to reach for another option. According to Carli, "You could make this in a slow cooker if needed. I think it would work great in an Instant Pot as well." The bottom line is that there aren't separate pans or pots involved for cooking each ingredient, as it all ultimately simmers in the same spot. 

Make this chicken and rice for an easy weeknight dinner that you can also enjoy as leftovers for lunch the next day. You won't regret it.

Before you start cooking, go ahead and assemble all the ingredients so you know you've got what you need. Some chopping and measuring is required for this one-pot chicken and rice. If you can, it's nearly always better to do that before you turn on the stove. That way when it's time to add that next ingredient, it's ready to go into the pot. Prepping all your ingredients ahead of time is a handy chef trick known as mise en place, by the way.

For this one-pot chicken and rice recipe, you'll need 3 tablespoons of olive oil, along with 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. You'll also need 1 yellow onion, 4 carrots, 4 celery stalks, 1 1/2 cups white jasmine rice, 2 cups of chicken broth, 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, 1/3 cup chopped parsley, and 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese. 

You'll also need some cutting boards, a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot, a wooden spoon for stirring, and a small microwave-safe bowl. While you're here, take a few minutes to dice up the onion, celery, and carrots.

Once all the ingredients are prepped and ready, it's time to start cooking. Never fear, though, as you've already done the hard part of chopping those veggies.  

The chicken is up first. Heat the dutch oven (or sturdy soup pot) on the stove over medium heat. Once it's hot, add the olive oil and chicken thighs. Season the thighs with salt and pepper. Saute the chicken for about eight minutes, until it is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. Remember to stir it fairly often so that the chicken pieces don't burn or stick to the bottom of the pot. 

If you prefer white meat instead of the darker meat in chicken thighs, Carli confirms you can use chicken breasts instead in this one-pot chicken and rice recipe.

Once your chicken is cooked, you can now add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot. Saute the veggies in the pot with the chicken for another five minutes. They will start to soften and become fragrant.

We highly recommend a fine chop for the celery, onions, and carrot. They will cook faster that way and blend in better with the other ingredients to create that perfect bite where you can taste everything in the recipe. If you don't have the patience to finely dice everything by hand, a food processor can be a huge help here. If you've got sensitive eyes, it can also help save you the tears of slicing into onions. If you do go the food processor route, however, take a minute to study up first though because, believe it or not, there is a wrong way and a right way to use a food processor.

The next step in this easy one-pot chicken and rice recipe calls for the addition of the chicken broth and jasmine rice. Add the broth and rice to the pot, then thoroughly stir it in with the other ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil then once it's fully boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the dutch oven and allow the chicken and rice to simmer for 15 minutes.

If a situation arises where you've got all the ingredients for this but then find yourself looking at a pantry full of any kind of rice except for the jasmine variety, do not fret. Carli ensures us you can still make this one-pot chicken and rice happen, just be mindful that you'll have to extend the cooking time. "It does not have to be jasmine rice," she says. "You can sub brown rice, but you will want to increase the cooking time by about 10-15 minutes." 

Toward the end of the designated chicken and rice simmering time, go ahead and prepare the garlic butter. Oh, did you not know that you're combining the butter and garlic in this one-pot chicken and rice recipe to make garlic butter? You're welcome. This easy addition will bring up the taste of this recipe to delightful levels. To make the garlic butter, take a small, microwave-safe bowl, add butter and garlic, then heat the bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds. 

This added step is worth it because, as Carli tells it, "[T]he garlic butter adds luxurious rich flavor when added at the end." Personally, we don't want a flavor in our meal if it's not luxurious, so we're going to trust her on this one. Also, microwaving isn't exactly "work", so while this might technically be considered an extra step outside of the one-pot structure, there are way more labor-intensive things we could ask of you when it comes to preparing this hearty main course.

After the chicken and rice mixture in your pot has simmered for about 15 minutes and you've nuked your bowl of garlic and butter in the microwave, it's time to add the final ingredients for this one-pot chicken and rice recipe. Remove the lid from the dutch oven and pour in the garlic butter, parmesan cheese, and chopped parsley. 

If you don't have parmesan, there are suitable substitutes. "You could use pecorino if you do not have parmesan," Carli notes. You could also technically make this entire recipe without the cheese if you are averse to dairy.

Now all you have to do is stir to combine all of the ingredients in the pot. Once that's done, remove the dutch oven from the heat and serve this delicious dish up to your waiting diners. You could also divide this one-pot chicken and rice into separate meal prep containers to refrigerate and then reheat throughout the week. This one-pot chicken and rice should stay good in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. 

There is also plenty of room for variation here, especially once you feel comfortable with the basic chicken and rice recipe. If you want to spice it up, toss in some red pepper flakes with the chicken or bust out the hot sauce. This meal is a dinner and lunch-time staple that can be seasoned to taste however you want.

If you decide to go the slow cooker route, we'd recommend still browning the chicken in a dutch oven first. Once that's accomplished, you can add it to all the other ingredients in the slow cooker. Give everything in the slow-cooked a good stir, then cook it allon high for four hours.