Easy One Pot Chicken and Rice {Video & Recipe}

ByAlexis
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One Pot Chicken and Rice is an easy meal with simple ingredients.  This is a great recipe to make if you want something for a busy weeknight and is also gluten-free.  The whole family will love this complete meal with tender chicken and sweet carrots.  I use boneless skinless chicken thighs and jasmine rice with chicken stock.  

white bowl filled with chicken and rice casserole

I have an entire category of One-Pot Wonders here on my site.  Many of them are called One Skillet meals, and we love how easy it makes it to have all the protein, veggies, and carbohydrates cooked at one to serve.  

This easy one-pot meal takes just under 40 minutes to cook. At our house, this is "The Meal." You know the one—the meal that all of the kids love and eat AND enjoy the leftovers. It's healthy and filling. My kids tell me this One Pot Chicken and Rice is the ultimate comfort food. 

Chicken and rice casserole with carrots on a white plate with a salad and a blue napkin and pot of casserole

What kind of pot to use for a One Pot meal?

For this recipe, you can use a large soup pot, a stock pot, or a large Dutch oven. Just note that you will be using 8 cups of broth with all of the ingredients, so you need to have a pot big enough.

Ingredients for One Pot Chicken and Rice

Photo of ingredients including chicken broth, diced chicken, rice, diced carrots, parsley, and seasonings
  • Salted butter
  • Chopped or diced carrots
  • seasoning salt
  • long grain white rice (I use Jasmine Rice)
  • Dried minced onion
  • dried minced garlic
  • Dried parsley flakes
  • Chicken stock
  • Boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces

See recipe card for quantities.

What kind of rice to use for a casserole?

For any rice casserole, I recommend using good quality rice. I love the Lundberg brand of Jasmine rice. 

Instructions for One Pot Chicken and Rice

Use this section for process shots, alternating between the step and image showing the step. Users don't like seeing process shots cluttering up the recipe card, so include your process shots here.

blue handles on a white pot with chopped carrotts
close up image of rice and carrots in a saute pan
Soup pot with ingredients and a box of chicken broth
soup pot with ingredients and a spatula to stir

1. In a large soup pot or ceramic coated dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoon of salted butter.  Add in carrots and one 1sp seasoning salt.  Place lid on pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. To the pot, add the rice, dried onions, dried garlic, and stir to coatt in the butter.  Saute over medium heat while stirring for about 90 seconds until golden brown. 

3. Add parsley flakes and chicken stock. Turn up to medium-high heat while stirring until everything comes to a boil. Once at a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Stir every 2-3 minutes so that the rice won't stick to the bottom of the pan.  

4. On the side, season the diced chicken thighs with 2 teaspoon seasoning salt.  Add the seasoned chicken to the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high to bring it back to a bubble.  Stir well and turn heat down to medium-low heat, and let continue to simmer with the lid on the pot for 12 minutes.  Stir occasionally to keep rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. 

5. Remove the pot from heat and stir one more time.  Place the lid on the pot and let it set for 5 minutes to thicken up.  *This will continue to thicken the longer it cools

6. Serve with a side salad and enjoy!  Garnish with fresh parsley if you have it. 

Chicken and rice casserole with carrots on a white plate with a salad

Notes on substitutions: 

*You can use any seasoning blend for the seasoning salt.  I like Jonny's on the carrots, and Rotisserie blend on the chicken.  If you are making this gluten-free, be sure to check the ingredient label.  You can also use any simple seasonings, such as garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, and salt. 

*You can use 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts if you prefer.  

*Other vegetables are wonderful in this dish.  Frozen carrots and peas added at the last 5 minutes cook perfectly.  

*Long grain white rice is best for this recipe.  I don't recommend using instant rice or brown rice.  

*You can make this vegetarian by leaving out the chicken, adding more veggies, and using vegetable broth in place of chicken stock.

Storing Leftovers

Store your leftover One Pot Chicken and Rice in an airtight container in the fridge.  This will keep for up tot 4 days and tastes delicious when reheated. 

I do not recommend freezing the leftovers as with any rice recipe; it can turn to mush once thawed.  

Top Tip

Be sure to stir this often while it is simmering. Rice can easily stick to the bottom of your pot. If you are using a ceramic-coated pot, avoid using metal utensils. The dish will seem soupy when you first take it off the heat, it will soak up the extra liquid as it sits. Don't try cooking it so that the liquid soaks up before removing it from the heat or the rice will become mushy.

Looking for more One Skillet Meals?

Try these:

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white bowl filled with chicken and rice casserole

One Pot Chicken and Rice

By
One Pot Chicken and Rice is an easy meal with simple ingredients. Chicken thighs, Jasmine rice, carrots, and chicken broth
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Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Tbsp. salted butter
  • 1 ½ cup peeled and chopped carrots
  • 3 teaspoon seasoning salt *see notes
  • 2 cups long grain white rice I use Jasmine rice
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
  • 8 cups chicken broth or stock *see notes
  • 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces

Instructions
 

  1. 1. In a large soup pot or ceramic coated dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoon of salted butter.  Add in carrots and one 1sp seasoning salt.  Place lid on pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    2. To the pot, add the rice, dried onions, dried garlic, and stir to coatt in the butter.  Saute over medium heat while stirring for about 90 seconds until golden brown. 
    3. Add parsley flakes and chicken stock. Turn up to medium-high heat while stirring until everything comes to a boil. Once at a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Stir every 2-3 minutes so that the rice won't stick to the bottom of the pan.  
    4. On the side, season the diced chicken thighs with 2 teaspoon seasoning salt.  Add the seasoned chicken to the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high to bring it back to a bubble.  Stir well and turn heat down to medium-low heat, and let continue to simmer with the lid on the pot for 12 minutes.  Stir occasionally to keep rice from sticking tot the bottom of the pot. 
    5. Remove the pot from heat and stir one more time.  Place the lid on the pot and let it set for 5 minutes to thicken up.  *This will continue to thicken the longer it cools
    6. Serve with a side salad and enjoy!  Garnish with fresh parsley if you have it. 

Video

Notes

Notes on substitutions:  
You can use any seasoning blend for the seasoning salt.  I like Jonny's on the carrots, and Rotisserie blend on the chicken.  If you are making this gluten-free, be sure to check the ingredient label.  You can also use any simple seasonings, such as garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, and salt. 
You can use 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts if you prefer.  
Other vegetables are wonderful in this dish.  Frozen carrots and peas added at the last 5 minutes cook perfectly.  
Long grain white rice is best for this recipe.  I don't recommend using instant rice or brown rice.  
You can make this vegetarian by leaving out the chicken, adding more veggies, and using vegetable broth in place of chicken stock.  
Did You Make This Recipe?Share it on IG or Facebook and tag me @joyfulmomma

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