We affectionately call One Pot Chicken and Rice “gruel” at my house.
“KIDS!” I’ll yell at dinnertime, “Come get yer gruel!” and they come running. What can I say, it makes me laugh and it’s the little things.
This easy, gluten free recipe was born from Lincoln’s love of Easy Chicken and Rice Soup and Cam’s deep desire to wear his dinner every night. Part risotto (without all the stirring) and part soup, this creamy chicken and rice recipe is simple and comforting, made in one pot, and easy enough for a 2 year old to eat. Lucky for you and me, it tastes nothing like gruel!
Watch How to Make It!
One Pot Chicken and Rice
Sliced carrots are sauteed in butter and homemade seasoned salt then simmered with dried minced onions and garlic, white rice, diced chicken, and rich chicken stock until thick and irresistible. THEN it’s finished with a couple pats of butter. Did I mention it’s irresistable? This recipe makes enough to feed a crowd and anything we don’t finish reheats wonderfully, too. It is not an understatement to say that my entire family LOVES this dish!
Recipe Tips
- I’ve been making this recipe regularly for the past year or so but have never measured the ingredients until now so I could share it with you. That said, make any adaptations you like – it’s hard to screw up! Use fresh onions and garlic instead of the dried versions. Add more or less butter to your liking. Throw in some celery or leeks if you please!
- Use good quality rice or you actually WILL end up with mushy gruel. Please no par-boiled or minute rice. I use Lundberg White Jasmine Rice.
- I have not made this recipe with brown rice though if you do, you will need more chicken stock and will also need to increase the cooking time considerably.
- Since this dish has just a few simple ingredients, I like using gluten free chicken STOCK vs broth for maximum flavor.
- This easy chicken and rice (and the soup it’s adapted from) really benefits from being seasoned with my homemade seasoned salt. It’s just 4 ingredients that I can almost guarantee you have in your cupboards right now, and really adds a ton of flavor to each bite.
How to Make This Recipe
Start by adding sliced carrots to melted butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Season with homemade seasoned salt and pepper then place a lid on top and saute until the carrots are tender, 5-6 minutes.
Next add good quality long grain white rice, dried minced onion, and dried minced garlic then stir to coat the rice in the butter and saute for one minute.
Again, if you don’t use the right rice you’ll end up with mush, so I recommend using good quality rice like Lundberg.
Add dried parsley and chicken stock to the pot then bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low then simmer for 10 minutes. Next, season chicken breasts that have been chopped into bite-sized pieces with seasoned salt and pepper then add to the soup pot and continue to simmer until the rice is al dente and the chicken is cooked through, 10-15 additional minutes.
Last step is to remove the pot from the heat, place a lid on top, and let sit for 5 minutes. Finally, stir in more butter (follow your heart!) and season with additional seasoned salt and pepper if necessary.
One Pot Chicken and Rice will thicken a bit as it cools – and tastes best warm vs piping hot – so give it a little rest then scoop into bowls and call in your crew. I hope you love this easy and comforting dish as much as we do – enjoy!
More Easy Family Favorites:
- Gnocchi Chicken Pot Pie
- Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Skillet
- Easy Chicken Fried Rice
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One Pot Chicken and Rice
Description
One-Pot Chicken and Rice is part soup, part risotto, and wholly comforting. Your family will ask for this easy yet irresistable gluten free dinner recipe again and again.
Ingredients
- 4 - 6 Tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 heaping cup chopped carrots (from 1 cup baby carrots or 2 large carrots)
- homemade seasoned salt and pepper (see notes)
- 2 scant cups long grain white rice (I like Lundberg White Jasmine Rice)
- 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes
- 8 cups gluten free chicken stock
- 2 small chicken breasts (14oz), cut into bite-sized pieces
Directions
- Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add carrots, season with seasoned salt and pepper, then place a lid on top and cook until carrots are tender, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add rice, dried onions and dried garlic then stir to coat in butter and saute for 1 minute. Add dried parsley and chicken stock then turn heat up to high to bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to ensure rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot as it comes to a boil.
- Turn heat down to medium-low then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season chicken with seasoned salt and pepper then add to the pot, turn heat up slightly to bring back up to a bubble, then turn back down to medium-low and continue to simmer until chicken is cooked through and rice is al dente, 12-15 more minutes, stirring occasionally and more frequently near the end.
- Place a lid on top of the pot then remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 - 4 Tablespoons butter (however much you like!) then season with additional seasoned salt and pepper if necessary. Scoop into bowls then serve. Note: dish will thicken as it cools.
- Leave a comment and star rating if you loved the recipe! Thank you for considering!
Notes
- To avoid ending up with mush, use good quality rice - no Minute Rice, please! I use Lundberg California White Jasmine Rice.
- Click here for my 4-ingredient homemade seasoned salt recipe >
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Video
Can this be done with long grain brown rice?
Hi Rachel! That should be fine – you’ll need to increase the amount of broth and cooking time is all!
This was sooooo good. I did not make any changes to the recipe and served with fresh a salad. So far every recipe that I’ve tried is delicious! Thank you
Aww, I’m so happy to hear that, Carol!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
My family and I love your recipes, but this one was a mega hit with the kids. My 11-year-old said “this is the best chicken I’ve ever tasted in my whole life.”
Day = made!! Thrilled to hear it, Jenny!!
WTHECK!! So many ads and popups I cannot see the recipe to read it, I give up 🤦♀️🤦♀️😡☹
I’m so sorry to hear that, Sam!! Are you viewing the recipe on mobile or desktop?
Unfortunately, I agree with Sam Jones. The popups and other ads are so intrusive and beyond annoying. I have given up on other recipes on this site for the same reason. Not worth it.
I’m so sorry to hear that, Jane! If you could let me know what device you’re using, that would help make sure I can optimize your experience.
I hate being one of those people that tweaks a recipe, but I had to because of dietary restrictions and lack of carrots lol. I used olive oil instead of butter because of a dairy allergy, mushrooms instead of carrots, fresh garlic/onion/parsley instead of dried and everything was so good! Even without the butter, the starch from the rice made for a creamy, soul hugging chicken and rice dish. It’s going to be a staple dish for sure and can’t wait to make it when it’s colder.
I’m so glad you were able to make this dish work for you, Erin!! Soul hugging is a great way to describe it. Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Thank you for replying. We have a dairy allergy and I am trying tonight with olive oil. Good to know it can still be creamy!
This was SO good! Definitely going on my list of go-to recipes, especially when I want something a little lower effort. Next time I’ll probably add in more carrots too! I was totally skeptical about the 8 cups of broth but it all worked out perfectly in the end :)
I’m so glad to hear it was a winner, Audrey!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This recipe is so easy and DELICIOUS! My whole family love it. It’s the ultimate comfort food while still being relatively healthy. I usually add celery and use fresh onion and garlic but have also made it exactly as written and it always comes out great. The seasoned salt is to die for and is what makes this recipe as delicious as it is.
I’m SO glad you love this recipe so much, Val!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating – I so appreciate it!!
Can you use arborio rice?
Hi Pearl! Jasmine or basmati rice is recommended for this recipe – I haven’t tested it using arborio. :)
Does this recipe freeze?
I don’t recommend freezing this recipe! In my experience, cooked >> frozen >> thawed rice dishes can turn mushy.
I plan on trying this – this week. I may add some additional veggies, cuz they are good for you ;). I did get a laugh from the “small chicken breasts”. You can’t get smalls from Costco. Thanks for sharing.
That’s true – they really vary widely in size!
I put everything in the rice cooker. My rice cooker is small and I could only add a little over 2 cups of broth but after it was done I added more broth and some soy sauce. It was delish!
Ooo, I love the soy sauce addition – yum!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating, Angelina!
Made this for dinner waiting on it to cool. Looks yummy
I hope it’s a hit, Nancie!
Can I is cauliflower rice?
Hi Lauri! You could try but you wouldn’t need near the same amount of broth since cauliflower doesn’t absorb liquid.
I made this tonight. It was very easy and tasted great. I used fresh onion and garlic powder as subs. I added extra chicken. My son loved it and is still learning to like mixed food so definitely a hit at our house.
I’m so thrilled it was a hit with your family, Betsy, and that you were able to make it yours! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I made this tonight and it is a stretch to call it a soup. More like a rice bowl meal. After cooking, there is very little liquid remaining. The flavors are good and it is hearty though for sure!
Hi Gloria! So glad you enjoyed it!! This is definitely like a creamy risotto vs a brothy soup, so you are/were on the right track!
I made this tonight. I love one pot quick dinners. This was easy to make and quite tasty. I would make it again.
So glad it was good enough to repeat sometime, Fern! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This was so delicious. I used stock I had made the night before, added one cut up leek (as suggested), fresh garlic, fresh carrots from my deck garden and frozen organic corn. So simple and extremely delicious. I also used organic rice. I think the rice makes a huge difference! My husband loved it too! There are many leftovers! This feeds a ton of people!
Love the ways you made this dish your own, Jackie!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This was super delicious and very easy to make.
It also struck me that this would be a good meal – sans the spices – for when you are sick. It would still be delicious but still easy on the tummy.
Absolutely! Such a comforting meal and easy to digest when you’re not feeling well!
I made the Chicken and Rice last night. It was so good! I am recovering from the stomach bug and needed something that I could eat. This fit the bill! Thanks!
I’m so glad it hit the spot, Tonya, and hope you feel better ASAP!!
I am shocked by how easy this recipe is and how unbelievably delicious it tastes. This is 100% going into my meal cycle. I followed the recipe exactly as posted and A+