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.
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Have loved you and your recipes for years–no change here! Thank you! Indiana old girl:)
So glad to have you along for the ride after all these years, Melinda!! Many thanks to you!!
Loved this recipe! I have IBD and can be very limited with diet when in a flare and this recipe checked all my boxes. I did substitute some homemade chicken bone broth for some of the chicken stock to give it a boost. I used my dutch oven to make it and would do so again. I look forward to using this recipe regularly!
I’m so glad this recipe worked for you in a time of need, Anna! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Made this last night and my husband absolutely loved it. We take food to his mom next door because she doesn’t cook any longer. And he packed her a huge bowl lol, he knew she would love it too.
The only thing I did differently was … I used 2 cans of LeSueur tender baby whole carrots, I did not sauté them , I put them in at the end of the recipe. Oh, but then I sautéed real onions and my minced garlic in the butter then added broth, brought that to a boil then added the jasmine rice. And followed recipe till the end. Worked perfectly! A happy night for the husband and mama in law. And of course for me , cause it makes my heart happy when they are happy. ❤️🙏 be blessed 😇 thank you for sharing your recipe.
Aww, what a sweet story, and you are so thoughtful to take care of your Mother in law in this way! Glad it was a happy meal and evening for all, Vickie!
Way too many ads! Kept rolling back to beginning of recipe. Finally gave up. Won’t be going back to your recipes!! 👎
I’m sorry to hear that, Gerene! I strive for the best user experience possible, but please know that ads are the only way I can keep my content free. Can you tell me if you were on your mobile phone, laptop, or desktop? Thanks so much!
Love this recipe! A family favorite, and makes great leftovers :) Can you provide nutritional info, please? My husband is counting macros. Thanks!
I’m so glad it’s a hit with your whole family, Melissa!
Wow, Kristin, this is the BEST! I made it when I had to do a few days of a low fiber diet but wanted a relatively healthy option — perfect! I added a lot more carrots to it, and did a tiny bit of corn starch to thicken a bit more. It was SO GOOD I made it the following week too. I have yet to tire of it! My second round I added 16oz of baby carrots, 1.5 lbs of chicken, and 2 full cups of rice. PERFECTION. I have nothing against white rice, but I’m pretty determined to now figure it out with brown rice. Thanks so much for sharing this winner!!
If you boil the chicken stock then add to your rice it won’t be mushy. My husband is Hispanic so this is the trick his mom taught me when making Mexican rice. It makes a BIG difference.
Thanks for the tip, Kayla!
This looks incredible! Haven’t made it yet, but can’t wait to try it. Looks so comforting – like the perfect bowl of food to enjoy on a cold day. Thank you!
100%! I hope you love it, Christina!
One of our favorites. I have two growing boys that eat A LOT and they always ask for this!
I love hearing that, Callie!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This is AMAZING!!!! I’ve made it a few times now and it comes out perfectly every time. Everyone loves it! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Jane!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I make this all the time… LOVE THIS RECIPE!
So, so happy to hear it, Aimee! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I made this recipe with brown rice. No extra water but cooked the rice for 50 minutes before adding the chicken. I also added 1 cup of frozen peas with the chicken. It turned out yummy!
Sounds awesome, Cindy, thanks for your feedback!!
My kids don’t like cooked carrots. Any replacements you would suggest other than just omitting from the recipe?
You could definitely omit, or if you want to get some vegetables in there you can saute frozen cualiflower rice, or saute shredded zucchini instead (peel it first if they will get suspicious of the green peel!)
This was an easy pleaser. Like delicious vanilla ice cream. We made it for our daughter after she had her 3rd baby. It’s hard to please little appetites, and this was a comforting, good dish. for all.
I doubled it and used jasmine rice since I didn’t have basmati. Added one can of cream of chicken. Doubling made TONS. Will probably make again, single batch. Thank you!
I’m so glad this was a hit, Gina! Like you said – pure and simple comfort food!!
Made this tonight and loved it!! I trusted the recipe as it seemed really soupy throughout most of the cooking. But it all came together and was so good. Served with a salad and I’ll have leftovers for lunches this week!! Another winner. Love your recipes
So glad you trusted the process and it was a winner for you, Lori! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Thank you thank you thank you!!!
This was wonderful and is now one of “comfort foods” for our family!!! Everyone truly enjoyed it.
LOVE to hear that, Theresa! So glad this hits the spot for your family. :)
My husband said this is one of the best things he’s eaten in a long time. Both my kids loved it too! Even the picky toddler. Thanks for a great new recipe!
Oh that’s great!! So glad it was a hit with the entire family! :)
This recipe was so good! I added 1 can of cream of chicken to make it super rich (and what I had in the cabinet) This is a keeper.
LOVE that idea, Tina! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Hi! When you say two cups of rice, did you mean two cups according to the rice package measurements and not just two cups? I did two cups in a measuring cup and now have so much rice made!
Hi Ashley! I’m not sure I understand, but the recipe calls for 2 scant measuring cups full of dry rice (meaning, a little less than 1 measuring cup full of rice, measured twice.) I hope that helps!
This was great and came right on time. Thanks, IowaGirl!
Awesome!! So glad you enjoyed, Dale.