We affectionately call this One-Pot Chicken and Rice dish “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, it’s creamy and made in one pot like porridge or “gruel”, but is absolutely delicious and super comforting. Plus it’s easy to eat – even for 2 year olds. ;)
Sliced carrots are sauteed in butter and homemade seasoned salt then joined by dried minced onions, garlic, parsley, rice, diced chicken, and rich 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!
Now, a couple notes:
- 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 very 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! Point being, this isn’t fancy or fussy cooking – use what you’ve got and follow your heart.
- 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 might need more chicken stock and of course will need to increase the cooking time.
- Since this dish has just a few simple ingredients, I like using gluten free chicken STOCK vs broth for maximum flavor.
- One-Pot 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.
Oh my gosh, yum. Ok, let’s get this grue-, I mean One-Pot Chicken and Rice on the table!
How to Make One-Pot Chicken and Rice:
Start by adding 1 heaping cup sliced carrots (from 1 cup baby carrots or 2 large carrots) to 2 Tablespoons butter that’s been melted 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 2 scant cups good quality long grain white rice, 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion, and 1 teaspoon 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.
Side note: I use their wild rice for my Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, their short grain brown rice for my Pesto Rice, and their arborio rice for all of my risottos.
Add 2 Tablespoons dried parsley and 8 cups chicken stock to the pot then bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low then simmer for 10 minutes. Next, season 2 small 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 2-4 additional Tablespoons 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 – enjoy!
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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 or vegan 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.
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
More Gluten Free One Pot Recipes:
Cheesy Chicken Burrito Skillet >
Crispy Chicken, Bacon, Pesto Gnocchi Skillet >
Next time I will halve this recipe. It made way too much for our family of 4. Also, I used mahatma jasmine rice and it came out a bit mush. I will try lundberg as suggested.
Hello, can you use frozen cauliflower rice instead?
I made a few changes and loved the outcome. I used a Ninja Foodi (similar to Instant Pot). I sauteed some mushrooms with the carrots and used fresh onion and jarred minced garlic. I sauteed the chicken until it was about half cooked, as I wanted to do only a short cycle on pressure cooking. I used 2 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of rice (parboiled – it was all I had on hand – bought a giant box in bulk at the beginning of the pandemic). Pressure cooked for 4 minutes, did a 10 minute natural release, then quick released the rest. I forgot to add more butter or the parsley. It tasted a lot like Rice-A-Roni (I think – haven’t had that since college). The rice was not mushy at all – I actually think it was less creamy than the Kristin’s pics and more like a regular rice dish. Will definitely make again, but may add a bit more broth to get closer to the semi-risotto texture in the pictures. It was so quick, including the prep, and definitely tasty.
I tried this recipe for dinner exactly as written and it was delicious! My family gobbled it all up. Even my picky eaters loved this dish. So incredibly easy and the ingredients are all pantry staples in our house. I will definitely add this to our heavy rotation!
I found that either there was too much broth or too much time to cook the rice. My rice cooked pretty quick and I made sure to get a quality brand jasmine rice.
Not to be a stickler, but it’s important to note that this recipe calls for you to cook the rice for 22-25min, “until [it’s] al dente.” Any white rice in the world is done in 10 min. At 22-25 min, rice isn’t remotely al dente, it’s exploded mush. Maybe some people like it that way, that’s fine, but you’re definitely not getting al dente rice if you cook it that long.
Yes, white rice cooked in a small pot with a lid will cook to al dente in 10 minutes. White rice cooked in a soup style dish without a lid on the pot will cook in 22-25 minutes, as tested and noted in this recipe. Please do not leave comments like this here if you have not made the recipe yourself, as it is inaccurate and can cause confusion for others.
Because I live in Hawaii and it is Hurricane season, I stock up on Costco’s canned chicken. My question is how can I convert this recipe using canned chicken?
We love this recipe. It is so easy and tasty. I just wondered from your note if you knew that coriander(UK) is the same as cilantro(USA).
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for months but my husband was hesitant to try it. Finally made it and it was AMAZING (just like I knew it would be) And he loved it of course. So comforting and filling. This will be in heavy rotation this fall & winter. Thanks for all your amazing recipes – I’ve been a big fan for years!
I love collecting one pot recipes like this. It’s such a time saver, and I only need to prepare one dish for a yummy meal. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
approx. How much of your seasoning recipe did you use with the carrots?
Can’t wait to try this…yum!
I made this last night. It was so easy and tasted fantastic!! My kids loved it.
I make this all the time, subbing vegan butter, vegan chicken, and vegetable broth! I end up using about 6 cups broth instead of 8 and it comes out perfectly. Great for a picky vegan as well (my boyfriend LOL)!
This One-Pot Chicken and Rice is my favorite dish . This dish is very yummy and tasty. I was made this dish at last night. It was very tasty. your all dishes are really tasty. Thanks for sharing information of this recipe with us.
This One-Pot Chicken and Rice is my favorite dish . This dish is very yummy and tasty. I was made this dish at last night. It was very tasty. your all dishes are really tasty. Thanks for sharing information of this recipe with us. lovely dish
This was delicious. I just used real onion and garlic. Loved the season salt recipe
Love this recipe!! So quick, easy and delicious. I plan to experiment a bit in the future too, but it was loved just following this recipe as it is. Thank you!
I made this for my family for lunch today. it looks just like the picture and tastes great! thank you for the recipe :)
Made this tonight and it was so delicious! Really, really loved it!
I made this for the first time tonight, and it is now in the list of family favorites!! It was delicious! I used fresh onion and garlic because that’s what I had. I also cooked it in the instant pot using the directions from other comments here, and it came out perfectly! Thanks for a great recipe!
Not quite certain why you would automatically block printing this recipe from your website. Very disappointing! The whole reason one visits your website is to prepare the recipes. Why would you automatically block printing of the “one pot chicken and rice” recipe?
Not sure what this comment means, Karen? Did you click on the “print recipe” button?
This had good flavors, but way too much rice. I used the exact brand recommended, but it was gloppy. If I tried it again, I would use half the amount of rice, and more chicken. I used fresh parsley, fresh onion and fresh garlic. I also added extra seasoning, because it was bland.
The flavor of this is really good. I use left over rotisserie chicken for this dish. We make a few modifications: reduce the amount of rice by 1/3 and double the chicken.
delicious rice
Yummy! I added celery and onion during the carrots! My family loved it!
Delicious. I halved it for my small family, used leftover rotisserie chicken, brown rice and extra stock from the rotisserie chicken bones and skin. The carrots were a nice touch! I added 1/2 cup of sliced celery, too.
This was pretty bland and it’s kinda mushy. I used the same rice, but I used real garlic and onion.
Sounds like you overcooked your rice. Take the pot off when the rice is tender vs mushy.
I made this today and 8 cups of broth is pretty excessive I would say, used only 5.5 cups for 2 full cups of rice and it turned out great. If not the 2 full cups are required I’d also suggest changing the measurements rather than using a word to say that. I forgot about it and looked it up after the fact
This recipe was so easy and delicious! It fed my family of seven and all my kids gobbled it up without a complaint. This recipe is a keeper, for sure!
Sooo good! I’ve been looking for this recipe forever. Amazing comfort food on a cold night… or any night.
I absolutely love this recipe! It’s super easy and tastes delicious. I am making it a second time tonight but adding mushrooms. Thank you!!!
I’m just making this tonight. It looks perfect for a chilly night! Question. Was I supposed to be cooking the rice and chicken without the lid on? And then put the lid on at the end to sit for 5 minutes? I’m just a little confused. :)
You got it, Kathy! You cook the recipe without the lid, then for the last 5 minutes you place the lid on top. :)
I was reviewing recipes to see if I could add a little something different to my homemade chicken and rice but I came across this recipe and I’m wondering, when does any rice take four cups of liquid to one cup of rice? I was always taught it’s two cups of liquid to two and a half to every cup of rice. Is this recipe off or misprint? I’d like to try it tonight for dinner please let me know. Thank you have a blessed day
Hi Danielle! There is not a misprint. The recipe is 2 scant cups of rice and 8 cups broth, as written
I am not much of a cooker, but this recipe is the BOMB! Oh so easy to make and tasty as all get out. I used the thighs which made it even more flavorfull. I will be making this on a regular basis.
We make the soup version every couple of weeks in the fall and winter. One of my 4 year olds favorites!
We loved the chicken and rice! This one is going into my rotation. I have not been disappointed with any of your recipes!!
Always a hit in my house. My kids like cooked carrots so I generally use 1 1/2 cups.
I don’t comment much, but I follow your site and go to your recipes often. Several are now our favorites and go-tos. 😁
Thrilled to hear it, Molly – thanks for letting me know!!
When first trying a recipe I always follow it completely. I wouldn’t change anything. Really delicious!
Fabulous! Thanks for the great feedback, Diane!
I was having a dinner crisis today and this meal more than satisfied. My whole family loved it and it will certainly be put in the regular rotation. I used frozen carrots because I had them on hand and it came out perfectly. Thanks for such a great recipe! I’m looking forward to trying some other ones. :)
Makes me so happy to hear that, Tracy! So hard to please everyone at dinner time – I’m glad this recipe did that for ya!
This was really good! Even my 4 and 8 year old didn’t fight eating it too much and they won’t eat anything! I also only put a little over 4 cups chicken stock in and 1 cup water, I didn’t realize the carton of stock wasn’t enough. Still turned out great! Curious to see what 8 cups stock would be like, almost seems like it could be too much? Like you mentioned maybe adding celery, I think that would make it really good too.
Perfect for a cold winters night. Made as directed… perfect!
Can you please tell me the nutrition information on this dish. I’ve looked everywhere and I cannot find it. Thank you
Delicious, great comfort food. I cooked boil-in-bag rice separately and added it to the chicken and vegetables at the end. Saved time. Also made seasoning to use in other recipes. Thank you.
Hey!
I almost never make one pot meals like this because I never like how they turn out. However, my little family had a stomach bug yesterday and I found this recipe and thought it would be low effort and I wouldn’t have to make a run to the grocery store to make it.
We added some marjoram and red pepper and it turned out super yummy. We will be adding this to our dinner rotation.
Thanks.
So happy to hear your family loved the recipe, Emily! Hope you are all on the mend!
Can I use long grain brown rice?
Hi Christina! You could but the cooking time will need to be lengthened and you might need more broth.
Do you think this could be made with orzo? Sounds so delicious and I can’t wait to try after all these good reviews!
Hi Ashley! The cooking time and broth amount would need to be changed, but sure you could try that!
I made this yesterday and it was amazing. Best chicken and rice I have ever made. Rich and creamy. Not dried out. Just had leftover’s for lunch and it still is amazing. Definitely will make again.
Cut the recipe in half and used fresh diced onion and garlic. Wish I’d made the full recipe because it was sooo good! Would’ve loved to have had more leftovers. I added a little lemon zest and squeeze of lemon at the end. Husband wants me to try twitch shrimp next time.
Love that lemon addition, Janie! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Hello! I was planning on making this tonight for my daughter because she has had a bit of a stomach bug this week. Is there a good brand of plain white rice you would recommend? She does not like Jasmine rice even though I love it. Thank you!
Hi Kristin! I think Lundberg Farms has a standard “white rice” vs “white jasmine rice” which I would try and find. I am very brand loyal to Lundberg Farms – their stuff is the best!
Made this tonight. Cheap, easy, quick and comforting. Pretty great recipe! Used fresh onion and garlic (sauteed w/ the carrots).