There are some things that just go together: peanut butter + jelly (like in our PB&J bread pudding), gin + tonic (try our blueberry version), tomato + basil (like in our caprese salad)... One of our absolute favorites? Chicken and rice. We’re always reaching for one or the other when planning our meals (“chicken: it’s what’s for dinner”, right?), but when they get together? They’re the weeknight dinner dream team. Check out our 27 chicken and rice recipes for ideas—you’re sure to find a new favorite among them.
It has to be said: chicken and rice can sound a little… boring. If you’re planning on eating a dry chicken breast over white rice, it might be. But you know that’s not our style. Instead, there’s enough variation in these recipes that we bet you could make them multiple times a week and not get sick of them. We’ve got a couple tips for keeping things fresh:
Change up your rice: If you’re only familiar with unseasoned white rice, you’re missing out on a whole world of options you can use to jazz up even the most basic of meals. Try swapping in brown rice or wild rice, like in our chicken & wild rice soup or our Greek power bowls. You can even add ingredients to white rice to make it more exciting, like herbs in our cilantro lime chicken rice bowl or coconut milk in our chicken & coconut rice casserole.
Add more veggies: Chicken and rice are great all on their own, but like most things, they can benefit from some added produce. Check out our harvest chicken casserole (with butternut squash and Brussels sprouts, mm), our chicken spinach artichoke rice casserole, or our cheesy chicken broccoli bake for ideas, but really, anything goes. You could even add fruit, like in our chicken pineapple teriyaki bowls.
Spice it up: One of our favorite things about chicken and rice is how familiar it is, which makes it the perfect canvas for expanding your flavor horizons. Not sure how you feel about spice? Add it to chicken and rice, like in our salsa verde chicken & rice foil pack or our creamy paprika chicken. Have a picky kid, but still gotta feed the family? Add ranch seasoning to your meal like in our ranch chicken & rice, and you’ll have a meal everyone can enjoy. Want to have a Mexican night, but not feeling tacos? Throw a fiesta with our arroz con pollo or our one skillet taco chicken & rice.
Want even more ideas? Check out our favorite chicken weeknight dinners and rice recipes—combine them to make your own chicken & rice recipes.
Arroz Con Pollo
Want something awesome for dinner, but don't want to spend your entire evening cooking and cleaning? Arroz con pollo (chicken with rice in Spanish) is the the perfect recipe. It's an easy one pot meal that doesn't taste like one, and it tastes even better as leftovers.
Get the Arroz Con Pollo recipe.
Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Bowls
The pineapple in this recipe doesn't just serve as a pretty serving vessel. It adds a fresh and vibrant sweetness to this teriyaki sauce as well. Use the juice that pools at the bottom of your pineapple when scooping out the chunks.
Chicken and Rice Casserole
You don't even have to dirty a pan for this easy recipe. Put the uncooked rice and onion, broth, and cream of mushroom soup into a casserole dish and then top with the chicken thighs. After everything cooks together you'll have the most flavorful rice without any stress of cooking it on the stove.
Get the Chicken and Rice Casserole recipe.
Chicken Fried Rice
This dish started as way to use leftover rice that has dried out and may not be great on its own, but is still perfectly edible. The addition of oil and soy sauce and veggies and meat spruce up the rice for a delicious meal.
Get the Chicken Fried Rice recipe.
Cilantro Lime Chicken & Rice Bowl
This bowl is sort of like a deconstructed taco, with one important addition: the cilantro-lime aioli. It takes this simple chicken and rice meal over the top (read: make extra!).
Instant Pot Chicken & Rice
If there's one thing we find magical about pressure cookers, it's how quickly and perfectly they cook chicken and rice. The rice gets to the perfect texture and the chicken becomes insanely tender, all in less than 15 minutes.
Get the Instant Pot Chicken & Rice recipe.
Chicken Spinach Artichoke Rice Casserole
It's easy to make spinach and artichoke dip into a comforting casserole fit for a weeknight dinner: simply add rice and rotisserie chicken, and you're set.
Ranch Chicken & Rice
Ranch dressing turns up the flavor on this chicken and rice dish real quick. Everyone in the family will enjoy this dish (even the pickiest of eaters).
Get the Ranch Chicken & Rice recipe.
Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
This comforting soup is sort of like an earthy version of chicken noodle soup. Wild rice brings some subtle floral, smokey flavors, while bone-in chicken thighs provide enough fat and flavor for a rich homemade stock. Topped with crispy chicken skin "croutons", we dare you to find a meal that can ward off the blustery cold like this one.
Get the Chicken & Wild Rice Soup recipe.
Chicken & Coconut Rice Casserole
Coconut milk is truly magical. It turns ordinary rice into a creamy, flavorful, perfectly cooked rice. We're honestly never cooking our rice without it again.
No-Peek Chicken
DON'T let the title tempt you into peeking at this chicken while it's cooking. Covering it while baking lets it capture all of the steam to cook the rice and chicken together. Trust us, it's worth the mystery till the end.
Get the No-Peek Chicken recipe.
Harvest Chicken Casserole
This satisfying casserole has ALL of your fall favorites—Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cranberries... Make it for a big crowd, or pack it up and eat the leftovers for lunch. It's a meal prep DREAM.
Get the Harvest Chicken Casserole recipe.
Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup
If you love this classic Panera recipe, just wait until you try it at home. Our copycat has spot on flavor, and takes less than an hour to make.
Get the Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup recipe.
Creamy Paprika Chicken
This super flavorful one-pan chicken and rice dish comes together in 30 minutes. It's not too spicy (thanks to a little heavy cream) and we can't get enough of it.
Get the Creamy Paprika Chicken recipe.
Greek Gyro Skillet
Everything you love about a chicken gyro, made all in one skillet. We won't judge if you want to double carb it up and serve this alongside some warm pita.
Get the Greek Gyro Skillet recipe.
Salsa Verde Chicken & Rice Foil Packs
We love a good salsa verde recipe (salsa verde queso, one-pan salsa verde shrimp and rice, baked salsa verde chicken...), so it's a no-brainer for an easy weeknight dinner on the grill too. Instant rice, black beans, and Monterey Jack make it a full meal we come back to again and again.
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Bake
We can't get enough of this cheesy rice bake stuffed with chicken, broccoli, and cheddar. The brilliance of this dish isn't just the flavor combo—it's the fact that you're making it all in one pan... one pan, people! We're talkin' weeknight dinner GOLD.
Get the Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Bake recipe.
One Skillet Taco Chicken & Rice
Filled with spice-rubbed chicken breast and brown rice, this hearty casserole is a healthier take on Tex-Mex. Meal planning? Leftovers taste just as good the next day.
Greek Power Bowls
Put all your favorite Greek flavors—feta, kalamatas, cucumbers, and tomatoes—over brown rice with a simple red wine vinaigrette for a simple lunch or dinner worth looking forward to.
Get the Greek Power Bowls recipe.
Slow-Cooker Paella
Everything you love about paella, made even easier in your slow cooker!
Get the Slow-Cooker Paella recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
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