One Pot Chicken and Rice

This One Pot Chicken and Rice is a healthy dinner recipe that requires minimal cleanup and is packed with flavor. It's naturally gluten-free, and everyone loves it! You can even meal prep this healthy chicken and rice on Sunday for easy, well-balanced meals all week.

5 from 12 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken and rice recipe, creamy chicken and rice soup recipe, healthy chicken and rice soup recipe, one pot chicken and rice

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Servings: people

Calories: 424kcal

Author: Tammy Overhoff

Equipment

Large Saute Pan or Skillet
Cooking Spoon and Spatula

Ingredients

1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts this is about 2-3 small chicken breasts
3 tbsp olive oil divided
½ white onion chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
1 cup chicken broth
12 ounce frozen steam in bag broccoli cooked
3 cups cooked brown rice
⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese you can also use grated romano cheese or a blend.
1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

In a small bowl mix together the salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Place the chicken onto a cutting board and cut into chunks or strips. Sprinkle the seasoning on the chicken. Set the chicken aside.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat, and once it's hot, add the chicken. Cook until browned on both sides, cooked through, and no longer pink on the inside.Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
Heat another tablespoon of olive oil, add the onions, and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until translucent.
Add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
Then pour in the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let it cook down for about 2-3 minutes.
Then, stir in the broccoli, rice, and add the chicken back into the pot. Please note you should cook the frozen "steam in bag" broccoli ahead of time using the microwave instructions on the back of the bag.
Give the chicken and rice mixture a couple of stirs and let it cook for about 2-3 minutes until the broccoli and chicken are hot. There should still be some chicken broth at the bottom of the pan. Don't worry; the rice will absorb this and create a creamy, cheesy sauce in the next step.
Reduce heat to low, and add the cooked brown rice, shredded cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese to the pan.
Stir until all ingredients are mixed and the shredded cheddar melts.
Taste for salt and pepper and serve hot!

Video

Notes

Instructions for cooking the brown rice in with the other ingredients:

If you don't have cooked brown rice you can cook the rice in the pot; however, this will add to the cooking time.
After you cook the onions, garlic, and chicken, remove the chicken and add 1.5 uncooked rinsed brown rice into the pot.
Pour in 3 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth), bring to a boil, and then cover and cook for about 30 - 40 minutes until the rice is tender.
If the rice is still firm, add a little more broth and cook until tender.
Add the chicken pieces back to the pot and stir the broccoli and cheese into the rice.
Cook for about 5-10 minutes or until hot.

Meal prep and storage

You can meal prep this chicken and rice recipe in a couple of different ways:

Prep All Of The Components Of The Recipe Ahead Of Time.

Start by cooking the rice and storing it in the refrigerator or freezer. If you freeze it, you'll need to warm it up ahead of time in the microwave using a microwave-safe bowl. However, you can throw it in cold (done it), but it'll just need a little longer to come up to temperature and cook.
Trim and cut the chicken. One of my least favorite things to do is handle raw chicken during the week. Well, actually anytime but during the busy week especially. I meal prep chicken for this recipe is to get it recipe ready by cutting it into cubes.
Chop the broccoli. If you're using fresh broccoli, then cutting it into bite-size pieces will save you a lot of time and mess during the week.
Shred cheese. If you're shredding cheese instead of using packaged shredded cheese for this recipe, then doing this ahead will save time during the week.

When the ingredients are ready ahead of time, you can throw this dinner together in less than 30 minutes during the week.

Completely Cook The Meal And Store

Another way to prepare this recipe is to make it entirely on the weekend and then refrigerate or freeze it for dinner or lunch during the week. Warm it up in the microwave when you're ready to eat!

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