Peanut butter + jelly (like in our PB&J bread pudding), gin + tonic (try our blueberry version), tomato + basil (like in our Caprese salad)... there are some combos that just work. 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 34 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 Goddess 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, our creamy paprika chicken, or our one-pan green chile chicken & rice. 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, our one skillet taco chicken & rice, or our copycat Chipotle burrito bowls.
Want even more ideas? Check our our favorite quinoa and orzo recipes, and our top baked chicken, creamy chicken, and sheet-pan chicken dinners too. Combine them for even more twists on the classic carb + chicken combo.
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 'til the end.
Get the No-Peek Chicken 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.
Goddess Bowls
A good sauce changes everything, and this green goddess dressing is one of our favorites yet. The veggies here are interchangeable, but in the spirit of goddess dressing, we think green is the way to go. Roasted asparagus, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are all good choices.
Get the Goddess Bowls recipe.
One-Pot Adobo Chicken & Rice
Looking to jazz up your weeknight dinner? Chicken adobo to the rescue! Adobo sauce and chipotle chiles bring a little heat and spice things up—you might never go back to plain chicken and rice again.
Get the One-Pot Adobo Chicken & Rice recipe.
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 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.
One-Skillet Creamy Thai Basil Chicken
Want to shake up your dinner routine, without too much work? This totally delicious mashup of coconut rice and Thai basil chicken gets dinner done in one skillet and brings all the flavors of Thai cuisine you crave into your home with ingredients you can find in most grocery stores.
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.
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!).
Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowl
While we’re all about switching things up, when we want a tried-and-true perfect meal, we always go back to the Chipotle chicken burrito bowl. It’s classic, reliable, and, best of all, completely customizable depending on our mood. No corn salsa? Extra guac? At home, you can have it all!
Get the Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowl recipe.
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 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 & 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.
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.
One-Pan Green Chile Chicken & Rice
The rice here reminds us of the cheesy and creamy filling for a burrito, made weeknight-friendly. The green chiles add a slight pickled flavor to the dish, making it bright and kind of tangy. It’s a great meal when you're feeling lazy but craving something cozy and flavorful.
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.
