Chicken and Rice Recipe
Sauté carrots and jasmine rice in butter, simmer gently in rich chicken stock, and stir in tender chicken pieces for a creamy, comforting one-pot dinner ready in 50 minutes.
Equipment
- large soup pot
- Glass storage containers
Ingredients
- 4 - 6 Tablespoons butter or vegan butter (divided)
- 1 heaping cup shredded or chopped carrots
- homemade seasoned salt and pepper (to taste)
- 2 scant cups long grain white rice (Lundberg White Jasmine Rice recommended)
- 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 chicken breasts (~1lb, cut into bite-sized pieces (NOT HUNKS))
Instructions
- Warm 2 Tablespoons butter in a large soup pot over medium heat, then add the carrots and season them with seasoned salt and pepper; cover and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring now and then. The carrots should soften and brighten in color without browning heavily.
- Uncover the pot and stir in the rice, dried minced onion, and dried minced garlic; cook for 1 minute so every grain gets coated in butter, then add the parsley and chicken stock and bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Stir occasionally as it heats, and look for a fragrant onion-and-garlic aroma with rice moving freely across the pot bottom.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally; season the chicken with seasoned salt and pepper, add it to the pot, return the liquid to a simmer if needed, then continue cooking for 7-10 minutes while stirring more often near the end. The finished rice should be tender with a slight chew, and the chicken pieces should be opaque throughout.
- Take the pot off the heat, stir in the remaining 2 - 4 Tablespoons butter, and adjust the seasoned salt and pepper if needed; cover and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving. As the pot rests, the broth settles into a thicker, glossy sauce that clings gently to the rice.
Notes
Resting cue: Do not skip the covered 5-minute rest off the burner. As steam subsides, the starch binds with the broth and final butter to create the dish's signature creamy texture.
Heat control: Maintain a calm medium-low simmer with gentle bubbling rather than a violent rolling boil, which prevents rice from scorching or turning gummy.
Reheating: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of chicken stock or water per portion and warm covered over medium-low heat or in the microwave to loosen the sauce and keep the rice moist.
Nutrition information is an estimate based on common ingredients and serving sizes. Values may vary depending on brands, portions, and substitutions.