What to Make With Chicken and Rice: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners
It's 5:30. The backpacks are on the floor, and dinner is chicken and rice. You have about half an hour, not a weekend project. These three stay in one pan or one pot, use oil, garlic, and soy sauce you already keep, and stay mild enough for a kid who eyes the sauce. The number on each card is the total time, from the first cut to the plate. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.
Quick picks: 3 dinners with chicken and rice in 30 minutes or less
Fastest option: a 18-minute dinner
18 min
Chicken fried rice
Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Cold rice fries in a hot skillet with egg, soy sauce, and chicken that is already cooked.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cold cooked rice
- 2 cups cooked chicken
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cloves garlic
Steps
- Heat a wide skillet until a drop of water skitters, then add oil.
- Scramble the eggs just until set and scoop them onto a plate.
- Add the cold rice and press it flat for a minute so it fries instead of steaming.
- Stir in the chicken, peas, garlic, and soy sauce until the chicken is hot and the rice looks glossy.
- Taste. If it tastes flat, add a pinch of salt. Eat it from the skillet.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days. Reheat it in a skillet, not a pile in the microwave.
One-pan or sheet-pan option
25 min
Tomato skillet chicken and rice
Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Small pieces of chicken and raw rice simmer in tomato and cumin, one deep skillet, no lid-watching marathon.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken
- 1 cup rice
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 cups water
Steps
- Cut the chicken into small pieces so it finishes with the rice, and salt it.
- Brown the chicken with the cumin in a deep skillet. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste until the paste darkens.
- Add the rice and the water. The water should just cover the rice. Stir once.
- Cover and simmer 15 minutes. If the rice is still firm, add a splash of water and give it 3 more minutes.
- Rest covered. The chicken should be opaque and the rice separate, not a porridge.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days. Loosen it with a splash of water when you reheat it.
The other dinner
30 min
Covered chicken and rice pilaf
Total time, start to plate · One pot · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Thighs brown, raw rice toasts in the same pot, then both finish under a lid.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
Steps
- Pat the chicken thighs dry and season them with the salt.
- Brown the thighs in a heavy pot, then set them on a plate. Leave the browned bits.
- Soften the onion and garlic in that pot. Stir in the raw rice until the edges look toasted.
- Pour in the water, nestle the chicken on top, cover, and cook 18 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Rest off the heat for 5 minutes. The rice should be tender and the chicken cooked through.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days or the freezer for a month. The rice firms up and still tastes like dinner.
Make it with leftovers
Cooked chicken and cold rice are what the fried rice wants. Heat the chicken through. Don't brown it again. Cold rice fries. Fresh rice turns mushy, so save fresh rice for the pilaf and the tomato skillet, which both start with raw rice.
Pantry staples you'll need
- Oil
- Salt
- Garlic
- Soy sauce
- Onion
No rice: small pasta can stand in for the fried rice only. No chicken: shredded rotisserie chicken works in the fried rice and the tomato skillet. Thighs belong in the pilaf, because they stay moist under the lid.
Picky-eater and healthy tweaks
Keep the soy sauce in a little bowl on the side and skip the onion. Chicken fried rice is the familiar plate. The pilaf is plain salt and chicken, which is the one to serve if sauce is a fight.
Use chicken breast in the fried rice, go easy on the oil, and add frozen peas. Skip a creamy sauce. This page doesn't print calories. The useful difference is chicken and rice plus a vegetable.
Have something else in the fridge?
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Questions
What can I make with chicken and rice in 20 minutes?
Chicken fried rice takes 18 minutes, start to plate. Cold rice fries in a hot skillet with egg, soy sauce, and chicken that is already cooked.
What's the easiest dinner with chicken and rice?
Chicken fried rice is the low-fuss one: one skillet, 18 minutes. Cold rice fries in a hot skillet with egg, soy sauce, and chicken that is already cooked.
Can I make this with leftover or cooked chicken?
Cooked chicken and cold rice are what the fried rice wants. Heat the chicken through. Don't brown it again. Cold rice fries. Fresh rice turns mushy, so save fresh rice for the pilaf and the tomato skillet, which both start with raw rice.
What else can I add to chicken and rice for a full meal?
The cards already use cold cooked rice, cooked chicken, eggs. A piece of fruit or a handful of frozen vegetables is enough if you want more on the plate. Don't make a second shopping trip.
Is chicken and rice a healthy dinner?
Use chicken breast in the fried rice, go easy on the oil, and add frozen peas. Skip a creamy sauce. This page doesn't print calories. The useful difference is chicken and rice plus a vegetable.
How do I make chicken and rice kid-friendly?
Keep the soy sauce in a little bowl on the side and skip the onion. Chicken fried rice is the familiar plate. The pilaf is plain salt and chicken, which is the one to serve if sauce is a fight.
Can I make chicken and rice in one pan or a sheet pan?
Tomato skillet chicken and rice uses one skillet and takes 25 minutes. Small pieces of chicken and raw rice simmer in tomato and cumin, one deep skillet, no lid-watching marathon.
What if I don't have rice?
No rice: small pasta can stand in for the fried rice only. No chicken: shredded rotisserie chicken works in the fried rice and the tomato skillet. Thighs belong in the pilaf, because they stay moist under the lid.