Southern chicken and rice recipe made with tender chicken, fragrant rice, vegetables, and flavorful spices. This southern-style chicken and rice is a classic comfort dish full of flavor. This hearty meal is made from scratch with simple ingredients easily available in the kitchen pantry. This recipe is sure to satisfy the whole family.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4people
Author: Preeti
Equipment
1 Heavy bottom pan or pot with a tight fitting lid
Ingredients
2boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt to taste
1teaspoonpepper(add as per taste)
1onionchopped
2stalks of celery
2teaspoongarlicgrated or minced
½cupcarrotsdiced
¼cupfrozen green peas
3cupsof chicken broth(low sodium preferred)
1.5teaspoondried thyme
1.5teaspoondried parsley
1.5teaspoonground black pepper(add as per taste)
1.5cupsof long-grain rice
4teaspoonolive oil
Instructions
Preparations
Pound the chicken breast to even thickness. Season it with salt and pepper.
Chop the onion, celery, garlic, and carrots. Keep it aside.
Rinse rice 2-3 times with water. Keep it aside.
Making Southern Chicken Rice
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a heavy bottom pan or pot over medium heat. Swirl the pan to coat the oil on the bottom.
When it is hot enough, place the chicken breast over it. Cook it for 2-3 minutes on both sides or until some golden marks appear on it. The chicken need not be cooked at this stage. Remove it to a plate.
Heat 2 teaspoon of oil in the same pan or pot.
Add onions and celery. Sauté until onions are translucent.
Add garlic, carrots, and green peas. Sauté for a minute.
Add chicken broth, dried thyme, dried parsley, and black pepper. Stir gently scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any tiny bits of chicken sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Taste it and add salt as required.
Add rice and gently stir it. When the broth comes to a boil reduce the heat to low.
Add the chicken back to the pan.
Cover and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Or until the chicken and rice are cooked. If using an instant-read meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165 F. Switch off the heat.
Remove the cooked chicken from the pan. Cover the pan and keep it aside undisturbed for 5 minutes.
Shred the chicken with two forks.
Open the lid of the pan and gently fluff the rice with a fork.
Add chicken back to the pan and combine.
Garnish with parsley. Serve it with a lemon wedge.
If you like it spicy, sprinkle red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce while serving it.
Video
Notes
You need a heavy base pot or a pan with a tight-fitting lid. If you do not have a tight-fitting lid then the liquid will evaporate from the sides.
If you are using bone-in chicken then it will take longer to cook. Pan-sear the chicken for 4-5 minutes on medium heat then remove it to a plate. You can follow the rest of the recipe.
While cooking rice, the rice-to-liquid ratio is important. Depending upon which brand of rice you are using the quantity of liquid to cook rice may change. Follow the directions given on the package to cook rice. For 1 cup of rice, I used 1.5 cups of chicken broth. But sometimes the ratio may change. You may require 1.75 cups of chicken broth to cook 1 cup of rice.
Check the liquid at the base of the pan after 12 minutes of cooking. Insert a fork in the middle and lift the rice to check. If it seems completely dried add ¼ cup of water (around the edges of the pan), put on the lid, and cook for another 5 minutes on low heat.