You’re going to love this delicious comforting Creamy Chicken and Rice!
The jasmine rice is cooked along with seasoned chicken thighs until tender, and finished with cream and grated parmesan cheese.
We love to make this dish on weeknights. It’s a complete meal on its own, and takes under 40 minutes to make!
This creamy chicken and rice is a classic and a hearty dish that never fails to satisfy. Our family LOVES it! It’s so tasty, tender, and perfectly creamy.
Even though it’s a full meal on its own, we often serve it with simple steamed vegetables or a simple house salad. This is also the kind of dish that reheats really well, so I always make extra for lunch the next day.
When it comes to simple one pan chicken recipes, this creamy chicken and rice recipe is always our go-to. Something about one pot rice meals always sounds good, like our Mexican Chicken and Rice and Chicken and Chorizo Paella.
This recipe is make-ahead and freezer friendly as well. It’s super convenient!
Why we love this creamy chicken and rice recipe:
- Perfectly creamy: The combination of heavy cream and Parmesan cheese gives this chicken and rice the perfect texture.
- Cozy and comforting: If you equate creamy with comforting, you sure are right! It’s pure comfort.
- A great weeknight meal and easy to make. Ready in under 40 minutes with minimal clean-up. More on this below!
- Make-ahead and freezer friendly.
Jump to:
The Perfect Weeknight Meal
We love making creamy chicken and rice on weeknights. It’s a whole balanced meal as is, but we like to serve with simple steamed veggies or our House Salad.
Aside from being perfectly creamy, tender, with a touch of savory parmesan, it’s a super easy and complete meal on its one. This one pan chicken and rice wonder that takes under 40 minutes to make.
And it’s even faster if you have everything prepared in advance. For example, you can pre-dice the aromatics, and season the chicken 1-2 days ahead. Need a shortcut? Use leftover shredded chicken instead!
Ingredient Notes
These are the ingredients I used to make creamy chicken and rice, plus a few helpful notes. As always, the quantities can be found in the recipe card down below.
- Boneless chicken thighs or breast: I prefer using chicken thighs because they turn out juicier and more tender than breasts, but either one works.
- Unsalted butter: Cooking the chicken and aromatics in butter adds a richer and cozier flavor profile, but feel free to use olive oil instead.
- Garlic powder and Italian seasoning: Used to season the chicken and the aromatics base.
- Onions and minced garlic: These two classic aromatics are sautéed until fragrant to build the foundational flavors.
- Jasmine rice: Jasmine rice is extra fragrant and its grains tend to separate pretty well, making it perfect for absorbing the cream. Any white long grain rice works too.
- Chicken broth: Using broth instead of water to cook the rice adds amazing flavors throughout.
- Heavy cream: It’s got the perfect consistency to make this rice dish creamy. Don’t use milk or half-and-half, as the rice can turn out too watery.
- Grated parmesan cheese: The savory flavors of parmesan complements the creamy texture so well.
- Fresh Parsley: Adds a pop of color and a hint of freshness.
- Salt and pepper
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Making this one pan creamy chicken and rice couldn’t be any easier. In just a few simple steps, you’ll have dinner ready. Here’s how I make it.
Step 1 | Cook chicken and aromatics
Generously season the diced chicken with a garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. If needed add a few drizzles of oil to help the seasoning incorporate better. In a large 12-inch sauté pan, sear the chicken over medium-high heat until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, melt the butter and sauté the diced onions until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and Italian seasoning, and sauté for another 1 minute.
Step 2 | Add rice and chicken
Then, add in the rice and stir for just a few minutes until it smells fragrant. This step (toasting the rice) works great to bring out the rice’s natural aromatic and nutty flavors.
Step 3 | Combine and simmer
Add the broth and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, over medium-low heat until the rice is tender and cooked, about 18 to 20 minutes.
Once cooked, there should be a little bit of liquid left – the rice should look a little more “wet” than usual. I included an extra bit of broth compared to the standard ratio, to allow the cream to incorporate well later.
Step 4 | Finish with cheese and cream
Stir in the heavy cream and stir until incorporated. Do the same with the parmesan cheese. Adjust the cream quantity for your desired consistency.
Finish the creamy chicken and rice with freshly chopped Italian parsley. It adds a touch of freshness and a really nice pop of color.
What Type of Rice to Use
For the best results, I’d recommend jasmine rice or white long grain rice.
I like to use jasmine because it’s fragrant and how well the grains separate when cooked, all while maintaining a tender texture. It does a great job absorbing the heavy cream without turning too soft. It’s the same reason I use it to make my coconut rice recipe.
Feel free to use brown rice instead, but you may need to adjust the water-to-rice ratios and cooking times according to package directions.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
Serve this creamy chicken and rice on its own, or pair it with green such as our House Salad or Lemon Arugula Salad for a well-balanced meal.
Other simple sides you can whip in just a few minutes are a simple sauteed spinach, steam mixed veggies, or glazed carrots. You can also try my favorite Parmesan Roasted Broccoli!
More comforting rice dishes:
- One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice
- Chicken and Chorizo Paella
- Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowls
- Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice and Soup
Recipe FAQs
If making ahead, I’d recommend cooking the rice and chicken without adding the heavy cream or Parmesan cheese yet. Refrigerate until ready to cook. When ready, reheat over the stovetop with a little splash of broth, and then stir in the heavy cream, cheese, and parsley as directed.
Yes! Follow the same directions, but bake (with the cream included) at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.
Yes, freeze in containers for up to 3 months. I like to use my Souper Cubes for freezing into smaller portions. Thaw in the fridge and reheat over the stovetop, adding a little more broth or cream as needed.
I used a 12-inch sauté pan with a lid, but you can use anything (either a pot or skillet) that will hold about 3 cups of cooked rice plus the cooked chicken.
Tips for Success
- I’d highly recommend using jasmine rice for this recipe. Aside from being extra fragrant, its grains tend to separate well when cooked, which helps with absorbing the cream better.
- Do not use instant rice for this recipe, otherwise the texture will be too soft and mushy. Use long grain rice.
- Let the rice cook covered and undisturbed until tender. This takes about 18-20 minutes. Opening the lid will cause the steam to escape and may take longer.
- Feel free to use either chicken thighs or breasts for this recipe. If you’re short on time, rotisserie chicken works too (add near the end).
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Creamy Chicken and Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 ½ pounds boneless chicken thighs or breast, diced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the rice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ a medium yellow onion, small-diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 cup jasmine or white long grain rice - uncooked
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth - plus more as needed
- ½ cup heavy cream - plus more as needed
- ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese - plus more for garnish
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Season the diced chicken with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.
- In a large 12-inch sauté pan (with a lid) over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Cook chicken until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cook the diced onions until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then, add garlic and Italian seasoning, and cook for another 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the rice and stir until nutty and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Return the cooked chicken into the skillet.
- Stir in the broth until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, and cook with the lid covered for about 18 to 20 minutes, until the rice is tender.
- At this point, the rice should be tender with a little bit of broth still present. Stir in the heavy cream and grated parmesan cheese until incorporated and warm. Note: For this recipe, I included more broth than the standard ratio to help the cream incorporate better.
- Finish with more parmesan cheese and parsley on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave oven with an extra splash of broth or cream.
- Make ahead: Cook according to directions, but don’t add the heavy cream or Parmesan cheese yet. Refrigerate rice until ready to cook. When ready, reheat over the stovetop with some broth and then stir in the heavy cream and cheese.
- Freezing: Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat as needed.
- Chicken: I’d recommend boneless thighs, but breasts work too. Leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken works really well too.
- Jasmine rice: White long grain rice. If using brown rice, adjust the amount of liquid and cooking time according to package directions.
Mal says
I love this recipe so much! I’m trying to track what I eat, do you know how many grams per serving? Thank you!
Nicole says
I just happened to find this recipe while searching for a new way to serve chicken and rice for dinner. I made it tonight and got rave reviews from my picky 12 year old son. He loves it! He is already talking about having leftovers tomorrow after school. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Tania says
That’s so sweet! Thank you for trying my recipe!