Chicken and Rice Recipe
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This Chicken and Rice Recipe is one of my most favorite comfort foods and is simple to prepare.
Each of us have those certain dishes that never require following a recipe. The flavors mingle in your mind. They’re just part of you and what you know. Out of habit and familiarity, the dish materializes before your eyes. Kind of like a dance you’ve always danced. You don’t think about it. You just do it.
No precise measuring. No fancy techniques. No strict timers or guidelines. And then it’s complete.
Dishes like these are usually our comfort foods. Food we’ve grown up with. Comfort derived not just from the enjoyment of eating the food itself but from the process of doing something routine, regular, and familiar.
This dish of Chicken and Rice recipe is that kind of comfort food for me. Having grown up with it, watching my grandmothers, and mother make it, and now being able to share it with my family is a pleasure. It’s special. Not to mention super yummy. My daughter requests this along with the White Bean Chicken Chili regularly. And one day she’ll learn to make it for her family too.
Here in the south Chicken and Rice is a regional favorite, and you’ll find as many versions as there are different southern accents. Particularly in the Low Country in South Carolina, Chicken and Rice may be referred to as Chicken Bog or Chicken Pileau (or perlow, or pilau, or perlieu?). While each may have a slight variation in ingredients (some recipes may include sausage and/or wine), all have two things in common: chicken that’s been cooked in a pot of it’s own broth until it’s falling off the bone, and rice added to soak up all the broth-y goodness.
I don’t know what the higher ups in all things food would call this version that I’m sharing with you, but we call it Chicken and Rice. And that suits me just fine.
I’ve been cooking this Chicken and Rice recipe for years, and, as I said, I don’t really follow a recipe. But the last few times I’ve made it I’ve taken notes so it could be shared with you. The recipe follows but please make it your own. It’s a basic rendition but sure to please. The ingredients are simple: a whole chicken, rice, celery and onion are the main ingredients, with the addition of a few seasonings. The process is pretty simple as well. I put mine together similar to a risotto.
After the chicken has cooked and the meat is falling off the bone (at least an hour, but the more the bettah), remove the chicken and let cool slightly in order to debone. While the chicken is cooling I usually let the broth reduce a bit more. When chicken is deboned, I remove all of the broth (or use another large pot) and put about 6 cups of broth back into the pot with 3 cups of rice and the deboned chicken. Add additional salt and pepper, cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes. Stir rice and add another cup of broth, cover and cook an additional 5 minutes. Continue the process by simmering covered and stirring in more broth every 5 minutes or so, until rice is done. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Result? A smooth, creamy and tasty Chicken and Rice. And a wonderful smelling house!
I sure hope you enjoy it as much as we do and that it brings you a measure of comfort too.
One note: If you don’t own a dutch oven or large cast iron pot, this would be a good recipe to test drive one with. They are such a all-around good item to have for a well-stocked kitchen.
Chicken and Rice Recipe
Chicken and Rice Recipe
Chicken and rice is the perfect comfort food for any time of the year.
Ingredients
- 4 quarts (16 cups) water approx. (enough to cover chicken)
- 4 lb. (approx.) whole chicken
- 3-4 stalks celery; rough chopped
- 1 large sweet onion; diced
- 1 teaspoon pepper – divided
- 1 teaspoon salt – divided
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley – divided
- 3 cups long grain white rice
Instructions
- In a large stock pot bring water, chicken, celery, onion, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, oregano, celery salt, 1 teaspoon parsley to boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for at least 1 hour (2-3 hours would be even better).
- Once simmering is complete, remove chicken to cool in order to debone. Let broth continue to simmer and reduce.
- When cool enough to handle, debone chicken.
- Remove all broth from pot (or use another pot) and put approximately 6 cups broth back into pot along with the rice, chicken, remaining pepper, salt and parsley. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes stir in another cup of broth. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Continue to check the rice for doneness every 5 minutes. Stir in a little broth as needed to avoid rice drying out and sticking to the bottom of the pan, cover and simmer; repeat this step until rice is done.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
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This DOES look like comfort food. Love it!
Will chicken and rice taste just good with just salt and pepper?
Yes it will Tim. White rice, chicken,salt and pepper does just fine together. You can even use boneless and skin less breasts or thighs too. Take that and boil in water for 30 mins, take out the chicken and let it cool. You can tear it with your fingers. Then add the rice chicken and the water you boiled the chicken it back together and your set. Salt and pepper when just chicken is boiling and then again with all the mixture. I’m from NC home of the chicken bog as we call it( chicken and rice with sausage). lowered seasoning salt is a great sub for the salt and better taste as well. Hope this helps.
Do I need to put butter in the chicken and rice?
No need for anything extra. Just season to taste and adjust to preference.
I just added some green bell pepper and a pinch of garlic powder. The rest speaks for itself. Thank you so much.
Looks good, Amy. To save time in preparation, use a cut-up chicken. If you cut the chicken into pieces (like drumbsticks, thighs, breast, wings, etc.) before it is cooked there is no need to debone it after it is cooked. This is truely food for the soul. Love, Mom
This is just like my Aunt use to make. This was sooooo good and of course I add lot’s of soy sauce. Thank you.
Oooh, Josie! More soy sauce is always a great thing.
Has anyone ever used fresh thyme?
Yes I do, it brings out more flavor
And crispy Chinese noodles on top. I also use soy sauce.
I think this would be a definite winner at my house! Looks delish!!
I have a favorite chicken and rice recipe very similar to your recipe that has been handed down by my grandmother and mother. Only difference is a can of onion soup is added to the rice and chicken. I just may have to write this down for next week’s menus – haven’t made it in awhile.
Oooh that sounds delicious!
I feel very cheated that I have never had chicken and rice before! I’ll be making this soon. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh you are missing something for sure. We grew up on this. I’m from NC! Just wondering where you are from that you have never had it before?
this is a childhood favorite as i’m from D.C., but my granny was from Columbia, S.C. I still make this chicken and rice for my GROWN children and grand child. Sometimes, I add a can of condense cream of chicken sprinkled with lemon pepper for an added kick of flavor!!!!
I will be making this soon! I love to eat chicken and rice made by someone else, but I’ve always screwed it up when I made it (with no recipe). I think yours will work nicely, thank you!
Now, photography question – how did you get the first shot, with the steam coming off of it? Do you mind sharing lens, aperture, ISO, shutter speed and white balance? I would love to improve my food shots and learning from others seems to work best.
I love chicken and rice and never know how to make it properly. Thanks for the recipe! I will be making this soon.
Too bad we don’t have smellavision! Just looking at that first picture with the steam coming off that beautiful bowl of chicken and rice… amazing! And it looks like I should be able to pick the onion and celery right off the screen. Love your photos! Can’t wait to try this version of Chicken and Rice. I make a similar one but have never tried the risotto style of adding the broth a cup at a time. Yum…
We had never made rice this way. Even though we eat rice practically everyday…
The picture looks good, but from what I read from the recipe… Is the chicken stock alone enough to make the rice dish tasty (like risotto kind of tasty??)
Hey Books We Read!
You could always add more seasoning to taste but for us the broth w/ that is seasoned with the salt, pepper, oregano, celery salt, parsley is pretty tasty. Make it yours!
~ Amy J.
What a beautiful, comforting dish. Thanks for taking the time to write up a recipe for us. I still haven’t been able to cook dishes without a recipe (well, I did just memorize one recipe not too long ago), but I can’t wait to be able to create dishes like that. Chicken and rice sounds great.
Wonderful! Can’t go wrong with that combination of ingredients and it looks just perfect for this cold weather.
The chicken is on the stove boiling away right now. It already smells fabulous. 🙂
Back to say that this was absolutely delicious! My whole family loved it! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
We SC girls love our chicken bog! YUM. It’s been a while since I had it too so think this will be an opportune time to make it again. Your photos are to die for. I want to be able to do that! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. I couldn’t remember what true southerners call it. Bog. Chicken bo
g!
Actually a chicken bog and chicken and rice are different. A chicken bog is mushier and often has other ingredients such as sausage. Chicken and rice is just that, the rice is looser and not sticky. Both are scrumptious ! SC girl here!
I love your reciepes. You make them seems so easy and your photography is fabulous.
keep it coming
I did it! Delicis. Pa liked it, too. Thanks. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?! Keep’um coming.
Yes, it was delicious, but I added kielbasa sausage to kick it up a notch.
Thanks so much for the recipe! Instead of cooking the chicken on the stove for 1-3 hours, could I put it in a slow cooker on low while I am working? Just wondering…
Yes. I used to make my chicken and rice just like this as I got the recipe from my MIL in SC. But, now days I crockpot most all of my meat in advance to save time throughout the week. When I’m ready to make chicken and rice, I use chicken broth to make my rice in and add the shredded chicken I made eatlier and season. Tastes just as great but saves prep time on busy nights
Yes. I boil my hen in a crock pot during holidays.
Most delicious! Still full, I found myself thinking about it an hour after eating…hmmmm….should I eat some more? hahaha. I will make this again and again. Thanks!
I have had a love hate relationship with chicken and rice for 25 yrs. Yours is just like the deep south bogs I remember.