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 add broth, stir, cover and simmer for 5 minutes at a time until rice is done.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
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I was wondering…Do you keep the onions and celery in after cooking the chicken, or do you throw them away? Also, I thought carrots would be a good addition. Just not sure when to add them to avoid mushiness. Any thoughts?
Made this tonight with long grain brown rice. It was absolutely delicious! A healthier version of childhood favorite comfort food. ????
How long did it take for your brown rice to cook with this recipe?
I set the timer for 45 minutes and just kept checking adding more liquid as needed. It was delicious!
Hey y’all, try it with some cranberry sauce on the side (from the can) Yum!!! I miss my mom’s chicken and rice, no matter how many times I make it it’s never as good as Nanny’s.
I can’t wait to make this. Been looking for a recipe for years. This was my favorite lunch at school during my childhood.
Tasteless! So disappointed
What spice should I add???
Carol, I’m not sure what you were expecting as far as the taste of this dish. This is a classic southern recipe that is loved by many just the way this recipe is written. You can always add more onion to the recipe and salt and pepper to your taste preference. If you need additional flavors, I’d recommend oregano, garlic powder and/or celery salt.
I agree Amy! I love this dish! Perfect recipe, no changes! I have made it several times in the past, though it’s been a minute and I can’t remember if I rinsed the rice or not. What do you recommend for this recipe. Hoping you see my comment in the next few hours, as I have a pot of chicken simmering now on the stove. Thank you!
I always add sliced carrots with the celery and onion. Top off my serving with Frank’s hot sauce.
Serve with crusty bread. Yum!
How do things cook differently in a dutch oven compared to just a regular ol’ pot?
This sounds like the recipe my mom used to make, I’ve been trying to find it for years, only ours is a french dish. I was told it contained fowl, not chicken ( no idea what the difference is or where to get it!) sadly my mom passed away many years ago, before I was old enough to care about where all those comfort food recipes came from. My sisters have many of them, thank heaven, but no one seems to have the chicken and rice one, ( or fowl). I’m so excited to try this, I’m sure it’s not exactly the same but it’s a good place to start! So thank you for sharing your recipes, your kids will be very happy that you did!
Oh, thank you for sharing that, Debbi! I hope you can use this recipe as a starting place to recreate your mom’s recipe. Happy cooking!
To make this even better, dice an additional carrot, celery stalk and onion. Add them to the pot along with the rice and chicken. Can’t be beaten! We always season ours up with freshly ground coarse pepper.
Had a brain fart and couldn’t remember my proprtions. Looked up your recipe and jogged my memory. Terrible to forget such simple things I’ve done a thousand times. Your recipe is like my own. Simple but comforting.
It was a cold rainy day today….so I made my Mama’s Chicken and Rice…clean ..simple. celery chopped, throw some fresh carrots in and some peas for color…an Irish boiled dinner…Warms your soul on a rainy cold night…Always reminds me of Mother and Grandmother, Nanni…Enjoy! Jayne
If I use chicken thighs does the recipe stay the same how much chicken thighs should I use
Yes, you can use all chicken thighs. Recipe stays the same. Use 4 pounds of chicken thighs.
Growing up my mom always made this. And said it was a poor folks dinners but I didn’t care because it was good! I looked for years for this recipe on the net but always got chicken and rice bake (uhhh). I mustard up the courage to ask my mom her recipe and it wa very similar to yours! As a mom and wife now I been wanting to cook this for my family, and last night the LOVED it!!! Even my husband who’s a hard one to please!
Whag I did different
Pre seasoned my chicken, I’m addition to other ingredients and spices added a whole diced bell pepper and poultry seasoning , and accent and let marinate for 4 hrs.
Added 3 chicken billion cubes to 12cups of water
Simmered and re seasoned my broth with spices
Simmered additionally and the LAN strained chicken and removed 6cups of broth and re adjusted seasoning of remaining 6 cups of broth (the broth was AMAZING)
Continued with recipe and saved with sweet cornbread, corn, and string beans! Yum!
On the stove now and must say – the stock smells heavenly! I used thyme instead of the oregano (it’s all I had) but I knew it would be a winner regardless when I saw the words “celery” and “salt”. Can hardly wait. Thank you!
I hope y’all enjoyed it, Caroline!
I made this for the first time and made no changes – very good comfort food! The only comment I have is that the rice cooking time isn’t clear in the directions – it may vary greatly depending on the type of rice you use – but my long grain white rice took 30 minutes, one cup of broth addition. I will make this again 🙂
Making this right now everything went together easily can’t imagine it not being awesome just by the smell, seems like it would work great adapted to phesant or grouse maybe even duck
My Dad from North Carolina used to make this except he used a cut up chicken and didn’t debone it. He just took out the cooked chicken and cooked the rice in the broth and served them together. Thanks for giving back a dish from my childhood
Is it parsley juice or leaf ?
Dried parsley leaf.
Its the same as my recupe except I use carrots
Love this, I use cream of chicken soup in mine and a little bit of heavy cream… thank you for making me think about this again… it’s been awhile.. ????
This is a favorite of my daughter’s the first time I tried your recipe, 2 years ago. Just randomly found this on Pinterest. Very simple tasting, so good when someone is feeling under the weather. I have portioned out servings into ziplock baggies and froze them, so my daughter could just pull out and microwave a meal if I wasn’t home to cook. I would occasionally add small chopped carrot pieces to cook with the rice, and add extra seasonings and shredded cheese to my portion when plating.
Very much a comfort food. We do not have a Southern heritage, and greatly appreciate you sharing yours.