I feel like a broken record every time I post a one-pot meal on here because I have to exclaim how much I LOVE them! And when it comes to one-pot chicken and rice dishes, I get especially excited! There are so many different ways to make chicken and rice, and it takes no time at all. The hardest part of this dish is the prep, but that is just some chopping and dicing!
Here are a few of my other favorite one-pot meals!
French Onion Beef and Potato Bake
Ingredients:
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts if you prefer). You will discover that in MOST of my recipes I use thighs simply because I prefer dark meat, but most of the time they are interchangeable
- Diced bell peppers – I used red and green but any color will work
- A diced onion
- Minced garlic (after all, it is called Cajun Butter Garlic Chicken and Rice!)
- A diced jalapeno for that extra kick (completely optional)
- Avocado oil, for cooking the chicken
- Butter
- A blend of spices, which will be in the recipe below
- Tomato Paste to help give the dish a nice dark color
- Rice – I used Jasmine rice, but any long grain rice will be fine. If you prefer minute rice, that also works, it will just be a different amount of cooking time
- Chicken broth
How to Make Cajun Garlic Butter Chicken and Rice
To begin, you will season your chicken with a mixture of spices, which I have in the recipe below. Make sure to get both sides, and do not be shy with the seasoning.
Then you will place a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tbs of oil and 1 tbs of butter and cook the chicken all the way through. The timing will depend on the thickness of the chicken, but the best way to know it is done is by using a meat thermometer. It needs to reach an internal temp of 165 degrees.
When it is finished, transfer to a wooden cutting board and let it rest. After about 5 minutes, cut it up and cover with aluminum foil to keep it warm
Here is a quick tutorial on pan searing chicken!
In that same skillet, add another tbs of butter. Then add your onion and peppers. These will cook down for about five minutes.
Stir in the garlic and let that cook for about 1 minutes, just until fragrant. Add in 2 more tbs of butter and 1 tbs of tomato paste and mix well.
Is it necessary to wash your rice?
Honestly, I do not know! I have tried both washing and not washing and I do not notice a difference. The reason I choose to wash it mainly for cleanliness. I have read up on it, and have learned that it washes away the excess starch and will give the final cooked product a more fluffy texture with separate rice kernels, and will not be gummy or overly sticky. I do not consider myself an expert on the subject, but whether or not you wash your rice is up to you and I will not judge!
Check out these other great rice recipes!
So now you add in your rice, and stir it around and let it cook for a few minutes to get a little toasty. Stir in the chicken broth and add more seasonings. Bring it to a simmer, put the lid on and cook for 12-15 minutes. Your rice should be nice and fluffy and you will just need to gently stir it with a fork.
Now all you have to do is add the chicken back in! (I did melt about 1 tbs of butter and added in a minced garlic clove to pour over the top of the dish when it was finished. This just gave it a little boost of flavor and a pop of color so this is not a necessary step!)
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating/review! I love hearing from you and it also helps so much! Thank you!
Cajun Garlic Butter Chicken and Rice (One-Pot)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 tbs Avocado Oil, or any type of cooking oil
- 4 tbs Salted Butter divided
- 1/2 Each Red and Green Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 Yellow Onion, Diced
- 1 Jalapeno, diced optional
- 7-8 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 tbs Tomato Paste
- 1 Cup Jasmine Rice, or any long grain rice washed and rinsed
- 2 Cups Chicken Broth
Cajun Seasoning Blend
- 1 tbs Garlic Powder
- 1 tbs Onion Powder
- 1 tbs Smoked Paprika
- 1-2 tbs Cajun Seasoning, I used Slap Ya Mama
- 1 tbs Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Trim the chicken of any excess fat and season both sides with about 3/4 of the seasoning blend.
- Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook the chicken all the way through. (Until it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees.) Remove and let it rest on a cutting board.
- After about 5 minutes, slice it up and cover with foil to keep it warm.
- Add another tbs of the butter to the skillet, then stir in the peppers and diced onion. Let this cook down for about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, just until fragrant.
- Add 2 more tbs of butter and the tomato paste and stir well.
- Add in the rice and stir it around for a few minutes to get it lightly toasted. Pour in the chicken broth, add the rest of the seasoning blend and give it a good stir.
- Reduce heat to a low simmer, put the lid on and cook for 12-15 minutes. Fluff the rice gently with a fork.
- Add the chicken back in and enjoy!
Karen Randa
I haven’t tried any of your recipes yet…..I am so OVER trying to think of something for dinner with 3 teenage kids in my house. So, I saw you recipe for taco spaghetti on Instagram and went to you website. So far I’ve found 6 recipes that look wonderful. I’ve printed them and can’t wait to try them out. After the dinner recipes…..on to the desserts:)
cwilken
Karen,
I know the struggle all too well! I am glad you found some recipes to try and I hope you and the kids enjoy every one of them! Thanks for being here!
Peppers
Hi Carman! I just wanna say….I love your whole thing that you got going on here. From Tik Tok to FB, I’m just so impressed…and gotta say a little envious! Thank you for sharing your self on your “about” page, and I’m here to champion you on to what you are called to do. Sometimes, it takes having to work in an area, job, corporate or private entity to bring out our true passions. You know how the old adage goes….”If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life!” So keep that passion alive and burning and if all of this “change” throws some lemons at you now and then, do what I do….I take those lemons and make a cocktail!!!
So, I just started following you and am loving all your videos and for the biggest thing I’m a grateful for…is that you take the time to have written directions on the page. Jeez, why don’t other Tik Tok chefs do that? Anyway, I have a question about the cajun chicken and rice recipe above. Can I use uncooked brown rice in this? If using this will cause meal to taste differently then I will use the white. No problem. My family and I just prefer the brown. Also, I was wondering if you think this dish would taste ok if I were to add seasoned diced tomatoes in it?
I’m kind of a novice and one on a tight budget. So, I hate to really mess something up and then we end up eating cereal, not bc we want to, but bc we “have” to. Not that having breakfast for dinner is a bad thing,,,,certainly not at this house, Thanks again! Peppers
cwilken
Peppers! I absolutely loved reading this comment! Thank you for such a thoughtful message! I work very hard at this and even though most days it doesn’t really seem like work, make no mistake, it’s the hardest I have ever worked, but I do it with passion and the belief that this is where I am meant to be! And cocktails are definitely needed at times lol. As for your question regarding the rice in this recipe, brown rice will work fine, but it takes longer to cook so just adjust according to the package directions. (I don’t cook with brown rice, so I am not sure how long that would be). As for adding the diced tomatoes, YES! All of my recipes are pretty versatile and easy to add or take things out. I want everyone to feel comfortable experimenting and you should. There is absolutely no way that tomatoes could ruin this dish! I can’t wait to hear how it turns out and I might just have to try it that way myself! The hardest thing about starting this blog has actually been to try and measure things as accurately as possible since I am one of those just throw everything together kind of cooks. Give it a try and let me know! And thank you from the bottom of my heart for this very heartfelt and sincere message. I truly appreciate it and it made my day! – Carman