This One-Pan Chinese Chicken and Rice recipe is sponsored by Pacific Foods. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the companies that keep this blog going.
If you don’t want to spend your evening washing dishes, try this delicious one-pan Chinese chicken and rice dinner that reveals juicy chicken with crispy skin atop extra-flavorful rice. {Gluten-Free adaptable}
There are some nights where the task of cooking dinner feels like even more of a burden. If it’s not the prepping and cooking, then it’s the dishes left behind after all that hard work. My Chinese chicken and rice dish cooks up in one pan to give you a delicious and filling meal without a fuss that incorporates those pantry staples for a simple dinner any night.
It’s like a traditional Chinese clay pot chicken, but with my recipe, I have simplified the process so you don’t need to brown the chicken. To guarantee maximum flavor, the recipe does call for marinating the chicken for 20 minutes. Rest assured, you can go ahead and prepare the rest of the ingredients and the chicken will be ready to use once the rest of the prep work is done.
What cut of chicken to use
And speaking of chicken, while you can use any kind you like for this Chinese chicken and rice, I recommend bone-in chicken with the skin on because it gives you even more flavor. If you’d prefer to use boneless or skinless (or boneless and skinless), you can of course choose to do so.
Extra flavorful rice
One of the secrets to bringing out the flavor of this dish and adding that authentic Chinese taste is to use Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Bone Broth combined with fresh aromatics. Bone broth goes one step further than regular broth because it adds more richness. It also adds in a nutritional punch of protein and naturally occurring collagen.
I enjoy sipping bone broth for these reasons, though I also adore cooking with it because it adds another dimension of flavor. The Pacific brand is a favorite of mine because it’s very fragrant while having a lower sodium content, at only 290 mg, compared to other chicken broth varieties that have 800 mg or more.
If you can’t find Pacific’s Organic Chicken Bone Broth, you can use their low sodium chicken broth in this recipe for results that are just as delicious while keeping the sodium to a reasonable level.
What type of rice to use & water ratio
I prefer to use long grain rice, such as jasmine rice or basmati rice, to cook this dish. Long grain rice is less starchy than short grain rice, so it yields fluffy results with nicely separated grains.
Water ratio
One tricky thing about cooking rice is the water ratio. Even if you’re using the same type of rice, the water ratio might vary depending on the brand and how the rice was processed.
To make sure you’re using the correct water ratio, check the instructions on the package before starting cooking. If your package doesn’t call for the standard 2:1 water:rice ratio, you need to adjust the recipe accordingly. I’ve included a footnote under the recipe; make sure you follow the guide.
Cooking process
Cooking one-pan Chinese chicken and rice is super easy:
- Marinate the chicken
- Saute the ginger and garlic to release the fragrance
- Stir in the rice
- Add the broth, seasoning, and chicken
- Cook it covered (on the stove top or in the oven) until the rice is done
- Bake it uncovered under the broiler to crisp up the chicken
While cooking the chicken rice, I usually boil a pot of water to blanch some veggies to add on the side. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, Chinese broccoli, and baby bok choy all work very well.
Once you pull the chicken rice out from under the broiler, you’ll see that the chicken skin is perfectly browned and the top layer of rice has crisped up and tastes heavenly. The recipe yields four servings, but I have to confess that I devoured half a pan in one sitting, then I snacked on some more later the same day. It is THAT good.
This Chinese chicken and rice dish is sure to become a new family favorite, and if you have any leftovers, you’ll love it for lunch the next day too!
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If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
More delicious one pan dinner recipes
- Yaka Mein (Beef Noodle Soup)
- Chicken Fried Rice
- 15-Minute Korean Noodle Soup
- Steamed Salmon in Black Bean Sauce
- Easy Fried Udon (Yaki Udon)
One-Pan Chinese Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 1.75 lbs / 800 g in total)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 ” (2.5 cm) ginger , minced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 cup long grain white rice , rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cup Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Bone Broth with Sea Salt , adjust the broth quantity according to your particular kind of rice (*Footnote 1)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Wet rub
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Dry rub
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper)
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese red pepper flakes (or Korean pepper flakes)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Rub the chicken thighs with the wet rub of shaoxing wine and sesame oil. Add the dry spices and toss to coat. Let marinate for 20 minutes.
- (Optional) Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) if you plan to use the oven baking method instead of the stovetop method.
- In a high-sided oven-safe pan (9” or 10” diameter cast iron or carbon steel pan or dutch oven), add the sesame oil and heat over medium-low heat. Add the ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant and lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the rice and stir until evenly coated with oil. Turn the heat off.
- Arrange the rice and make four wells for the chicken. Add the chicken thighs to the wells, skin-side-up, nestling them in so there isn’t too much rice underneath.
- Add the broth and soy sauce. Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil.
- Oven method: Move the pan to the oven and cook for 25 minutes. Once done, check the rice. If the rice is still a bit tough, return the pan to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes.
- Stovetop method: Bring the broth to a boil. Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer on the stovetop for 20 minutes.
- Turn on the broiler. Remove the lid or foil from the pan and move the pan under the broiler. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the chicken skin gets some color and crisps up.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot as a main dish.
Notes
- It’s very important to adjust the amount of liquid according to the type of rice you’re using. This recipe was tested using regular long grain rice, which usually calls for a 2:1 water:rice ratio. In this case, you will need the 1 1/2 cup broth. After adding other liquid ingredients (soy sauce and sesame oil) plus the juice released from cooked chicken, you will get perfect fluffy rice. The best practice is to check the package of your rice and reduce the stock by 2 tablespoons per 1/4 cup of broth required by the package. For example, if your package calls a 1 3/4: 1 water:rice ratio, you should use 1 1/3 cup chicken broth. If your package calls for a 1 1/2: 1 ratio, you should use 1 1/4 cup chicken broth.
This is a lovely recipe of chicken I love chicken
This looks delicious! I am going to try your method 🙂
But, also, what is the lovely green veggie you show in these pictures? I really want some…
Hi Debra, it’s Chinese broccoli. You can easily find them in Asian markets. Happy cooking and let me know how the dish turns out 🙂
Hi Maggie, Living in a State with high temps this time of year we like to use our IP on pressure cooking as the heat added is minimum. How would I change this recipe to make it in the IP?
Thank you
Hi Maggie,
I have tried many of your recipes and all have been tasty and great. However I have to say this one-pot recipe was a fail. I followed the instruction exactly as written but after 30 minutes, I removed the chicken from the oven and it was still sitting in a pot of stock! It was barely hot at the 350-degree setting. My family was waiting for dinner so I had to remove the raw chicken pieces, pour the rice and stock into a pot and cook on stovetop while putting the chicken back into the oven at 425-degrees to cook. What went wrong?
I do have to say the flavor of the rice was very good!
Hi Gina, I’m sorry to hear the recipe didn’t work for you.
I suspect that your oven temperature might be a bit lower than the number indicated. Also, I do think my own oven often run a bit hotter. Another reason might be the chicken pieces you used are bigger than mine.
I am making this right now, using the oven method, and have a question.
Timer was set for 25 minutes. However the rice is brick hard, raw actually. I’m not sure what is going on. Help please!
Dearest Maggie,
Please feel free to delete my previous post.
I figured out that for the oven method, my oven needed to be at 400. Did that for another 25 minutes and rice was almost done. Turned on the broiler for the remaining time. Thought that I had too much liquid at first, though I did the math as you specified and, it turned out beautiful!
I tested the rice and chicken. Holy Toledo, it is fantastic! No wonder you had half of the pan on the first meal. Luckily, thinking ahead, I made it with 6 chicken breast so the hubby can have it for two nights.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
Only change was I used half the amount of garlic called for since I we can’t handle digesting that much garlic at one sitting-old people equals digestive issues 🤣
Quick, easy and delicious the crispy rice on top was me favorite !
It will be a staple in my house !
This looks delicious! I’ll be making it this week for sure. I’d love to know what the red chilli sauce is that accompanies your chicken. It looks amazing!
I used the chili garlic sauce. You can easily get them at Asian market or you can make it at home too: http://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/sichuan-all-purpose-chili-garlic-sauce/ 🙂
Was a little bland for my tastes but it would be great on a sick day when I want less flavor. I always use brown rice so I added a little extra broth but when I opened the pot it was all sitting in broth. I removed it quickly, added more ginger, more rice and some turmeric. Cooked that and just had more rice with the dinner. Had it with your cucumber salad. I will try this again with white rice.
Hi Stella, I’m sorry to hear your dish didn’t come out as expected. Brown rice takes much longer time to cook through (minimal 40 mins on stove and longer in the oven). Also the water ratio of brown rice is about the same of long grain rice so you don’t need to add extra broth. For brown rice, I think the best way is to let it cook for 25 mins, then you can add the chicken and let it cook for another 25 minutes, so the rice will be cooked through and the chicken not over cooked.
This was really good! The only changes I made was adding some five spice powder and roasted mushrooms because I was in the mood. My chicken needed an additional five minutes and a bit of extra broth in the stovetop, but otherwise it was perfect!
I must’ve made at least 50% of your receipes! I made this today as a “meal prep” meal for a pregnant friend of mine and it mostly turns out great! The rice took longer to cook than 20 min but the chicken thigh ended up being over cooked. I think my ratio of liquid was also off, the rice ended up being one step below congee. The flavor was really good though! I think I might try this in a rice cooker next time. Love your stuff!!
Hi Erin, thanks so much for sharing your feedback! The rice water ratio in the dish is quite tricky because it varies depending on the type of rice and the brand you use. If there is too much liquid left, you probably need to reduce the liquid next time no matter what cookware you use. Did you use a long grain rice? Which cooking method did you use (stovetop or oven)?
The first time I used a Le Cruset dutch oven type pot and I used long grain rice. I made this recipe again in the rice cooker (chicken and rice) and it turned out perfect! Turns out i just need the measurement lines on the rice cooker lol. Perfect for the summer, the rice cooker doesn’t make our kitchen hot. Love this recipe now!
It looks like I could try to improvise this with an instant pot/pressure multicooker. Has someone tried?
I never follow recipes to a T. They always serve as inspiration, and I needed a dish that was easy week night dinner. I had all the ingredients for this recipe. I’ve made this dish twice now, both mainly on stovetop, with the first time broiling for a few minutes so that the chicken skin can be crispy. ANYWAY, I had to tweak a little to get it to work but that’s expected since I never follow to the T (measuring cups what). But it is my fav go-to meal! So easy and yummy, I could eat two servings every time. Great way to play up the typical “chicken and rice” recipe and also have multiple meals for the week.
Looking forward to making this tonight. But I couldn’t find the Chicken Bone Broth with Sea Salt. Will be using unsalted chicken bone broth instead, how much soy sauce should I increase to? Thank you!
Yes it’s totally OK to use unsalted bone broth. I’d increase 1 teaspoon soy sauce or 1/8 teaspoon salt.
Worked out perfectly according to instruction. Rice perfect and flavourful and the chicken soft and tender.
Was surprised that it was so good consider how simple it was. Barely took 5 mins to prepare and so easy with the oven method.
Will make again!
Made this twice so far and both times chicken was cooked, rice was cooked and overall very tasty! What more could I ask for? Maybe if there was more rice but otherwise enjoyed this dish very much. Thank you!
Omgosh SO good! I used boneless skinless thighs because that’s what I had. I added a pinch of five spice and an extra pinch of red pepper flakes for a good kick. The rice cooked perfectly and we ate almost the whole pan. Def. making again!
I just made this and while I knew it would be good just from reading the recipe, I wasn’t quite prepared for how incredible this dish tastes! Subtle, hearty flavors, and a lot of fun to make. Absolutely perfect.
I made this in the instant pot with boneless skinless chicken thighs and it turned out great. This is very flavorful. I served this with roasted endive.