This chicken flavored rice is an easy way to transform plain white rice into a savory, flavorful side dish. In this recipe, long grain white rice, orzo, chicken broth, chicken base and seasoning come together to make a side dish that’s sure to become a favorite.
White rice is a great ingredient because it is versatile, easy to make and affordable. Rice side dishes make a wonderful accompaniment to just about any meal. Pair this chicken rice with beef, pork, fish or chicken for a delicious meal the whole family will enjoy. For more rice recipes try this mushroom rice pilaf and this yellow rice.
Ingredients
- Butter – Use regular salted butter, if you are sensitive to salt use unsalted
- Long Grain White Rice – The great thing about this chicken flavored rice recipe is that it provides another option for using white rice.
- Orzo – Orzo is a small pasta shaped like rice. Find it in the pasta aisle of larger supermarkets or online. If you need a recipe to put any unused orzo to good use, try this turkey meatball soup.
- Seasoning – Black pepper and dried minced onion. We use dried (dehydrated) minced onion in this rice recipe instead of fresh, so we don’t have to sauté it, and still get all the flavor. Find it in the spice aisle or online.
- Chicken Broth and Base – We use regular chicken broth, but low sodium will work too. The chicken base gives the rice extra flavor. You can typically find chicken base in the same section that broths and soups are located.
- Chopped Fresh Parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan (about 2½ - 3 quart) over medium heat.
- When the butter is melted and foamy add the orzo and white rice.
- Sauté for 5 minutes until lightly golden in spots. Stir the rice and orzo frequently to move it around and prevent it from getting too brown on any one side.
- Add the minced dried onion, black pepper and chicken broth to the saucepan. Then, add the chicken base and stir well until dissolved.
- Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil (this will take about 2-3 minutes).
- Lower the heat to medium and let the broth simmer until the liquid is almost gone and the rice orzo combination is visible on the surface (this will take about 10 minutes). Stir occasionally and briefly just to make sure the rice/orzo is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Lower the heat to low, cover the saucepan and cook the chicken flavored rice for approximately 20 minutes, or until done. Stir only once halfway through the cooking time.
When the rice is done, uncover the pan and fluff with a fork allowing the steam to escape. Taste the rice and add salt if needed. As a reference we added a pinch to ours.
Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired, serve and enjoy.
Storing and reheating
Cool leftover rice as quickly as possible. A good way to do this is to place it in a shallow container (or as many as needed) so that it is in a thin layer and cools faster. Cover the container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for 1-2 days. Reheat the rice in the microwave until hot and steaming, loosely cover with a clean paper towel if desired.
You may also like these side dish recipes:
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📖 Recipe
Chicken Flavored Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 cup Long Grain White Rice
- ½ cup Orzo Pasta
- ½ teaspoon Dried Minced Onion
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 3¼ cup Chicken Broth
- 1 tablespoon Chicken Base
- Salt if needed at the end
- Chopped Fresh Parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan (about 2½ - 3 quart) over medium heat.
- When the butter is melted and foamy add the white rice and orzo. Sauté for 5 minutes until lightly golden in spots. Stir frequently to move it around to prevent it from getting too brown on any one side.
- Add the minced dried onion, black pepper and chicken broth to the rice.
- Next, add the chicken base and stir well until dissolved.
- Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil (this will take about 2-3 minutes).
- Lower the heat to medium and let the broth simmer until the liquid is almost gone and the rice orzo combination is visible on the surface (this will take about 10 minutes). Stir occasionally and briefly just to make sure the rice/orzo is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Lower the heat to low, cover the saucepan and cook the chicken flavored rice for approximately 20 minutes, or until the rice and orzo are done. Stir only one time, halfway through the cooking time.
- When the rice is done, uncover the pan and fluff with a fork allowing the steam to escape.
- Taste the rice and add salt if needed. As a reference we added a pinch extra to ours.
- Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired, serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Jen
This recipe is on repeat in my house! The only thing I don’t do is add any salt. It always comes out perfect!!!
Jeff
I love orzo & rice, but had never cooked them together before. This was perfect! Already added it to the cookbook. Thanks so much!
Olen
If you think about it, though the pasta shape is different, rice and orzo is similar to America's favorite Rice-a-Roni. So, it makes sense that it is good. I'm making this and the only difference is that I am replacing the butter with chicken fat...which, you may be surprised to find out, is actually more healthful than butter. And I'm also adding some chopped garlic, a chopped up scallion and sprinkles of powdered bay leaf, sage and either white pepper or a dash of cayenne or Sriracha as I enjoy a bit of a "tang". I'm not sure if I will add this now, or after it is cooked, but anything chicken explodes in flavor with a dash of lime juice.
All of that is not to denigrate the original recipe, which is good.
Cathie
Do you rinse the rice first? I haven't tried it yet so I won't rate it but I'm excited to try it
Elizabeth
Hi Cathie, No, do not rinse the rice before cooking it. It gets sautéed with the orzo in butter so it needs to be dry.
Jennifer Justesen
Easy to make and a family favorite! Super tasty!!!
EmSage
I added soy sauce instead of salt for extra richness. Overall a nice recipe. Thank you
Dee
I loved it, easy, rice was not dry (a big no no for hubby), I added two cups of leftover cooked chicken and 3 scrambled large eggs as I wanted a one pan meal.
Leftovers for lunch next day were terrific!
5 stars
Deedra Dwyer-Minter
Can this be made with just rice? No orzo?
Elizabeth
Hi Deedra,
In this recipe the amount of liquid and instructions were determined and tested using rice, orzo and the additional ingredients. I have not tested the recipe with rice only so I cannot speak to the results. Thanks for stopping by.
Casimiro Rascon
Just made this recipe without the orzo. It was great! Super simple to make and the kiddos loved it!
Debbie
I forgot to rate it. I would give it more stars if I could! Thanks again
Debbie
Delicious! I can never make good rice, it always turns out mushy! This was very flavorful. I liked the little crisp pieces in then bottom of the pan! Thank you
Elizabeth
Hi Debbie,
I am happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind comment.
Anon
cooked it exactly how it told me to, orzo overcooked long grain rice undercooked….
Elizabeth
Hi Anon, I'm sorry to hear it. I will make it again and see if I can add anything to the instructions (troubleshooting). Thanks for stopping by.
Chris Beecher
Very easy to make! Went well with baked chicken breast. My wife loved it!
Elizabeth
Hi Chris,
Happy to hear you both you enjoyed it.