Easy Chicken and Rice Recipe

Sharing a favorite easy chicken and rice recipe today perfect for dinner or a side dish! This chicken and rice recipe is packed with vegetables and feeds a crowd!

Easy Chicken and Rice Recipe

This smoky rice skillet is healthy and absolutely delicious. One of my favorite weeknight dinners. For those of you with a Trader Joes, run-don’t walk, to their frozen food area to pick up a box of their rice medley. You simply pop it in the microwave and poof it’s done. Seriously, I use it all the time. It’s fabulous in this rice skillet. If you are not lucky to have a Trader Joe’s in your area, use your favorite rice blend as a substitute.

Try my Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.

easy chicken and rice recipe

Here’s your ingredients.

How To Make This Tasty Rice Recipe

  1. Heat oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Saute zucchini, squash, and onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken, beans, rice, cumin, salt, pepper and parsley stirring to combine. Cook for 5 minutes or until hot.

easy chicken and rice recipe

Slice and quarter your zucchini.

easy chicken and rice recipe

…and your yellow squash.

easy chicken and rice recipe

Saute your veggies.

easy chicken and rice recipe

Saute until softened.

easy chicken and rice recipe

Stir in garlic.

easy chicken and rice recipe

Stir in your chicken.

easy chicken and rice recipe

Black beans please.

easy chicken and rice recipe

Stir in your cooked rice.

easy chicken and rice recipe

Almost done.

easy chicken and rice recipe

Add the smokiness now. A nice handful of cumin.

easy chicken and rice recipe

Add your salt and pepper.

easy chicken and rice recipe

…..a little parsley and you are good to go. Bon Appetit!

easy chicken and rice recipe

Easy Chicken and Rice Recipe

This Easy Chicken and Rice Recipe is full of delicious vegetables and makes such a great dinner!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 636kcal
Author: Jenny
Cost: 10
Print Pin

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped white onion
  • 2 cups sliced zucchini
  • 2 cups sliced yellow squash
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 15 ounce can black beans drained
  • 6 cups prepared rice medley
  • 2-3 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley

Instructions

  • Heat oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Saute zucchini, squash, and onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken, beans, rice, cumin, salt, pepper and parsley stirring to combine. Cook for 5 minutes or until hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 636kcal | Carbohydrates: 127g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 511mg | Potassium: 585mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 453IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 4mg
Keywords: best chicken and rice recipe, chicken and rice, chicken dinner, chicken dinner idea, chicken dinner recipe, chicken rice recipe, easy chicken and rice recipe, easy chicken dinner, easy chicken dinner recipes

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42 Responses
  1. Theresa

    Made this tonight! Followed all the steps, but it did not turn out good. I guess I’m not fun of cumin.

  2. jennifer

    Does the trader joes rice have any seasoning on its own? If I use my regular rice will I be missing any flavor?

  3. Anna

    I made this tonight and it is SOOOOOO good!!! Love the flavor, and the different textures and I feel like I’m eating so healthy!!

  4. Stephanie @ Macaroni and Cheesecake

    What a great one dish meal! And I love all the veggies in it too-very versatile!

  5. Jeff @ Cheeseburger

    I too want to shred some of the added weight from the holiday season, but I don’t want to diet. Eating delicious food in moderation is an excellent idea. I’ll be looking forward to your next recipes because this one in so delicious!

  6. allison

    Made this tonight and it was really good! Thank you! We just recently got a Trader Joes here in Dallas and oh I love it so so much.

  7. stacy

    Looks wonderful and I’m excited to try it. I love all-in-one type dinners so I don’t have to make sides. Could I swap cilantro for the parsley? I don’t usually have fresh parsley on hand, but I almost always have cilantro.

  8. Minnie(@thelady8home)

    Healthy, delicious and not so difficult, that’s just what one needs. Asks for! 🙂 Loved it.

  9. Leanne @ healthful pursuit

    I’m the same, Jenny. Never cared too much for resolutions. I just do my best throughout the year and things balance out nicely.

  10. Janna

    Thank you for this recipe! We just got back from a little vacay in California and need a yummy non take out meal for dinner tonight! (My hubby works for Trader Joes, so I have one more bag of this rice medley in my freezer just waiting to be used)

  11. Marian (Sweetopia)

    Jenny, this looks so good!! By the way, we were looking through your cookbook in class today… Oreo stuffed cookies on the wishlist menu again, and a new one we’ll be trying… p. 195, Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fudgy Brownies… Can’t wait!

  12. Sarah

    YUM! This is definitely being added to our weeknight routines! And thanks for the tip on the race from TJ’s…I love that place but am always looking for the best things to pick up in there.

  13. ashley

    YUM! This looks delish and healthy! I’m totally going to make this for my family very soon. I have most of the ingredients too. Thanks for sharing!

  14. Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

    What a great quick, healthy recipe, Jenny! Love that it is a skillet meal!

  15. Elizabeth

    love this recipe…..I noticed that many of your recpies are low in fat and healthy…thanks for that….

  16. Julie Chiou

    I love that this is all made in the skillet with such great ingredients that every pantry already should have. This looks so delicious!

  17. megan @ whatmegansmaking

    ooh, I love the idea of a rice skillet – a nice simple, healthy dinner. This looks great!

  18. Heather @ Heather's Dish

    Smokey & simple? I’ll take it! Although I’ll have to find a different rice blend…TJ’s is ever so elusive 😉

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