Summary:
This one-pot chicken and rice dinner is a colorful mix of proteins, vegetables, and grains. Easily incorporating any leftover ingredients into one tasty dish, it's the perfect weeknight dinner solution.
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 8 ounces smoked ham, diced
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup
uncooked white rice - 2 cups
chicken broth - 3/4 cup frozen green peas
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon
paprika - 1 teaspoon
dried thyme leaves (Note 1) - 1/2 teaspoon
ground cayenne (Note 2)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook Chicken: Heat butter in
dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, spreading melting butter over bottom of pot. Add chicken and sauté until cooked on all sides, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in ham. - Add Other Ingredients: Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to pot. Cook until onion turns translucent, a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add diced tomatoes including liquid in can, rice, chicken broth, thyme, paprika, and cayenne. Stir well.
- Simmer: Bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until rice is tender and liquid is mostly absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Finish & Serve: Season with salt to taste, and stir in green peas. Serve (Note 3).
NUTRITION
| Makes 5 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 550 (23% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 14g | 22% |
| Saturated Fat 6g | 28% |
| Cholesterol 148mg | 49% |
| Sodium 840mg | 35% |
| Net Carb 41g | |
| Total Carb 45.5g | 15% |
| Dietary Fiber 4.5g | 17% |
| Sugars 8g | |
| Protein 57g |
PHOTOS
Made this tonight, my husband and I really enjoyed it! Super easy and quite tasty. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs as that’s what I had on hand. I didn’t have ham, so used additional chicken. I used basmati for the rice. This will be going into our regular meal rotation. Next time I’ll plan ahead and try it with the ham. Thank you 😊
This is so delicious. I like to use brown rice instead – turns out perfectly every time. This recipe has become a staple in my house. Thanks 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that, Elyce. Thanks for sharing your experience!
How long did you cook it since brown rice is different and takes longer?
Very good recipe! I used Orzo instead of rice !
Orzo — great idea!
Loved it with the Orzo. It was really comforting!
When using orzo did you follow the directions as given? Thanks
Could I use a can of tomato sauce? Or maybe salsa? If I use salsa, how much?
When and where do you use the ham?
Ham is mentioned in the instructions, step 1, see the last sentence “Stir in ham” after cooking the chicken.
Just made this for dinner, it was delicious 😋 definitely making it again.
This is so simple but so tasty, we loved it and it will become a firm favourite
Am I supposed to use instant rice? Seems as if the rice always comes out crunchy.
You’re not supposed to use instant rice. Use regular uncooked white rice. If the rice isn’t fully cooked, simmer longer in Step 3 of the instructions until the rice is tender. Add water if needed.
could you cook this in a pressure cooker, rather than stove top?
Thanks 🙂
Recipe was easy to make and tasted good
Could i use vegetable broth inside of chicken broth?
Yes!
Too good and very easy! I didn’t have peas so I used mixed veggies, and substituted bouillon cubes for broth, also I found a can of diced tomatoes with green chilis because cayenne pepper doesn’t love me. It has amazing flavor and great taste! Thank you, it is one of my go to recipes for leftovers!!!!
I’ve made this recipe many times, substituting Cajun sausage for ham and okra for peas. We love it.
I am about to make this. I was wondering at what point you add the okra? I assume the end but want to make sure.
Thanks!
Just made this and it was beautiful a lil spicy for my partner but I will defo make it again
Could I use Crushed Tomatoes in this recipe? I am not a tomato lover, but often use crushed tomatoes
Printing the recipe, but waiting for a response before I make it. It sounds like a 5 star recipe to me regardless.
I think crushed tomatoes would work fine. Hope you get a chance to make it!
I’m making this right now so far it tastes yummy. I added half of pack of Sazón Goya and carrots and peas
This dish is very close to paella!
They definitely have some similarities.
I enjoyed this recipe immensely but my fam said it was too many flavors (as if there is such a thing .. sheesh). The cayenne made it slightly spicy but not overly so. I also used fresh tomatoes instead of canned (it was all I had) and I used wild rice instead of white … which REALLY changed the flavor but was awesome. For something that’s easy to make with whatever you have on hand, I loved it. It saved me a trip to the store so that’s huge plus.
Thank you for the recipe!
Can I use pearled cauliflower? Do I need to increase the amount. Thanks!
The liquid amount in this recipe is assuming that the rice will absorb it, so if you use cauliflower rice, you’ll have to significantly reduce the liquid. The cooking time will also differ.
Needed to cook longer, I don’t like crunchy rice. But very good.
This dish is delicious! Is on the spicy side but still good. I topped it with shredded mozzarella before serving.
Shredded mozzarella sounds fabulous 🙂 Glad you liked it, Caroline!
This is very good. I used half the cayenne so my toddler can eat it. I didn’t have ham so I used finely diced kielbasa. I used chicken stock instead of broth. Will add this to the rotation!
We really enjoyed this recipe! I used diced tomatoes with green chilis and I halved the cayenne pepper, and the heat level was just right! I did think the thyme flavor was very overpowering, so next time, I may either skip this ingredient or put in less. I also used bacon instead of ham. Yum! We served it with sour cream and grated cheese as a creamy addition at the table and that was beautiful! Thanks for posting this!
I am about to make this and was feeling bad because I used the last of my fresh thyme last night. I will try without and hope it tastes good.
Can I use brown rice? Is there any adjusting to the recipe if I use brown?
I haven’t tried this with brown rice before. Assuming it absorbs a similar amount of liquid as white rice, and has a similar cooking time, it should be fine.
I use brown rice 95% of the time for meals and it requires significantly more time to cook. In our rice cooker it takes about an hour. I chose not to try it in this recipe because of that. Hope that helps.
Can you bake it instead of doing on the stove top?
If you bake, I see 2 downsides: (1) the onion/bell pepper/garlic won’t be sauteed (meaning less flavor and aromatics), (2) baking will dry it out, so you may need to add more water. Also, baking this won’t really save you any time compared to making it on the stovetop.