This creamy one pot creamy chicken and rice recipe is a dish of cozy comfort food that your family will love, all in a creamy parmesan sauce!
Ingredients
1poundchicken thighsboneless and skinless, about four thighs for a pound. You can also use up to 1 1/2 pounds of chicken thighs or 6 chicken thighs for this recipe
1teaspoonsaltdivided
½teaspoonblack pepperdivided
¼cupbuttersalted
1mediumonionfinely diced
3clovesgarlicfinely chopped or one tablespoon minced garlic
¼teaspoonred pepper flakesoptional
2 ½cupschicken broth
1cupbrown rice
½cupheavy cream can also use half and half
½cupparmesan cheesegrated, divided
Instructions
With a sharp knife, cut chicken thighs into cubes. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, then set to the side.
Place the butter in a large skillet (with a lid) over medium heat. Place the butter in the pan and let it melt. Add the onion and garlic, cooking until the onion just begins to become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the chicken thigh pieces to the onion and garlic in the pan. Add optional red pepper flakes to the chicken and stir well. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring often as needed. Cook until the chicken is lighty golden brown on all sides.
Pour the chicken broth and rice into the pan. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
Allow the rice to cook over medium heat, bringing the mixture to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan with a lid to keep the liquid at a simmer. Cook the rice for about 45-50 minutes or until the rice is tender and cooked through.
Carefully pour in the half and half a little at a time while stirring. Sprinkle in half of the grated parmesan cheese while stirring well until it melts. Allow the rice to cook uncovered for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken up slightly.
Serve immediately and top with the rest of the parmesan cheese. You can optionally top with fresh parsley or a squeeze of lemon juice. Enjoy!
Notes
The sauce will be creamier if you shred your own parmesan cheese from the block. Preshredded parmesan cheese has fillers that will make the sauce less creamy overall.Adding a squeeze of lemon and stirring at the end of cooking can brighten up the flavor of this dish.You can swap in white long grain rice for the brown rice. Use only two cups of broth and expect the rice to take about 20-23 minutes to cook until tender before moving to the next step.I don't recommend using instant rice or minute rice in this recipe. See more notes further in the variations section about Minute Rice.