This chicken and rice made with rotisserie chicken is one of those recipes that has saved many weeknight “What should I make for dinner?” dilemmas. It’s a flavorful one-pan dinner with enough seasoning to make every bite delicious.
Chicken and Rice with Rotisserie Chicken
One meal I’ve loved since I was a kid is Spanish chicken and rice (I was born and raised in Spain). I still make it for my family, but on busy weeknights, I skip cooking the chicken from scratch and reach for a rotisserie instead. This shortcut gets a flavorful dinner on the table in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
To make this, you’ll need half of a rotisserie chicken, about 2 cups. White rice, which will absorb the flavor from the Cajun seasoning, onions, canned diced tomatoes, and water or chicken broth. Frozen mixed vegetables make it easy to add color and veggies without any extra prep.
How to Make Rotisserie Chicken and Rice
- Sauté to build flavor.
Sauté the onion, tomatoes, and Cajun seasoning to build a flavorful base. Add the chicken and rice, stirring to coat with some of the seasoning.
- Cook
Pour the water or chicken broth; the latter makes it more flavorful. Bring it to a simmer, then reduce the heat, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes until the rice is tender. - Fluff and serve.
When the rice is done, open the lid for a couple of minutes to let the steam evaporate, then fluff the rice with a fork.
Variations and FAQ’s
Absolutely. Cajun seasoning gives this dish its smoky, slightly spicy flavor, but taco seasoning, Creole seasoning, smoked paprika with garlic powder, or your favorite all-purpose seasoning all work well.
Chicken broth adds more flavor, but water works too. If using water, make sure to add 1 teaspoon of salt or a little chicken bouillon to boost the flavor
Yes, but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time and liquid. Brown rice takes significantly longer to cook than white rice, so plan on about 40 to 45 minutes instead of 20.
Frozen mixed vegetables are the easiest option, but peas, corn, green beans, broccoli, carrots, diced bell peppers, spinach, or Brussels sprouts all work well. If using canned vegetables, stir them in at the end since they’re already cooked.
Yes. This recipe works with any cooked chicken, either breasts or thighs, you have on hand. You’ll need 2 cups of cooked chicken, which can be grilled, baked, or poached chicken works just as well.
More Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Recipes
Use half of a rotisserie for this recipe, and with the rest, make rotisserie chicken noodle soup, chicken tacos, chicken and dumplings casserole, or chicken tortilla soup. Don’t have a lot? Bulk it up by making a chicken pesto pasta or rotisserie chicken Alfredo. Or browse through all of these rotisserie chicken recipes.
Easy Rotisserie Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, ½ cup, chopped
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, liquid drained
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken meat, chopped
- 1 ½ cups white rice
- 3 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
Instructions
Cook:
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, and once hot, add the oil to the pan. Add the onions and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring while they soften. Add the tomatoes, Cajun seasoning, and chicken, then stir and cook for another minute.
- Add the white rice and stir to combine with everything in the pan. Pour the chicken broth (or water) into the skillet, stir, and bring everything to a boil.
- Once it's boiling, add the frozen mixed veggies and stir everything. Bring it back to a simmer, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting or transfer to a smaller burner. You'll want to cook the rice over the lowest heat possible while you still see the liquid simmering. Too hot and the rice will stick. If your burners are large, check after 10 minutes that the rice isn't stuck to the bottom.
- Cover with a lid and cook until the rice is soft, for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let the chicken and rice sit for 5 minutes. Evaporating any excess water helps prevent mushy rice.
Serve:
- Before serving, fluff the rice with a fork, then spoon into bowls.
Notes
- No Cajun seasoning? Use Creole seasoning or a blend of 2 teaspoons paprika and 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder, 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and a pinch of cayenne.
- Use broth for more flavor. Chicken broth gives the rice a richer taste, but water works too. If using water, add 1 ½ teaspoons salt.
- Swap the vegetables. Frozen peas, corn, green beans, broccoli, carrots, or your favorite frozen vegetable blend all work well.
- Use long-grain white rice. Brown rice will require 45 minutes of cooking and a little extra water (check the ratios on the back of your bag).
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Kevin j Kearns says
It was good, had a nice flavor. I modified the order a smidge adding the dry rice to the sauted onion/garlic mix and then let that roast for 2 minutes before adding the other ingredients. More like a pilaf this way. I thought 1 3/4 cups of water was a little thin so added 2 cups, should have added 2.5 instead as it was a little dry. But very tasty.
Laura Fuentes says
Thank you for sharing how much you enjoyed this recipe, Kevin. Modifications and all.
Maureen says
I chopped up carrots and green pepper to add to onions to sauté and frozen broccoli when called for. Even though I iused chicken broth we added own on level of soy sauce to our serving. Will be making this again for sure.
Ev says
This was really tasty! The only change I made was that I used bulgar instead of rice for more fiber…yummy!
Thank you for the great recipe! Will definitely make again.
Nan says
I was a little skeptical in light of the simplicity of this recipe and the non-specific reviews but I gave it a try. I followed the recipe except I used vegetable stock and the suggested soy sauce (if using water) plus about 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning since I didn’t have chicken stock on hand. I combined frozen broccoli and frozen corn with shredded rotisserie chicken. I used white basmati rice since again that’s all I had. I ended up using a few more tablespoons of stock than recommended because I was concerned that the basmati rice might need more liquid to cook. The recipe turned out beautifully, surprisingly tasty (I was afraid it would be bland) and it was remarkably easy. The broccoli might have been a bit soft but it did start out frozen so to be expected. This really is a great, easy recipe for leftover rotisserie chicken that is all around balanced and complete for a quick meal. I might consider trying ground ginger or lemon zest next time but it is really good as it is.