This skillet recipe for rotisserie chicken and rice has saved many weeknights’ “What should I make for dinner?” dilemmas.
Quick Chicken and Rice with Rotisserie Chicken
Growing up in Spain, one meal I have loved since I was a kid was Spanish chicken and rice. I still make this meal for my family, but on busy weeknights when I have chicken from a rotisserie, I make this recipe.
I made some changes to the original recipe to build a meal that still has rice, chicken, and veggies. You could also make my creamy chicken and rice soup.
Ingredients
This drool-worthy rotisserie chicken and rice is packed with nutrition and flavor thanks to these ingredients:
- Olive oil: to cook the aromatic veggies.
- Aromatics: chopped onion and garlic make a delicious base for this dish.
- Italian seasoning: a mix of herbs that adds tons of flavor!
- Salt and pepper: the classic combo for seasoning.
- Rotisserie chicken meat: or cooked chicken leftovers, anything goes!
- Rice: long-grain white rice is my favorite for this recipe.
- Frozen vegetables: any frozen veggies you have work!
- Chicken broth or water: the liquid needed to cook the rice.
How to Make Rotisserie Chicken and Rice
This meal is all about cooking ingredients in a skillet and… well, actually, that’s all! Check out how you can easily turn rotisserie chicken, rice, and frozen veggies into a terrific family meal:
- Prep the ingredients
Chop garlic, onion, and rotisserie chicken. Measure the other ingredients. - Sauté the aromatics
Sauté the onions for a few minutes. Then, add the garlic. - Add the remaining ingredients
Add seasonings, chopped rotisserie chicken, rice, and chicken broth (or water). Stir to combine. Finally, add the frozen vegetables. - Cook
Once it boils, let it cook in the lowest setting for 15 minutes. - Let it sit
After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rotisserie chicken and rice sit for 5 to 10 minutes to finish cooking until the rice is soft. - Serve
Fluff the rice with a fork, serve in bowls, and enjoy this epic meal!
Rotisserie Chicken Fried Rice Variations
This rotisserie chicken and rice is easy to customize and make the most of what you have in the fridge and pantry, yielding always a terrific meal:
Make it low-carb
You can swap white rice for cauliflower rice for an extra serving of veggies. Keep in mind that the cooking time will be shorter.
Use water
If you use water instead of chicken broth, I recommend adding 1 tablespoon of soy sauce for flavor.
Swap the protein
This recipe calls for rotisserie chicken, but you can easily swap it for another cooked protein you have around, like turkey, beef, or pork.
Use any veggie
Bell peppers, peas, corn kernels, green beans, broccoli florets, carrots, Brussels sprouts, spinach, and the list goes on. If you have canned veggies, you can also use them; just add them at the very end.
More Way to Jazz Up a Rotisserie Chicken
Rotisserie chicken is a terrific meal builder for delicious dinners like chicken tacos, chicken and dumplings casserole, or chicken tortilla soup. I also love serving this flavorful rotisserie chicken pesto pasta or this rotisserie chicken Alfredo on pasta night. It adds flavor and protein and makes cooking time a breeze!
Easy Rotisserie Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, ½ cup, chopped
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, liquid drained
- 2 teaspoons 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 water into the skillet, stir, and bring everything to a boil.
- Once it's boiling, add the frozen mixed veggies and stir everything. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting you can while you still see it simmer. Cover the skillet and cook until the rice is soft, for about 20 minutes.
Serve:
- With a fork, fluff the rice and chicken in the skillet. Serve into bowls.
Notes
- Using low-sodium chicken broth will make this dish more flavorful. Or use bouillon paste, about 3 teaspoons, dissolved in water.
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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.