Healthy Chicken & Rice Recipes

Find healthy, delicious chicken and rice recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Rating: 3.29 stars
7
This one-pan chicken-and-broccoli recipe comes out of the oven all browned, cheesy and bubbling like a casserole, but is really prepared more like a skillet meal on the stovetop. Serve with a crunchy green salad.
By Robin Bashinsky

Creamy Mushroom, Chicken & Asparagus Bake

Rating: 4.5 stars
2
This comforting weeknight casserole recipe features plenty of mushrooms and asparagus combined with chicken and brown rice and a creamy Parmesan cheese sauce. Whip this up anytime you have leftover chicken or cooked brown rice to spare.
By Karen Rankin

Gluten-Free Teriyaki Chicken with Broccoli

Everyone loves teriyaki chicken--and this one is better for you with much less added sugar. It's also gluten-free so long as you use tamari (aka gluten-free soy sauce). Feel free to swap out the broccoli for any veggie--carrots, snow peas, green beans--that you have on hand.
By Julia Levy

Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Rating: 5 stars
4
For this healthy 30-minute dinner, treat your veggies like pasta and cook until al dente, or just done. If you have a little extra time, double or triple the lemon-tahini dressing and use it to quickly dress a salad or as a sauce for steak or shrimp.
By Joy Howard

Lemon Chicken & Rice

Rating: 3 stars
2
This easy Persian-inspired chicken and rice dish has a beautiful golden color and a wonderful fragrance. If you have saffron in the cupboard, do add that optional pinch; just a little will enhance the flavor and aroma of the dish.
By Joyce Hendley

Cauliflower Chicken Fried "Rice"

Rating: 4.67 stars
9
Get an extra serving of vegetables and cut back on carbs by replacing rice with riced cauliflower in this healthy chicken fried rice recipe.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Rating: 4.5 stars
1
This 20-minute meal delivers a faster, lighter and more flavorful takeout alternative. It's chock-full of fresh, crispy veggies and juicy chicken pieces, and it reheats well for meal-prep lunches. If you like heat, sub Sriracha for some of the ketchup.
By Robin Bashinsky

Louisiana Gumbo

Rating: 4.58 stars
8
Chock-full of shrimp, chicken, sausage, okra and tomatoes, this flavorful stew is a staple in Louisiana. Make it a meal and serve with Real Cornbread (see associated recipe).
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

French Onion Dip Chicken & Rice Casserole

This creamy French onion dip chicken and rice casserole topped with crispy potato chips is perfect for game day or whenever you want a comforting meal the whole family will love.
By Liv Dansky

Roast Chicken with Parmesan-Herb Sauce

Rating: 4.67 stars
4
A store-bought rice blend and quick-cooking chicken breast help get this healthy chicken recipe on the dinner table fast. Check the label to avoid excessive sodium or other undesirable ingredients. Other herbs, such as rosemary and sage, are also delicious in this recipe.
By Hilary Meyer

Korean Chicken Soup

Rating: 4.8 stars
4
This quick and easy spicy chicken soup recipe is made with leftover cooked chicken and is spiked with garlic, ginger and hot sauce.
By Natalie Danford

Asian Ginger Chicken

Rating: 5 stars
1
This quick-and-easy meal combines crisp-tender vegetables, brown rice and chicken in a tasty Asian-inspired sauce. Not in the mood for soy and ginger? No problem. We've included two simple variations with lemon and Italian flavorings.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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Inspiration and Ideas

Japanese Chicken-Scallion Rice Bowl

Japanese Chicken-Scallion Rice Bowl
Rating: Unrated
15
Here's the quintessence of Japanese home cooking: an aromatic, protein-rich broth served over rice. Admittedly, Japanese cooking leans heavily on sugar--for a less traditional taste, you could reduce or even omit the sugar.
Meal-Prep Curried Chicken Bowls

Meal-Prep Curried Chicken Bowls
Rating: Unrated
1
Curry doesn't have to take hours to prepare. With the help of our sheet-pan meal-prep chicken (see associated recipe) and some cooked whole grains, you can make these meal-prep bowls in just a few minutes! Keep them in the fridge for an easy dinner on a busy weeknight or for healthy grab-and-go lunches throughout the week.
Chili-Rubbed Chicken with Coconut Rice & Mango Salsa

Chili-Rubbed Chicken with Coconut Rice & Mango Salsa
Rating: Unrated
2
Chicken & Broccoli with Herb Butter Sauce

Chicken & Broccoli with Herb Butter Sauce
Chickpea Rice Bowls with Chicken & Halloumi

Chickpea Rice Bowls with Chicken & Halloumi
Slow-Cooker Butter Chicken

Slow-Cooker Butter Chicken
Rating: Unrated
5

Meal-Prep Chili-Lime Chicken Bowls

Skip takeout and whip up these equally delicious, and easy-to-make burrito bowls at home. They're great for a fast and easy dinner or as meal-prep lunches to pack for work throughout the week.

All Healthy Chicken & Rice Recipes

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

Rating: 3 stars
1
Reduced-fat soup, semi-soft cheese and fat-free milk make this classic casserole recipe low in fat and calories.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Moroccan Chicken Salad

Rating: 3.63 stars
3
Leftover chicken and rice come together in this flavorful main dish salad. Serve over fresh greens.
By Ruth Cousineau

Arroz con Pollo

Rating: 4.1 stars
9
Arroz con pollo, or chicken cooked with rice, is a common dish in Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean. We use quick-cooking brown rice here to help you get this on the table in just 40 minutes. Serve with a mixed green salad tossed with cilantro-lime vinaigrette.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Chicken, Mushroom & Wild Rice Casserole

Rating: 3.44 stars
14
In Minnesota, chicken, mushrooms and wild rice are often bound together in a casserole with cream of mushroom soup. We forgo the sodium-rich canned soup and make a light, creamy sauce that gets depth of flavor from dry sherry and Parmesan cheese. If you already have cooked chicken, use 4 cups and skip Step 2.
By Jessie Price

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

Rating: 5 stars
1
It's hard to believe you can get such a full-flavored, deeply spiced chicken tikka masala in just 30 minutes, but we did it! And, like the title says, this classic chicken tikka masala recipe really is as easy as it gets.
By Robin Bashinsky

Chicken with Red Pepper Cream Sauce

Rating: 4.17 stars
5
In this healthy chicken with red pepper cream sauce recipe, roasted red pepper and chipotle give this creamy sauce a beautiful red hue and give it a slightly sweet and smoky flavor. The sauce can be made ahead, then served with seared chicken, as we do in this recipe, or with grilled fish or ravioli. This recipe makes more Cream Sauce without the Cream than you'll need for the red pepper sauce. Refrigerate or freeze the extra sauce and use it in place of heavy cream in any sauce or soup that calls for cream.
By John Ash

Mustard-Maple Chicken with Wild Rice Pilaf

This slow-cooker meal is simple to prepare and will elicit rave reviews from everyone at your table. The wild rice pilaf is started early in the slow cooker and followed up by the chicken and sweet and tangy maple-mustard sauce. It's a mouthwatering combination!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Slow-Cooker Chicken & Rice Bowls

A bowl of tender shredded chicken, hot cooked rice and slightly spicy black beans served with fresh toppings is a meal that will satisfy anytime. Make this slow-cooker chicken dish on the weekend and reheat throughout the week for easy at-work lunches or dinner at the end of a long day. For a variation, swap the brown rice for a grain medley.
By Cooking Light

Trinidadian Pelau with Chicken

Maya Feller, M.S., RD, CDN, of Brooklyn-based Maya Feller Nutrition, recommends this cost-conscious recipe to clients looking to prepare satisfying, nutritious meals at home. “Pelau is a hearty dish that can be prepared in big batches and enjoyed over time,” she says. (This recipe was part of a feature story, "The Real Cost of Healthy Food," in EatingWell magazine and has not been tested by our Test Kitchen.)
By Maya Feller M.S., RD, CDN

Caldo Tlalpeno

Rating: 4.81 stars
8
Although there are many variations of this Mexican chicken soup, spicy chipotle chiles are always part of the broth. Make it a meal: Serve with a Mexican beer and cheese quesadillas.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Chicken Curry with Rice

Rating: 4.43 stars
4
Fresh ginger and pungent curry add big flavor to this one-pot meal.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Dirty Rice

Rating: 4.25 stars
3
A Louisiana favorite, our version of this spicy dish uses whole-grain Wehani rice. Long-grain brown rice also works. Traditionally made with chicken liver, which gives it a “dirty” color, we use healthy lean chicken sausage instead.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Jakarta-Style Savory Rice Porridge (Bubur Ayam Betawi)

We cut down the cooking time for this healthy chicken stew by fortifying store-bought broth with chicken and aromatics and then using the flavorful liquid to both simmer the rice and make the gravy. Try subbing 5 fresh curry leaves if you can't find the Indonesian bay leaves.
By JJ Goode

Mango-Chutney Chicken

Fruity mango chutney, zesty barbecue sauce, and a bit of curry powder are the secrets to success in this slow-cooker chicken recipe. They combine to form a delicious glaze on the chicken, which is served over a brown rice and fresh mango mixture.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Tandoori Spiced Chicken and Rice Bake

Switch up the same old chicken and rice dinner with this flavor bursting tandoori spice mixture.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Sweet & Sour Chicken with Brown Rice

Rating: 4.33 stars
4
In about the time it takes to order and pick up Chinese takeout, you can make this much healthier version of sweet & sour chicken. Our version loses all the saturated fat that comes from deep-frying, along with the extra sugar and salt. If you prefer, use tofu instead of chicken, and use your favorite vegetables; just be sure to cut them into similar-size pieces so they all cook at about the same rate.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Kale, Wild Rice & Chicken Stew

Chicken thighs get perfectly tender in just a few hours in the slow cooker. Plus, cooking everything together low and slow infuses all the flavors together for complexity in every bite.
By Devon O'Brien

Slow-Cooker Sweet & Spicy Glazed Chicken

You can fully indulge in the sticky-sweetness this slow-cooker chicken dish offers when you know that calories, saturated fat, carbs and sugar are in check.
By Cooking Light

Pressure-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

This classic Indian-inspired dish typically takes several hours to make, but we simplified it by skipping the traditional yogurt marinade and letting the pressure cooker infuse the tikka masala flavor into lean chicken breasts. Cayenne adds heat, while a splash of cream keeps the spice in check (add less cayenne if you want it less spicy). Serve over rice and with a piece of naan to soak up the sauce.
By Hilary Meyer

Slow-Cooker Chicken Mole with Cilantro Rice

Rating: 4 stars
1
Mole sauce is a Mexican condiment primarily composed of fruit, chile pepper, nuts and spices. In our rendition, these ingredients take the form of raisins and tomatoes; ancho chiles; smoked almonds; and cocoa, cumin and cinnamon. The rich mixture coats the browned chicken thighs in the slow cooker, and doubles as a topping on the final dish. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, if desired.
By Cooking Light

Tikka Masala Stuffed Peppers

We have swapped the typical filling of ground beef and rice for a more exotic filling made with Indian-spiced chicken and rice in this stuffed bell pepper recipe. The chicken tikka masala used for the filling is quick to make, thanks to the use of a multicooker, like the Instant Pot. Want to make these ahead? Make an double batch of the tikka masala on a meal-prep day and freeze half to use later in this delicious healthy dinner.
By Lauren Grant

Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya

Rating: 2 stars
3
The slow cooker makes easy work of this healthy jambalaya featuring brown rice and plenty of veggies. If you don't want to make your own seasoning, just skip Step 1 and use 1 1/2 teaspoons purchased salt-free Cajun seasoning in Step 2.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Creamy Basil-Rosemary Chicken and Rice

Rating: 4 stars
1
The secret ingredient is the onion...it provides a rich flavor and makes the texture creamier as the onions soften.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Persian Rice Pie (Tah Chin)

Rating: 4 stars
1
The bottom layer of this rice pie is all tahdig--the delectable, crispy golden rice that is the highlight of an Iranian meal. Cooking the pie on the stovetop before it goes into the oven gives the rice its signature crunch.
By Louisa Shafia
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