One-Pan Ground Chicken and Rice

With lots of warming spices, ground chicken, fluffy rice, raisins, walnuts and colourful veggies, this delicious one-pan ground chicken and rice recipe is a cinch to put together and cleanup is a breeze. If you’re a fan of sweet and savoury combinations, this ground chicken recipe is a must try!

Who doesn’t love a flavourful one-pan dinner that requires very little fuss? This one-pan chicken and rice recipe is easy enough for a busy weeknight dinner but special enough for a lovely date night in or casual entertaining with friends.

Fan of ground chicken recipes? Check out this yummy ground chicken meatloaf.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Ground chicken: If you don’t have ground chicken on hand, you can substitute with ground turkey.
• Veggies: Yellow onion, garlic, carrot and baby spinach.
• White basmati rice: Rinse the rice well to remove excess surface starch so the grains remain separate. That way, the rice will be less sticky and more fluffy once cooked.
• Raisins: They add a lovely sweetness to the recipe. An alternative to raisins that you can use is sweetened dried cranberries.
• Walnuts: Give them a chop before using. Instead of walnuts, you can try using pecans, almonds or pine nuts.
• Butter: Helps add a little lushness to the dish.
• Seasoning: Salt, black pepper, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, crushed red pepper flakes and ground clove adds plenty of flavour.
• Chicken broth: I prefer to use a no salt added variety. If you use a low sodium or regular version, you may want to add less salt.

How To Make It

Here is an overview of how to make this one-pot ground chicken and rice recipe (full details are in the recipe card below):

1. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and cook the ground chicken. Add the onion and cook until softened, then stir in the garlic and cook until nice and fragrant.
2. Stir in the rice, shredded carrot, raisins, walnuts and butter, and then season with salt, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, crushed red pepper flakes and clove. Pour in the chicken broth and give everything another stir.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until the rice is cooked through and the broth has been absorbed. Then remove the pan from the heat, leave the cover on, and let sit for about 5 minutes. Uncover and stir to fluff the rice.
4. Stir in the baby spinach (it will wilt from the residual heat).

What To Serve With It

This one-pan chicken and rice recipe is a meal all on its own but pairs deliciously with any of these:

• Garlic bread
• Grilled naan
• Green salad
• Roasted cauliflower

Tip: Mix things up! Besides serving the recipe as is, you can pile some of the mixture onto a flour tortilla and enjoy as a wrap with a little plain Greek yogurt and squeeze of lemon juice (such a great lunch).

Tips

• I used white basmati rice for this ground chicken and rice recipe. The cook time was about 15 to 20 minutes. If not using white basmati rice, pick a rice with a similar cook time (white rice or jasmine rice are some yummy options).
• Want to add some cheese? Some crumbled feta or goat cheese sprinkled over each serving is delicious.
• If you want to add more colour, flavour and freshness to this ground chicken and rice recipe, garnish the finished dish with some freshly chopped parsley or mint leaves.

More Easy Ground Chicken Recipes

• Ground Chicken Rice Bowl
• Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes
• Chicken Meatballs With Pesto Cream Sauce

If you make this one-pan ground chicken and rice recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!

One-Pan Ground Chicken and Rice

Dawn | Girl Heart Food

With lots of warming spices, ground chicken, fluffy rice, raisins, walnuts and colourful veggies, this delicious one-pan ground chicken and rice recipe is a cinch to put together and cleanup is a breeze. If you're a fan of sweet and savoury combinations, this ground chicken recipe is a must try!

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Time to stand after cooking 5 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 4 servings

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Ingredients

 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup white basmati rice, rinsed well and drained
• 1 carrot, peeled and shredded
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• ¼ teaspoon ground clove
• 2.5 cups no salt added chicken broth
• 2 to 3 large handfuls baby spinach

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the ground chicken and cook, breaking the ground chicken into small pieces as it cooks and stirring occasionally, until fully cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

  Note: You want to use a large sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid (the lid will be used shortly).
• Add the onion to the ground chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's mostly softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• To the pan, add the rice, shredded carrot, raisins, walnuts and butter. Season with salt, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, crushed red pepper flakes (if using) and clove. Stir to combine, then stir in the chicken broth.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked through and the broth has been absorbed.

  Note: If the rice needs a tad longer cooking time, that's okay, just continue to cook (if it needs a little more broth, you can add more as necessary).
• Remove from the heat, leave the cover on, and let sit for 5 minutes. Once the 5 minutes is up, uncover, then stir to fluff the rice.
• Stir in the baby spinach until it wilts from the residual heat (you can cover the pan with the lid for a couple of minutes, if you like). Season with additional salt, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg or clove, if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• I used white basmati rice for this ground chicken and rice recipe. The cook time was about 15 to 20 minutes. If not using white basmati rice, pick a rice with a similar cook time (white rice or jasmine rice are some yummy options).
• Want to add some cheese? Some crumbled feta or goat cheese sprinkled over each serving is delicious.
• If you want to add more colour, flavour and freshness to this ground chicken and rice recipe, garnish the finished dish with some freshly chopped parsley or mint leaves.

A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

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Keyword chicken and rice, ground chicken recipe, one pan recipe, one pot recipe

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