These 15 Easy One-Pan Rice Recipes Make My Weeknights a Breeze

For rice lovers, flavorful meals—and sides to quickly turn into a meal.

By
Devan Grimsrud
Devan Grimsrud
Devan Grimsrud

Devan Grimsrud is a Berlin-based writer, editor, and recipe developer originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. After working in television production with James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Zimmern, she relocated to Berlin and became the managing editor at Kitchen Stories, an international digital cooking platform with millions of active users. 

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Published July 23, 2025
Devan Grimsrud
Puerto Rican Stew with Pigeon Peas
Marta Rivera

Rice doesn't always get the love it deserves as an easy, pantry friendly, versatile base for weeknight dinners. That's not for no reason—rice makes an excellent side when simply cooked in a rice cooker or pot. What I love, though, is a whole rice meal with lots of spices, flavor, and just one dirty dish—the kind where I cook the protein together with the rice to impart a rich, savory flavor.

Most of the recipes below are just that, a meal in themselves. I did include a few side dishes, though, with seasonings that are interesting but easy to pull off, and to these I recommend you brown up your favorite protein (pork chops or boneless chicken thighs are two great options) in the pan before adding the rice. Or at the end of cooking, simply stir in shredded rotisserie or leftover chicken, cubes of tofu, cooked vegetables, or canned beans to add more heft.

Whichever recipe you choose, I'm confident that you'll never again see rice as purely a plain side dish.

  • One-Pot Chicken and Rice

    Overhead shot of a cast iron pot with a chicken and rice dish

    Simply Recipes / Shilpa Iyer

    "While the point of this dish is simple comfort, you can up the flavor ante by beginning with more aromatics in the water beyond just celery and onion. Garlic, bay leaves, and even star anise can provide delicious levels of flavor, but feel free to experiment with your own flavor combinations."—Stephanie Burt, Recipe Developer

  • Risi e Bisi (Italian Rice and Peas)

    A plate of risi e bisi, ready to serve and eat

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    "Risi e bisi simply means rice and peas, and the dish is traditionally made with the fresh new peas of spring. If fresh peas are not available, you can easily make it with frozen peas."—Hank Shaw, Recipe Developer

  • Weeknight Chicken Biryani

    A dutch oven with chicken biryani, ready to serve and eat

    Simply Recipes / Sheryl Julian

    "The ratio of rice to meat in biryani might surprise you. This isn’t a dish of meat served with rice on the side. It’s a dish of rice flavored with meat. Think of the chicken as a seasoning for the rice."—Sheryl Julian, Recipe Developer

  • Arroz Verde (Mexican Green Rice)

    Mexican Green Rice

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    "Have you ever had green rice? It's basically a simple rice pilaf in which you brown the rice first by frying it with a little oil. Then you mix in a purée of chiles and herbs, add stock, cover, and cook."—Elise Bauer, Founder

    Continue to 5 of 15 below

  • Skillet Chicken and Rice

    stovetop chicken and rice recipe made in a skillet

    Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

    "In theory, you can use any chicken to make this dish, but to keep things simple I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken breast. I like to slice mine into about 2-ounce pieces. These make really approachable serving sizes for kids and are easy to stir into the skillet while the rice is simmering."—Nick Evans, Recipe Developer

  • Asopao de Camarones y Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice Stew)

    Puerto Rican Stew with Pigeon Peas

    Simply Recipes / Marta Rivera

    "Asopao is rice stew—it’s basically a savory porridge. It can be prepared using most meats, poultry, or seafood. This version combines my two favorite asopaos ingredients into one substantial meal: shrimp and pigeon peas."—Marta Rivera, Recipe Developer

  • Arroz Caldo

    Overhead view of two bowls of Arroz Caldo with Chicken recipe, one with a spoon, all next to a green glass and plate of lemon slices and scallions

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Rachel Vanni / Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh

    "Arroz caldo with chicken is a Filipino rice porridge that’s cooked in one pot with bone-in chicken cuts, all simmered in stock that’s flavored with garlic, fresh ginger, onions, and scallions."—Elizabeth Ann Quirino, Recipe Developer

  • My Mom's Arroz Con Pollo

    Close up of a pot or cooked arroz con pollo

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

    "Arroz con pollo means "rice with chicken" in Spanish. It is a classic dish of Spain and Latin America, with many different traditional ways to prepare it, unique to various countries."—Elise

    Continue to 9 of 15 below

  • One-Pot Chicken and Rice Soup

    Homemade Chicken and Rice Soup

    Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson

    "This recipe calls for a classic mirepoix of carrots, onions, and celery for the vegetable base, but you can make this recipe your own by adding different vegetables, like fennel or cubes of butternut squash."—Aaron Hutcherson, Recipe Developer

  • Tomato Rice with Chicken and Green Beans

    tomato rice with chicken

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

    "Yasmin Fahr’s Tomato Rice with Chicken and Green Beans from her cookbook, Keeping it Simple, calls for chicken thighs, but Fahr provides a tip—the cookbook is filled with time-saving tips—to use shredded leftover or rotisserie chicken. Using pre-cooked chicken, the one-pot dish is ready in 30 minutes, but it tastes like it simmered all day on the stove."—Stephanie Burt, Recipe Developer

  • Savory Coconut Rice

    coconut-rice-method-8

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    "I've made several versions of this coconut rice recipe — with clarified butter, with plain butter, with coconut oil. My favorite is clarified butter but the coconut oil version is really good too! Ghee would also work well."—Elise

  • Easy Spanish Rice

    spanish-rice-method-6

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    "Spanish rice is essentially a rice pilaf, but with Southwestern flavorings. To make it you brown the raw rice first with onions and garlic, and then cook the rice in chicken broth with added tomatoes."—Elise

    Continue to 13 of 15 below

  • Tomato Rice

    Tomato Rice with Coriander Leaves Next to a Bowl of Raita, a Bowl of Lemons, and Another Bowl of Tomato Biryani

    Simply Recipe / Karishma Pradhan

    "This tomato rice recipe uses a mix of whole and ground spices. Blooming whole spices in oil creates aromatic pops throughout the dish. Ground spices permeate the rice grains to add cozy, warming flavors."—Karishma Pradhan, Recipe Developer

  • 4-Ingredient Lemony Spinach Rice

    Overhead view of a pot with spinach rice

    Simply Recipes / Jazzmin Kaita

    "I make this side dish weekly because it goes with everything. Making a simple chicken breast or piece of fish? Lemony spinach rice will go perfectly with it. A Greek or Middle Eastern meal? Curry or stew? Even a stir fry goes well with this rice. Depending on the meal, I like to top it with toasted sliced almonds or a sprinkle of Parmesan, too."—Robin Asbell, Recipe Developer

  • Parsi Pulao (Saffron Rice Pilaf)

    Saffron rice in small single serving bowl

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    "Whether you are making it to accompany a homemade Indian feast or simply serving alongside a roast chicken from the supermarket, this rice, specked with nuts and raisins, imbued with the golden color of saffron, and fragranced with cardamom, cinnamon, clove and orange can truly hold its own."—Elise

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