The benefit of being a recipe developer AND a frazzle mom is that you get a lot of easy, one pan meals you can make on a weeknight. (You’re welcome.) I have loads of them around here! One of my favorites is this Chicken and Rice Skillet.

Buttery mushrooms are sautéed with the rice and sautéed chicken breast to create a cozy, one-skillet meal that everyone will love. Not a mushroom fan? Swap it out with some other vegetable that you like that will hold up under the same cooking time.

If you love rice skillets, I have a few more recipes like this that I linked to below.

Chicken and Rice Skillet Ingredients

Another reason why I love this hearty meal is because it doesn’t have cream of mushroom soup. Nothing against canned soups — I just prefer using more whole, unprocessed ingredients. All you need for this rice recipe are a few easy-to-find ingredients:

• Chicken
• Mushrooms
• Shallots
• Worcestershire
• thyme
• uncooked rice (I like long-grain white rice for this — more on that later)
• chicken broth or chicken stock

Just make sure you have a large skillet that has a lid.

The recipe is pretty straightforward, but I’m anticipating some questions on this so I’ll answer them here as well as give you a few tips I wanted to share.

What kind of mushrooms are best for this recipe?

Whichever ones you like! White or brown button mushrooms, cremini, portabellos, or shiitake mushrooms would work beautifully.

How to Make Chicken and Rice Skillet

1. Sprinkle the chicken with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper and squeeze the juice from half the lemon over the top. Let it sit while you prepare the pan.
2. Put the avocado oil in a large, deep skillet (that has a lid that fits) and heat it to high heat.
3. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken breasts for 1-2 minutes on each side until they are slightly browned, but not cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a large plate.
4. Add the mushrooms and shallots to the pan with a little more oil if the pan is dry. Saute them for about 10 minutes until they soften and cook down a little.
5. Stir in the worcestershire, thyme, salt, and rice. Cook and stir often for another 5 minutes until the rice is slightly toasted.
6. Add the chicken to the pan and pour in the chicken broth. Bring the whole thing to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the skillet and let it cook for 15 minutes.
7. When it’s finished cooking there should be no more liquid in the bottom of the skillet, the rice should be tender, and the chicken should be cooked through. Squeeze the remaining half lemon over the whole dish.
8. Serve the chicken and mushroom rice with a dusting of grated parmesan if you like.

Chicken Mushroom Skillet Substitutions

Can I use skin-on, bone-in chicken?

Sure! Just make sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly. The chicken skin won’t be crispy — in case you like that sort of thing. That type of chicken is more forgiving than boneless skinless chicken breasts, so you might like them better, actually.

Can I use olive oil?

If you like using olive oil to saute, make sure you’re using light olive oil and not extra-virgin olive oil. The heat will cause the extra-virgin oil to oxidize (not a good thing). I prefer using avocado oil or coconut oil for medium-high heat cooking.

Can I use brown rice or wild rice?

Brown rice and wild rice take significantly longer to cook which would dry out the chicken. You could try to cook the rice halfway, remove the chicken from the pan, and continue to cook the rice until it’s done.

I like to use jasmine rice.

What can I use instead of mushrooms?

Ah, you’re a mushroom hater. I see you. Honestly, I’m not sure if there’s a good substitute. You can leave them out if you like and make a separate veggie side.

How to Make Skillet Chicken and Rice Creamy

Those canned soups do make things nice and creamy, don’t they? If you’re wanting a more creamy chicken dish, stir in a dollop of sour cream or drizzle some heavy cream in at the end. I think I’ll do that next time because it sounds so delicious.

If you have any other questions, leave a comment on this post!

If you like this hearty comfort food recipe, here are a few other one pot meals you might like

More like this Chicken Rice Skillet Recipe

Easy Cajun Sausage & Rice Skillet is a family favorite! Andouille sausage is the star here and flavors all of the rice and veggies!

Paleo Thai Vegetable & Shrimp Skillet is a grain-free meal that’s light, yet filling.

Egg Roll in a Bowl with Sriracha Mayo is another family favorite — serve it alone or throw some rice in your Instant Pot. (Does that mean it’s not a one-pot meal? Ha)

Thai Green Curry Zoodes with Shrimp and Broccoli is a copycat version of an old recipe from Noodles & Co. Another great paleo-friendly meal for summer that’s nice and light

---

If you make one of my recipes, be sure to post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Chicken Mushroom Rice Recipe FAQs