Chicken and Yellow Rice is a great dish to make on a busy weeknight. The rice is cooked in chicken stock infused with saffron threads, then mixed with cooked chicken and chopped parsley. It’s flavorful, filling, and easy to customize with your favorite seasonings. This dish is also a great make-ahead meal, so you could definitely cook it a day in advance and rewarm it the following day. What could be better during those busy weekdays when time is so precious? Bring stock to a simmer, add the saffron and leave to infuse. Below is a guide for rice types, liquid-to-rice ratios, and approximate cooking times: Converted White Rice | 2 to 1 | 15 to 20 minutes Long Grain White Rice | 1.5 to 1 | 20 to25 minutes Basmati Rice | 1.5 to 1 | 15 to 20 minutes Jasmine Rice | 1.5 to 1 | 15 to 20 minutes Parboiled Rice | 2 to 1 | 20 to 25 minutes Brown Rice | 2.5 to 1 | 45 to 50 minutes Wild Rice | 3 to 1 | 45 to 50 minutes Stock: I use homemade chicken stock for this recipe, but you can use any chicken or vegetable broth or stock. If you are using store-bought stock, look for one that is low in sodium. Saffron Threads: Saffron is a spice that comes from the crocus flower. It has a slightly sweet, earthy taste. To substitute, use 1.5 teaspoons of turmeric or a packet of Goya Sazon Con Azafran Seasoning as an alternative. Butter: Use salted or unsalted butter, or substitute it with olive oil if desired. Onion: I use yellow onion, but any onion will work in this recipe. Celery: Use the lighter-colored center stalks as they cook much faster than the darker ones. You can also substitute it for frozen peas. Just add the peas alongside the chicken. Parsely: Use fresh, chopped parsley for the best possible flavor or substitute it with cilantro or green onions. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and sweat the onion and celery until softened. Add the rice and stir until it’s coated with the butter. Allow the rice to toast slightly. This will take just 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock and parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, stir and leave to cook covered for 12 to 15 minutes until the rice is Al dente and the liquid is nearly absorbed. Remove the lid without disturbing the rice, lay the chicken on top, and place and cover to cook until the rice is tender. Mix to incorporate the chicken before serving. This dish will serve six small portions or four large. Update Notes: This post was originally published in May 2014 but was republished with new photos, tips, and a video in November 2022. To Freeze: You can also freeze chicken and yellow rice stored in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Then thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. To Reheat: Cook it in a microwave or on the stove until heated. Erren’s Kitchen is written and produced for informational intentions only. We are not certified nutritionists, and the nutritional information found on this site has not been assessed or authorized by a nutritionist or the FDA. The nutritional information found in our recipes is offered as an estimate and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. The estimated data is provided as a courtesy and calculated through a third-party online nutritional calculator, spoonacular API. Although we do our best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered rough estimates. Many factors, such as brands or products purchased and the nutritional fluctuations that naturally occur in fresh produce, can alter the effectiveness of the nutritional information in any recipe. Furthermore, various online calculators provide different results depending on their particular algorithms and nutrition fact sources. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
