This Thai Chicken and Rice is a tasty way to twist up the old chicken and rice dish. Not only is it healthy and full of flavor, but it comes together easily and quickly in just one pan!
Thai Chicken and Rice
Get ready for a magnificently tasty way to twist up the old chicken and rice routine, because you’re about to go from ordinary to extraordinary using just one pan and 30 minutes of time.
We’re talking a surprisingly healthy, light chicken and rice that makes no sacrifice on flavor. Make it milder or kick up the spice; it’s entirely up to you. There’s plenty of room for variation in this Thai inspired chicken and rice dish; we’ve listed some favorite ideas for you below.
The big plus about this 30-minute dinner: it’s super easy to prepare in advance and is a standout choice for quick ‘n easy meal prep.
Your Strategy for Prepping Ahead
Here are several things you can do the night before or days in advance, so all your pieces are ready to go when 5pm comes around on the day you’re ready to cook.
- Cut boneless/skinless chicken thighs (thighs recommended for tenderness) and place in covered container in fridge. This can be done 1-2 days ahead of time. Extra chicken can be cup up and frozen in freezer bags for future meals like Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
- Chop onions and garlic ahead of time: up to several days in advance. They’ll keep well chilled in an airtight container. It’s smart practice to always have chopped onions and garlic in separate small zipper bags to save time. They’ll keep for a long time in the freezer.
- Seed/Chop vegetables 1-3 days ahead: If using bell peppers, they’ll stay fresh and crisp in airtight container in fridge even up to 3 days. Chopped tomatoes should be used the next day.
- Mix liquids in advance: chicken broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, and chili powder. Keep mixture in an airtight container in fridge, up to several days until ready to use.
On dinner night, simply take out your prepared ingredients and cook.
Bonus: fully cooked Thai chicken and rice re-heats well and is fantastic for meal prepping extra lunches or dinners.
Ingredient substitutions and variations
- Ground turkey or any other ground meat can be used in place of chicken thighs
- Almost any vegetable can work in this chicken and rice dish: instead of bell peppers or tomatoes, also try broccoli florets and edamame.
- Try vegetable broth or beef broth in place of the chicken broth
- Top with freshly chopped cilantro or green onions
- Use your favorite dried chili peppers in lieu of chili powder
Other easy Thai Dishes to try:
- Thai Stir Fry Noodles – Pad See Ew
- Spicy Thai Grilled Shrimp
- Crunchy Thai Salad
- Thai Green Curry Noodles
- Thai Basil Chicken with Peppers
- 3-Ingredient Thai Iced Coffee Recipe
- Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles
Try this Thai Bascil Chicken with Peppers, Too:
One Pot Thai Chicken and Rice Dish
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This One Pot Thai Chicken and Rice Dish is quick, easy, and full of scrumptious flavor! Perfect weeknight dinner and meal prep idea.
Ingredients
- 2–3 TB olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 LB boneless/skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 whole red bell pepper OR 1 cup tomatoes (drained, seeded, chopped)
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice (Jasmine recommended)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup coconut milk, from canned (shake well before use)
- 2 TB regular soy sauce
- 2 tsp Asian fish sauce
- 1–2 tsp chili powder, depending on desired heat
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped Thai basil
- Garnishes: lime wedges, roasted chopped peanuts
Instructions
- In a large nonstick pan, heat oil on medium high heat. Sauté onion until browned and tender. Add garlic and stir 1 more minute. If needed, add a bit more oil. Add chicken and stir 2-3 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned.
- Stir in the bell pepper OR tomatoes, rice, broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, and chili powder. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until moisture is absorbed and rice is tender.
- Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Gently toss with with Thai basil and serve with lime wedges and peanuts.
Notes
This recipe is mild in spice level; if you like more heat, add more chili powder.
Be sure to use canned coconut milk, often found in ethnic aisles of grocery stores. Canned coconut milk is specifically made for cooking. It’s very different from beverage-style coconut milk sold in cartons.
Leftover coconut milk can be stored in airtight container and frozen. After defrosting, place in blender to re-mix into original texture. Use in any recipes or smoothies.
See original article for meal prep ideas and ingredients substitutions.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ♡
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: main
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian American
Keywords: Thai chicken and rice, Thai chicken, Thai rice, Asian chicken and rice
I love the photos, they make me want to dig into that dish! I’ll try it in a vegan version and see what I’ll get.
HI! I’ve been using this recipe for over a year now! Everyone loves it:) It looks like it changed though…any chance you have the old recipe without the coconut milk? Thank you!!
SO happy your family loves this dish! You can use sub with all chicken broth in place of the coconut milk. (3 cups broth.) 🙂
Yes! I’m going crazy bc I KNOW this is what I’ve always made BUT the recipe is completely different! I never used fish sauce or coconut milk! Wish it was the original…
Beth, I did update the recipe for a bit more umami flavors, which people seem to enjoy. You can omit the fish sauce and/or replace the coconut milk with broth, if you’d like 🙂 Thanks for reading along all these years!