Creamy Chicken Pea Skillet with Rice (One Pan!)

Name: 🥘 Chicken Pea Skillet with Rice
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: 3 Tablespoon butter; 1 onion, chopped; 1-1.5 pounds chicken breast(s), cut into bite-sized pieces; 2-3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning; 1 Teaspoon paprika; 1 Teaspoon salt; 1/2 Teaspoon black pepper; 2 cups chicken broth; 1 cup minute rice; 1 cup frozen peas; 1/2 cup milk; 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

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Looking for a quick and savory rice dish the whole family will love? Our Creamy Chicken Pea Skillet is delicious, kid-friendly and oh so simple to make! Bonus: Make it in 28 minutes or less!

chicken, rice and peas in small blue crockpot with lid on side

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👍 Why You'll Love This Dish
🛒 Ingredients
👩🏾‍🍳 Instructions
✔️ Expert Tips & Tricks
🧊Storage and Reheating
❓FAQ
👶🏾 Tips for Picky Eaters
🧶 Crafts For This Recipe
🍽 You May Also Like...
🥘 Chicken Pea Skillet with Rice

👍 Why You'll Love This Dish

Comfort food- Our chicken pea skillet is belly-warming and the ultimate comfort food for the whole family.

Basic ingredients- You are likely to have many of the ingredients in your panty or fridge/freezer.

Quick-Like all of our recipes, this dish can be made in 28 minutes or less.

ONE pan! Our chicken pea and rice skillet can be made in four simple steps and with one pan. The trick is too cook the chicken first, and then add the broth and rice to the same pan. This allows our rice to cook while the chicken absorbs more flavor.

If you love creamy pasta and rice dishes, be sure to checkout this amazing Creamy Vegetable Pasta recipe!

🛒 Ingredients

Ingredient Notes:

Chicken - cut into bite-sized pieces for faster cooking; we used breasts but you could also use thighs
Chicken base - any broth is fine, but Better than Bouillon is our fave because it's condensed (takes up less room in fridge and lasts longer), the flavor is great and is less wasteful (just a little glass jar to recycle)
Minute rice is the best for this!
Peas - fresh or frozen both work
Milk - any milk is fine, or heavy cream if you want a creamier finish

👩🏾‍🍳 Instructions

Step 1: Cook Onion.

🥄 Kids Step: Cut! These Curious Chef knives and Core cutting boards are perfect for little hands.

Step 2: Season & Cook Chicken.

🥄 Kids Step: Measure and pour! It will be messy, but kids really like this task!

Step 3: Cook the Rice.

🥄 Kids Step: Watch for the broth to boil. This teaches kids to pay attention to the stovetop and see what happens to water when it gets that hot.

Step 4: Add milk, peas and cheese.

🥄 Kids Step: Add cheese! A fun last step!

small blue crockpot filled with chicken, rice and peas

✔️ Expert Tips & Tricks

Be sure to cut chicken into bite sized pieces for faster browning/cooking.
We recommend Minute Rice to cut down on cook time. And brown rice will be more nutritious than white.
You can totally swap the peas for a veggie of your choice, i.e. broccoli, carrots, corn, beans, etc.
To plate...serve this chicken pea dish topped with extra parmesan cheese as desired.

🧊Storage and Reheating

In the fridge- Store leftover chicken, peas and rice in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30 minute bursts OR on the stove with some added milk or broth to soften the rice and chicken.

In the freezer- Store leftovers in the freezer in an air-tight container for up to 2 months. Simply thaw in the fridge before reheating.

❓FAQ

What is the best rice for this dish?

Minute Rice (brown or white) is ideal for a quicker cooking time and the consistency is pretty comparable to regular rice. Without a time constraint, though, the world is your oyster: wild, long grain, short grain, basmati, jasmine...

Is white or dark meat best for this dish?

We prefer skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced into small chunks. Darker meat or thighs would also work well, but may take a tad longer to cook.

What vegetable can be used in place of peas?

As much as we love peas, feel free to choose a veggie that your family loves. Broccoli, carrots, or even chopped green beans would go nicely in this dish. Note: Fresh OR frozen peas can be used in this dish and should take about the same time to cook.

Can I vary the spices?

This recipe calls for pretty basic spices that most people have in their pantry. But you could also make this more of a curry dish, using curry powder instead of the Italian seasoning, and using coconut milk instead of regular milk. Other spices to change things up: coriander, cumin, and turmeric. Also think about fresh ginger or adding chopped tomatoes. The whole feel of the dish can change with just a few alterations.

What sides go with this chicken pea skillet?

Our chicken pea skillet truly covers most of the main food groups, so a side dish isn't totally necessary. However, you can certainly serve it with rolls, a side salad, or even sliced veggies with dip, like carrot sticks, cucumber or celery sticks.

👶🏾 Tips for Picky Eaters

🍅 Separate the parts! As far as I'm concerned, this is always a consideration. If your kids don't like their ingredients blended together, set aside some chicken before mixing in the rice and other ingredients. You can also cook the peas separately.

🍅 Skip the onions if this ingredient is a deal breaker. Or, chop them even more finely so they blend into the sauce.

🍅 Garlic Bread! My kids will eat almost any bread. Who knows why, but I remember being like that as a kid too. Their favorite is Pepperidge Farm's frozen garlic bread. It's super easy. I always try to have two loaves in the freezer at a time.

🧶 Crafts For This Recipe

Have extra rice? Invite kids to craft with it while you cook! Kids can make Rice Ghosts or color their rice and do this awesome Rainbow Rice Letters Craft!