Chicken and Rice Recipes: 10 Comforting Dishes From Around the World

A blue plate holding a serving of Nicaraguan arroz con pollo, with a slice of buttered white bread. There is a spoon on the plate, and on the righthand side of the image is a stainless steel pan holding more arroz con pollo, and a small bowl holding grated cheese. — Serious Eats / Qi Ai

Chicken and rice is a combination that spans cultures and cuisines, and has won hearts across the globe. It's a comforting, flavorful, and often economical pairing which takes two commonly available ingredients and makes them greater than they would have been alone. In fact, chicken and rice are such an amazing duo that they were featured heavily in Starch Madness 2023, where 64 rice dishes competed to see which reigns (starchly) supreme. (Spoiler alert: It was our halal cart-style chicken and rice, featured below!)

Below, we've put together a list of our favorite chicken with rice recipes, suitable for cooking any time of year. Your dinner table has never looked better!

Hainanese Chicken Rice Set

This poached chicken dish is a Singaporean staple. It consists of moist chicken, aromatic rice, and tender bok choy, finished with chile garlic sauce and kecap manis, a type of Indonesian sweetened soy sauce.

Galinhada Mineira (Brazilian Chicken and Rice From Minas Gerais)

Overhead view of Galinhada Mineira in a serving bowl — Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

This deeply comforting, one-pot meal consists of chicken and rice and is chock full of peas and carrots with plenty of garlic and onion.

Katsudon (Japanese Chicken or Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl)

Overhead view of katsudon — Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

This Japanese comfort food classic smothers fried cutlets with seasoned dashi and lightly cooked egg. The process for making it is almost identical to that of oyakodon, a similar rice bowl topped with simmered fresh chicken and egg.

Nicaraguan Arroz con Pollo

This deeply savory Nicaraguan version of chicken and rice gets studded with smoked sausage, ham, olives, capers, carrots, and peas.

Hashweh (Palestinian Spiced Rice and Meat)

Hashweh with chicken served with a bowl of yogurt and farmers salad. — Serious Eats / Mai Kakish

The word for stuffing in Arabic is hashweh, and that’s what Palestinians call this dish even when it doesn't function as an actual stuffing.

Maqlubeh (Palestinian "Upside Down" Meat, Vegetables, and Rice)

Maqlubeh plated on a white dish with a bowl of sauce and a small salad next to it — Serious Eats / Mai Kakish

Maqlubeh features layers of meat, fried vegetables, and spiced rice flipped over to reveal a complete and festive meal.

Classic Chicken and Rice Soup

Chicken and rice soup fills two white bowls. Two spoons lay beside them. — Tim Chin

The beauty of this comforting classic is all in the details. That's why we roast chicken legs for a robust stock, poach chicken legs for perfectly cooked meat, and cook the rice separately to prevent it from becoming gloopy.

Arroz Caldo (Filipino Chicken and Rice Soup)

This hearty, congee-like chicken soup is topped with eggs and crunchy fried garlic.

Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice With White Sauce

Here, the chicken is marinated with herbs, lemon, and spices; the rice golden; the sauce, as white and creamy as ever. Just like your favorite city halal cart, but better!

Dak Juk (Korean Chicken and Rice Porridge)

Overhead view of dak juk on a wooden background — Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

This Korean rice porridge is warm and deeply satisfying. Its generally mild flavor and soft texture make it the kind of comfort food that's ideal for feeding the sick, the elderly, and babies, but it's definitely not limited to those groups—anyone can enjoy a warming bowl of juk at any time.

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