Prepped all in one pot with simple ingredients – this cheesy zucchini chicken and rice dish makes for a delicious and satisfying dinner to enjoy on busy weeknights. Even picky eaters will be reaching for seconds in no time!

❤️Cheesy Zucchini Chicken & Rice❤️

Just a few things to love about this dish:

• Everything comes together in one pot – a complete meal with veggies, protein and carbs.
• It’s made with fairly basic ingredients you likely have already.
• The cheesy topping melts while the rice rests with no extra work needed!

Chicken & Rice

Altogether this dish comes together in about an hour, fairly easily, in simple steps.

1. Cook chicken pieces then remove & set aside. Use boneless chicken breasts or thighs – just make sure it’s skinless.
2. Sauté onions: Cook about 5-7 minutes until soft over a medium high heat.
3. Zucchini, garlic & spices: Add to the pan and cook another 5-10 minutes until the zucchini softens.
4. Add rice & chicken: Stir the chicken back into the pan along with the uncooked rice.
5. Stock & simmer: Stir the chicken stock and lemon juice into the pan. Mix together then cover with a fitted lid. Cook about 20-25 minutes until little to no liquid remains.

Cheesy Topping

After the chicken and rice finish, turn off the heat but leave the pot on the burner. Remove the lid and cover with grated cheese. Leave to rest/melt about 10 minutes and serve.

What type of cheese to use?

Use whatever melty cheese you like or have on hand. Cheddar tastes great and is easy to find. You can also try it with mozzarella cheese for a mild flavor or gruyere for a stronger flavor. I used a combo of grated edam and double gloucester.

You can even add parmesan cheese but it’s best used in smaller amounts – 1/4 cup mixed with another type of cheese.

Hungry for More?

Check out some more easy rice dishes made in one pot:

• One Pot Ground Beef And Broccoli With Rice
• One Pot Cheesy Chicken & Enchilada Rice
• Chicken & Butternut Squash Rice
• Spanakorizo (Greek Spinach And Rice)
• Chicken And Wild Rice Casserole
• One Pot Chicken And Rice
• Instant Pot Chicken And Rice Soup
• One Pot Low FODMAP Chicken And Rice (Khichdi Inspired)

Gluten Free Zucchini Recipes

Looking for more ways to use up your summer squash? Check out some of my favorite zucchini recipes!

55+ Zucchini Recipes

Enjoy

Let me know if you try this Cheesy Zucchini Chicken & Rice! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!

Yield: 4-6

One Pot Cheesy Zucchini Chicken & Rice

4.8 Stars (10 Reviews)

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

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Diced zucchini with sautéed onion, garlic and herbs mixed and simmered with chicken and rice and finished with a cheesy topping

Ingredients

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large white or yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice (200g)
• 2 cups chicken stock (480g)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (30 ml)
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese or cheese of your choice (220g)
• Fresh parsley and/or chives for topping (optional)

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is simmering, add the chicken and cook 4-5 minutes until the outsides are no longer pink. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Add more oil to the pan if needed along with the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook about 5-7 minutes until the onions have started to soften.
3. Add the zucchini, garlic and dried spices (oregano, thyme, parsley, salt and chili flakes). Mix the onion and zucchini mixture together and cook another 5-10 minutes over a medium heat to soften the zucchini.
4. Add the rice and chicken. Mix everything together then stir in the stock and lemon juice. Use the back of a spoon to submerge everything as much as possible under the liquids.
5. Bring the liquids to a gentle simmer then cover with a fitted lid and reduce to a medium-low heat. Let cook with the lid on 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender and no liquids remain.
6. Turn off the heat but leave the pot on the burner. Uncover the rice and sprinkle the grated cheese across the top. Leave about 10 minutes to rest the rice and let the cheese melt.
7. Top with fresh herbs and season with salt, black pepper and chili flakes if desired. Serve hot and enjoy.

Notes

• If there is still a little bit of liquid left in the pot after 20-25 minutes but the rice is cooked, uncover the pan and let cook about 2-3 minutes until no liquid remains.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3-4 days. Make sure to thoroughly reheat before serving.
• I used a combination of edam and double gloucester, you can also use cheddar, mozzarella, gruyere, montery jack, etc.
• Instead of cooking raw chicken you can use 3 cups diced or shredded leftover chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken.

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Dairy Free Mains Cuisine: American