Homemade Chicken Rice-A-Roni

Homemade Chicken Rice-A-Roni Recipe – you’ll never use the boxed stuff again! Rice, spaghetti, chicken bouillon, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder. SO good and super easy to make. I like to mix up the ingredients and put into baggies for a quick side dish during the week.

Homemade Chicken Rice-A-Roni Recipe - you'll never use the boxed stuff again! Rice, spaghetti, chicken bouillon, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder. SO good and super easy to make. I like to mix up the ingredients and put into baggies for a quick side dish during the week.

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You will never open another box of Rice-A-Roni after making this rice. This Homemade Chicken Rice-A-Roni is just as easy as the boxed stuff, but it tastes 100 times better! Chicken Legs keeps asking me to make this for dinner. 

I know you might be saying that this is a lot of work for a side dish. It might be if you are measuring out everything each time you make it. I wanted to avoid reaching for the box, so I made several kits of this homemade Rice-A-Roni at one time. I measured out the rice and pasta and put it in a ziplock baggie. Next, I measured out the seasonings and put them in another ziplock baggie. Now, all I have to do is add butter and water. Just like the boxed stuff. 

Homemade Chicken Rice-A-Roni Recipe - you'll never use the boxed stuff again! Rice, spaghetti, chicken bouillon, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder. SO good and super easy to make. I like to mix up the ingredients and put into baggies for a quick side dish during the week.

Homemade Chicken Rice-A-Roni

Yield: 4 people
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Homemade Chicken Rice-A-Roni Recipe – you'll never use the boxed stuff again! Rice, spaghetti, chicken bouillon, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder. SO good and super easy to make. I like to mix up the ingredients and put them into baggies for a quick side dish during the week.

Ingredients:

  • 2- oz vermicelli, broken into half inch pieces (about ½ cup)
  • 1 cup long-grain rice, not instant
  • 4 tsp chicken bouillon
  • ½ tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • tsp garlic powder
  • cup water
  • 2 Tbsp butter

Instructions:

  • In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Add broken pasta and rice. Cook until lightly brown.
  • Add water and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover.
  • Cook 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until water is absorbed.

Steph

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bowl of homemade rice-a-roni

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Comments

  1. I worked at Applebees for 5 years! Recipe is the Same just don’t use the Italian seasoning! Butter for toasting the pasta and butter to sauté chopped garlic and onions add the chicken bouillon seasoning water! Once done spreading in a pan top off with slithered almonds cover with plastic wrap and foil, let it steam away! DELICIOUS

  2. Perfect! I didn’t have Italian seasoning so I used poultry seasoning instead and added a little extra sage. I used Better than Bouillon.

  3. Excellent!! It looks and tastes the exact same. It was soooo easy too! I’ll never buy another box again. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

  4. I definitely suggest playing around with the seasoning ratio. Recipe calls for 4 tsp of bouillon but mine was great at 2. Also 1/2 inch spag noodle for a bit big (again a me thing) so might want to try 1/4. Other than that GREAT! My brother can be picky sometimes, but he loved the flavor!!

  5. I thought this worked out well. Next time I will probably cut the rice back to 3/4 cup or raise the noodles to 3 ozs, but that’s personal taste.

  6. I keep forgetting to leave a comment, this is the BEST Rice a Roni NOT from a Box 😋
    I grew up on the Box stuff then found out I had Celiac and had to do gluten free. The Ttaste is Spot On !!! Even my Hubby says this is way better than the box stuff !! I have added diced chicken breast Or ground chicken to make it a meal with a veggie on the side. Turns out Perfect Every time !!
    Thank You so much !! I have shared this recipe with most of my family and friends 😋
    FYI the simple swap for gluten free is gluten-free Sketti 😋

  7. Love this recipe. Simple and quick and delicious! I substituted green onions for the dried onions. And cooked in a skillet on the stovetop.

    Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe. Haven’t had Rice-a-Roni in years. So nice to have a homemade equivalent — it’s become a regular dish in my home. 🍲

  8. Years ago I ate RiceARoni as my personal comfort food. Since I was diagnosed with Celiac disease 20 years ago I haven’t been able to have it until now. The only substitutes I used were gluten free spaghetti and gluten free chicken bouillon otherwise everything is the same. Now I’m enjoying RiceARoni once again and it’s delicious. Thanks for the recipe 😋

  9. This was most excellent. Hadn’t had rice-a-roni in years. Followed some of the suggestions in comments and it was delicious! Alternates: Used 3 packets of Herb-ox salt-free bouillon, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp dried shallots, and spaghetti (all I had on hand). Will be a go-to recipe for sure.

  10. Amazing with just one change of adding 2 tsp of dried onion flakes. So much better. Thanks for this amazing recipe!!!

  11. I loved it! I had to make some changes due to having a dairy allergy. But i basically just used chicken broth instead better than bullion, and Earth Best dairy free butter. I have never made homemade rice a roni before, and actually haven’t even had the boxed stuff for years, but I’m going to make this regularly because it was so dang quick and yummy. Thanks!

  12. I would like to use the Better than Bouillon Chicken flavor rather than the powered Bouillon. How many tsp of that would you recommend instead of the powder please and thanks?

    1. I added a generous 3 tsp of chicken Better Than Bouillon to the water called for in the recipe. *chef’s kiss* Absolutely WONDERFUL!

  13. This is absolutely delicious! I’ll never buy the boxed stuff again. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!

  14. I feel like I’ve had this recipe forever, and just finally tried it. OMG SOOOO freaking GOOD!! I made it two nights ago and even my picky child who doesn’t like rice loved it. I amaking it again now for lunch because I can’t get it out of my head. Hahaha Thank you so much for this recipe and all of your other fantastic recipes!!

  15. Before I needed to eat GF, I used to to occasionally enjoy the boxed version. This was easy and so tasty!

    1. Have made this now several times, soo good as with most making it yourself is so much better than a box. Threw in chicken instant meal, thank you for posting. Happy Family

  16. I’ve been gluten free for years so I use this recipe substituting gluten free spaghetti for the vermicelli. I also add dehydrated onion and use fresh garlic, we love it!

    1. So I’ve been gluten free for a LONG time. Rice a roni was a staple in our kitchen previously. Do you use angel hair gf pasta or just regular gf pasta?

  17. This was perfect. I had already started a favorite recipe and noticed I was out of rice o roni. This worked great and tasted exactly like it. I will definitely use this again. Thank you!!

    1. That’s exactly what I did! This was so good and worked wonderfully in my broccoli cheese rice soup! Thanks for sharing it!

  18. I’m thinking some leftover rotisserie chicken and either some frozen peas or broccoli would make this a meal!

  19. One night I needed a side dish and found this recipe (an old favorite) and made it. It came out just as good or better than the box version! I liked it also because I could adjust the sodium. It’s a fail proof recipe!

  20. Listen, if you aren’t making this recipe on the regular, there is something wrong with you. Seriously. I made this recipe several years ago and it is now a staple recipe in my kitchen. I love this because I can control the ingredients (sodium) and the it is just as flavorful as the original brand. Not only that, but I feel like the recipe (as written) yields more than one box of the stuff, so I get more on the table without doubling a recipe, which I have also been known to do with this one! It is damn good. Make it today!

  21. Excellent recipe … I have never been able to make rice in my life …. Wow this was perfect! Definitely watch your dish my stove cooks hot even on low.

  22. Made this tonight with only two differences. I added 1/4 tsp of turmeric for color. I also had everything going and didn't realize I only had brown rice. So, brown rice it is! It took 43 minutes to finally suck up the water.

    Haven't tried it yet. Letting it rest 5 minutes. Just wanted to let those know who were asking about brown rice.

    Stephanie is correct. BIG cooking time difference. It smells divine, tho. 😀

    1. Has anyone tried making this as beef instead of chicken? Have recipe for beef boxed with hamburger and figured I could substitute beef flavoring for chicken?

  23. We tried it and it was delicious!!! We used gluten free pasta instead. Definitely making it again!!

  24. I love this stuff but also walk by because of the sodium, but I also buy the No Sodium Herb-Ox. Tastes even better!! TYVM for this addition to my Recipe Box on the P

    1. Omg I can’t believe how much this taste exactly like rice a roni chicken and my kids are very picky and didn’t like any of my past efforts to make a copy. This is great ty

  25. So, I'm always skeptical of copycat recipes that say they're just like the original… I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest. I LOVED Rice-A-Roni as a kid. I haven't had it for years because of the "crap" that's in it. So, Since I had the ingredients, I decided to give it a try. THIS IS SO GOOD!!!!! It really does taste JUST like the original!!! And it was just as easy to make!!!! Two thumbs way up on this one!!!!

  26. I used some Fideo Pasta.. (cut spaghetti) and Rachel Rays Italian grinder Not shilling for her, but her Italian spice grinder is really good.
    Thanks Steph for the recipe.. Rice-a-roni is a guilty pleasure from my childhood.

  27. Thank you for sharing this, I just learned I have High Blood Pressure and just bought the low sodium version of the box product. This will be so much better for me.

  28. THANK YOU for this recipe!! I love using this to make a chicken rice casserole and now I can make the rice mix homemade.

  29. This is so great, I wish I would have thought of it…Thanks so much, not only for this recipe but for all the others you have posted and we have enjoyed! That you!!

  30. We LIVED on this when we were in college! Great incentive for me to resurrect/improve an old favourite, now that our kids are in college. thanks!

  31. I'm worried about the sodium in the bouillon. can you skip the bouillon and just used chicken stock/broth instead of water?

  32. We just had this for our supper and it was sooooo delicious! My mom use to make this for us back in the 60's when I guess it first came out and I always loved it. Now that I am a million years old and try to make most things from scratch for the obvious healthy standpoint, I was so happy to find your recipe. Thanks so much!!!

    1. I was thinking orzo would work great! Guess what I am making tonight!!? I have an organic quick cook brown rice that I am going to use. It says the rice cooks in 15 to 20 minutes so I think this recipe should work out fine. I have orzo so that will be my pasta portion.

  33. This is a great idea as with all the boxed pasta mixes you are paying a premium price for very simple and inexpensive ingredients. Hamburger helper is a pet peeve of mine. Basically macaroni and one already has to add the meat and cook it so what are you actually buying other than a few spices?

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