I keep a stock of side dish ingredients on hand so I only have to “meal plan” for the main course. One side dish that’s a staple in our house is homemade rice-a-roni—especially the traditional, chicken-flavored version.
When you make it yourself, you can know (and decide) exactly what goes in it, which means you don’t have to consume weird ingredients you can’t pronounce.
We use a healthier version of chicken bouillon by Orrington Farms:
- Share the simple goodness of homemade flavor and bring your dish to life with Orrington Fa
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Tips for Making Rice a Roni at Home
It’s very important to let the rice-a-roni mix cook a bit in the butter before you add the water. The slight toasting of the rice/pasta mixture draws out the flavor.
It’s equally important not to lift the lid for the full cook time, which is 15 minutes. As long as you have it on low-medium heat, it will not burn. You don’t want to mix it until the full cook time has elapsed.
If you prefer video, there is a video tutorial at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!
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Homemade Chicken Rice-A-Roni Mix
This DIY chicken rice-a-roni uses healthier ingredients and tastes better than the store-bought kind. It's a tasty, shelf-stable side dish that's ready in just 15 minutes!
- Total Time: 18 minutes
Ingredients
- Rice
- Thin spaghetti (or vermicelli), broken into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup parsley
- 1 1/4 cup chicken broth powder (or chicken bouillon)
- 8 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1 tablespoon of butter
Instructions
1. Mix equal parts rice and broken pieces of thin spaghetti. The amount depends on your family size. We mix up 20 cups total at a time, so that's 10 cups white rice and 10 cups broken pieces of thin spaghetti.
To Make the Chicken Seasoning
1. Mix all of the seasonings with the chicken broth powder (or bouillon). Store in a quart jar.
To Make Rice-A-Roni
1. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pot.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups of the rice and pasta, and add 2 tablespoons of the seasoning mixture.
3. Cook in the butter until golden brown and slightly toasted.
4. Add 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Immediately lower to a simmer, place the lid on the pot, and cook on low for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid or mix during this time. After 15 minutes, fluff the rice & serve.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Additional Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
What kind of rice do you use for the Rice a Roni mix?
Does it need to be quick cooking rice?
No, I just use plain white rice. 🙂
Can I substitute orzo for regular rice?
Yes, but I’m not sure how much water you would need to add.
Can I use long grain rice for this?
Yes 🙂
Your intro picture you have 2 containers, the rice a roni container it says 1 cup rice a roni and 2 cups water….the jar of seasoning has no measurement. On the recipe instructions it says 1 1/2 cups rice and 2 tablespoons seasonings and 3 cups water. Which measurement is correct. 🤔
They’re both right – just different ratios. If you want a smaller portion, 1 cup rice mix to 2 cups water.
If you want a larger portion, 1 1/2 cups rice mix to 3 cups water.
I personally keep my seasoning blend separate and don’t use a specific amount because I season to taste.
2 Tbs seasoning to 1 1/2 cup rice mix is a guideline, but season however much or little you like it. 🙂