This homemade rice-a-roni is a blend of rice and pasta cooked in butter, chicken broth and seasonings until light and fluffy. An easy side dish that tastes WAY better than the store bought kind!
Rice-A-Roni is a popular way to round out a meal, but I don’t love all the unpronounceable ingredients in the boxed version. This chicken Rice-A-Roni has no artificial ingredients and is absolutely delicious.
I know this may come as a surprise, but I didn’t learn how to cook until after I graduated from college. In college I survived on pantry food like canned soup, cereal and Rice-A-Roni or Pasta Roni with meat or veggies mixed in. Once I learned to cook, I didn’t buy boxes of Rice-A-Roni anymore, but on occasion I crave those flavors. I decided to make a homemade Rice-A-Roni and I think it tastes even better than the original!
How do you make rice a roni?
To make Rice-A-Roni, you’ll need white rice, and pasta that has been broken into small pieces. I use spaghetti or vermicelli pasta for this, and my store actually sells something called mini spaghetti which is actually small pieces of spaghetti in a box. The pasta and rice are toasted in butter before the seasonings and broth go in.
I use chicken broth in this dish because I feel like it tastes the closest to the box version I used to buy, but you can absolutely substitute vegetable or beef broth if you prefer. After the chicken broth and seasonings go into the pan, everything simmers away until you end up with a flavorful and fluffy rice mix. Be sure not to overcook your Rice-A-Roni so that it doesn’t get mushy.
What kind of rice is used in rice a roni?
Traditional Rice-A-Roni uses a long grain white rice, along with the vermicelli or spaghetti pasta. Long grain rice comes in different varieties, all of which have their own unique flavor. I typically just use a bag of rice simply labeled as long grain, or I use basmati rice for a nuttier flavor.
Can you cook rice a roni without butter?
The butter is important in this dish because it’s used to brown the pasta and rice grains which gives them a lot of flavor. If you’d rather not use butter, you can substitute olive oil instead, but the flavor will be different from the boxed version.
What flavors can you add to rice a roni?
While this Rice-A-Roni is delicious as is, there are so many different ways to add extra flavor. Some of my favorites are:
- Chopped tomatoes
- Fresh chopped herbs
- Parmesan cheese
- Crumbled bacon
- Pesto
- Smoked paprika
This homemade Rice-A-Roni is the perfect accompaniment to chicken, fish, steak or shrimp. Once you try it, you’ll never go back to the boxed version!
More great side dishes
- Stove Top Mac and Cheese
- Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
- Parmesan Zucchini
- Garlic Knots
- Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
Homemade Rice-A-Roni
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup spaghetti or vermicelli broken into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes optional
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add the pasta to the pan and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the rice to the pan and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the chicken broth, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper to the pan.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the pan and turn the heat to low.
- Cook for approximately 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and sprinkle with parsley.
- Stir in tomatoes if using, then serve.
Jennifer says
Sounds great, but I’m trying to avoid MSG, and chicken broth has it, unless you make your own (too time consuming!) Any suggestions?
Sara says
Organic chicken broth should not contain MSG!
Jessica says
My family was delighted with this dish!
eileen says
Thank you so much for this Recipe! I live in ecuador and have been craving rice a roni which is not available here. Your recipe
satisfied my craving for Rice a ronii and its better!! then the box!!
Vicki C says
Much better than boxed! Another hit in my house! Thank you so much!
Kitty Bennett says
Can you make this a day ahead and then just add a little water or broth to heat it up? Would it be as good? Thinking of a last minute company dinner.
Sara says
I think that would work fine!
Judy Morris says
Great tasting and quick. My family loved it! I added turmeric, paprika, and a tablespoon of Better than Bouillon chicken base to the seasoning mix. Rice a Roni lends easily to adding any leftover chicken, turkey, and vegetables before serving . And because I love the ease of my instant pot, I converted the cooking method to finish cooking in it. (Instant Pot Cooking method: Rinse rice til water runs clear. Reduce liquid to 3 1/4 cups broth. Cook 8 minutes on high in an 8 qt instant pot. Quick release method.) Thank you so much for a good wholesome recipe!
mick says
I did this the Instant pot way and even my tottler loves it!
Laura says
Made this for the 4th time tonight-my family loves this and I can pronounce everything that’s in it-not like the boxed version. Change it up when I want and customize when needed- it’s perfect!
Sophie says
My kids were so delighted to find pasta in the rice! Sometimes I sneak in a few vegetables and they still eat it.
Heather says
It would be delicious and very falavourful to use sundried tomatoes instead of chopped or green pimento olives would be nice too. You could also add artichoke..or spice it up mexican with corn salsa and top with fresh avocado and a drop of yogurt or sour cream. Lots of possibilities here. Use it as a filler for taco chicken or ground or even beef…
Lori Alaska says
Perfection! This is so delicious that I’ll never buy the store-bought kind again. We love it! I sometimes add a bit of turmeric for color. Thank you for this recipe!
Melissa says
I made this last night for a family gathering. It was amazing! I used home made veggie broth since most of us don’t eat animal products and it couldn’t habe been better. It tasted better then what I remember the box kind tasting like. Everybody raves about it. So glad to find a great rice dish to add in our weekly rotation!
Vicki says
Just made this tonight because I didn’t have a box of Rice-A-Roni. We were pleasantly surprised at how it turned out. I didn’t add the tomatoes because we wanted a recipe that was as close to the store bought Rice-A-Roni as possible. It was easy to make & tasted even better than the original! I will definitely be making it whenever we want Rice-A-Roni in the future. Thanks for the recipe!
Arianna says
This tastes exactly like rice a roni, but 10x better! I added a dash of salt on top at the end and used broth made from bouillon cubes because that’s what I had. This went so well with salmon and cauliflower. Amazing recipe!
Abdallah says
My family loved it and it was easy to make. Thank you.
Sandy says
This was delicious! I sauté diced chicken and mushrooms and add to the rice at the end.
Thank you for a great recipe
Patricia says
I mix quinoa with the rice instead of pasta. It’s delicious!
Dew says
That’s what I was thinking might work with the rice, quinoa. I have a “Success tri-color box” to try. I was searching for quinoa rice a roni. I would think it was out there.
Jerry says
Does this recipe make the same amount as a regular size box of Rice-A-Roni?
Sara says
It should be a similar amount or slightly more!
Jc says
Was this recipe changed?
Sara says
There have been no changes to this recipe.
Rene says
Absolutely loved it better than store bought 👍
Used water and herbs ox since I don’t eat meat
Lol the only one that I will use. Made it with beef herb ox also came out perfectly thanks so much. Gonna look for Spanish style next or Mexican with no cheese 😁
Nancy says
This looks and sounds delicious. One question, though. Can a good, non-rice gluten free pasta be used?
Thank you
Sara says
That should be fine!
Adam Ramati says
I used ancient harvest brand spaghetti thats made out of quinoa in place of vermicelli. It came out AWESOME!