Healthy, Homemade One Pot Rice-A-Roni

Recipes / 
Healthy, Homemade One Pot Rice-A-Roni

If you grew up loving Rice-A-Roni, you know that cozy, savory flavor that makes it the ultimate comfort food, whether it’s a side dish or the main event (let’s be honest!). But most boxed versions are loaded with refined oils, excess sodium, and little to no protein, a recipe for blood sugar spikes and mid-afternoon crashes.

This Healthy Rice-A-Roni gives the nostalgic favorite a Fab Four–friendly makeover: balanced with protein, fiber, and healthy fats to keep you full and satisfied. It’s quick, nourishing, and made with real ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Since Chris (my husband) requested Rice-A-Roni, I knew I had to create a Be Well version that delivered all the flavor, without the crash. This version skips the refined oils, artificial flavors, and additives you’ll find in the boxed stuff, making it a cleaner, more blood-sugar-friendly option for weeknight dinners or meal prep.

How to Healthify Your Rice-A-Roni

Instead of reaching for the boxed mix, we’re building flavor from scratch using FOND Bone Broth for a rich, slow-simmered taste and a boost of collagen, amino acids, and minerals that support gut, joint, and immune health.

Here’s how each ingredient works together to support your body and balance blood sugar:

  • Chicken: A lean, complete protein that builds and repairs muscle while keeping you fuller for longer.
  • FOND Bone Broth: Adds deep flavor and provides nutrients like collagen, glycine, and electrolytes for gut and skin support. Code BEWELL gets you 10% off your order!
  • Rice: A stable, easy-to-digest carb. When paired with protein, fiber, and fat, it delivers steady, sustained energy.
  • Broccoli: Adds fiber, antioxidants, and micronutrients like vitamin C and calcium for a well-rounded, nutrient-dense meal.

Cooking your rice in bone broth is one of the easiest ways to level up your meal. It infuses every grain with flavor and boosts the nutrient density, adding protein, electrolytes, and collagen without any extra work. 

This version skips the refined oils, artificial flavors, and additives you’ll find in the boxed stuff, making it a cleaner, more blood-sugar-friendly option for weeknight dinners or meal prep.

Ways to Customize It

This recipe is endlessly adaptable. Keep it as simple as cooking rice in your favorite FOND Bone Broth and pairing it with your go-to protein and veggies, or try:

  • Mixing 50/50 rice and cauliflower rice for more fiber and volume - check out this rice cooker hack!
  • Swapping broccoli for spinach, green beans, or bell peppers
  • Using shredded rotisserie chicken for a fast, no-fuss weeknight meal

More Restaurant-Inspired Dupes

If you love healthy takes on nostalgic classics, check out these reader favorites:

  • Prep Time

    10 minutes

  • Total Time

    50

  • Servings

    4-6

  • Freezer Friendly

    Yes

Ingredients

  • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs  
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil  
  • 2 cups white or long-grain rice (such as Lundberg California rice), rinsed  
  • 4 cups chicken bone broth (FOND Lemon flavor or a good-quality broth)
  • 2–3 cups frozen vegetables (broccoli florets, cauliflower rice, peas, or a mix)  
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste  
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or your favorite seasoning blend  

Optional flavor additions:  

  • 1 shallot or small onion, finely chopped  
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced  
  • A few green or kalamata olives, sliced  
  • Fresh herbs like thyme, parsley, or dill for garnish

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe pot (such as a Le Creuset) over medium-high heat. Generously season chicken thighs with salt and Italian seasoning.Place them skin-side down and cook 3–4 minutes, until the skin turns golden and crisp. Remove and set aside.
  2. In the same pot, add rinsed rice and pour in bone broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom (the fond adds great flavor). *If you’re making this recipe for adult pallets this is a great time to sauté a little bit of onion and garlic or shallot in the bottom of your pan before you add your broth and rice so it’ll absorb that flavor. You could also at this point you could fry a few slices of lemon in that oil too, again all of this is going to just infuse flavor into your rice.
  3. Place the chicken thighs back on top of the rice mixture, skin-side up. Cover the pot and transfer to a preheated 350°F oven. Bake for 20–30 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through (165°F internal temperature).
  4. About 5–10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, shake a layer frozen vegetables on top. Return to the oven to finish cooking. 
  5. Fluff the rice, spoon into bowls with a chicken thigh on each serving, and finish with extra herbs or a squeeze of lemon if desired.

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