This simple chicken and rice meal prep recipe will keep you full in a healthy way all week long. It's so delicious, made with chicken breasts, brown rice, savory seasonings, and hearty veggies like broccoli and bell peppers. In only one hour, you'll have more than a week's worth of healthy meals to power you through your busy week!
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The Best Chicken and Rice Meal Prep Recipe
If you have a busy week, there's nothing more convenient than having a delicious meal ready to be eaten whenever you need it. And that's why meal prep is such a lifesaver.
Now, some chicken and rice meal prep recipes are kind of bland, but this chicken meal prep for the week is loaded with flavor. You honestly won't get sick of eating it every single day. In fact, you'll look forward to it!
My favorite part about this chicken and rice meal prep recipe is that all you have to do is make one meal with one set of dishes, then portion out your meals for the week. So easy.
Another thing I love about this chicken meal prep recipe is that you can easily make a few adjustments to make this meal prep chicken different each time. I've included a list of suggestions for how you can make this chicken meal prep dish new and delicious every time.
It's good to switch things up every now and then. That way, you'll be more likely to serve up this chicken meal prep every week, as opposed to eating out.
Having this meal prep lunch or dinner ready to go will help you stay on track with your healthy eating in a delicious way. Your waistline and wallet will be sure to thank you!
Looking for more meal prep ideas? This Instant Pot shredded chicken, chicken thighs, and carne picada make a great base for whatever you want to eat it with!
Now, the ingredient list may seem a little long, but they're all simple, wholesome ingredients. But feel free to customize anything you see here to suit your taste buds. And I've included a nice diverse list of seasonings and vegetables, along with flavorful meal prep chicken to keep things interesting.
Now, here's everything you'll need to make the rice meal prep:
- 2 cups Brown Rice
- 6 cups Water (or chicken broth)
- Salt
Everything you'll need to make the savory veggie blend:
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 Red Onion, diced
- 1 Zucchini, diced
- ½ Broccoli Head, diced
- 1 Garlic Clove, minced
- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp. Oregano
- Salt and Pepper
And what you'll need to make the chicken meal prep recipe:
- 4 Chicken Breasts, cubed
- 1 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. Sweet Paprika
- 1 tsp. Oregano
- 1 Lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
Pretty basic ingredients to create this healthy recipe, right? Oh, and feel free to swap out anything you want!
Sometimes, I like swapping out the broccoli for some roasted broccolini. And, other times, I'll make this a low carb keto meal prep by making this cauliflower rice instead of brown rice! For more ideas, check out this list of rice substitutes.
By the way, and if you have any leftover chicken breasts after making this recipe, I highly recommend putting them to good use and making this Buffalo chicken soup with them!
This recipe goes by quickly once you start making it. And after you whip it up, you'll be able to make these chicken meal prep bowls on repeat every week without putting any thought into it.
With just a couple of baking sheets and a saucepan for your rice, you'll be surprised at how few dishes you make by following this recipe. So it'll be an easy clean-up too, with no real clean-up then for the entire week!
Now, let's get into it and make this meal prep chicken and rice!
Step 1: Prepare The Rice
First, you'll want to preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC).
Then you can fill a pot with water and a sprinkle of salt and bring the water to a boil.
Now prepare the rice according to the package instructions. Or, if you want, you can make cauliflower rice instead for a low carb meal.
Step 2: Season and Bake The Veggies
Next, you'll want to add all of the vegetables to a large bowl along with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Then you can stir all of the veggies together until they're fully coated in olive oil.
After that, you can transfer the veggie mixture to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes until the veggies are roasted.
Step 3: Cook The Chicken
Now it's time to cook the chicken breast. First, you can add the cubed chicken breast, onion powder, garlic powder, sweet paprika, oregano, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Then you'll want to stir everything to coat the chicken in the marinade ingredients.
Next, you can transfer the boneless skinless chicken breast to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes in the oven or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. The healthy roasted chicken should have an internal temperature of 165°F.
Step 4: Portion The Chicken and Rice
Before moving on, you'll want to make sure that the chicken, rice, and veggies are fully cooked. So once they are, you can divide the cooked rice, roasted veggies, and juicy chicken breasts into 8 individual meal prep containers.
Then you can store the chicken rice meal prep in the fridge until you're ready to eat the chicken meal prep bowls!
So, this recipe is delicious as is, but you can change it up if you want every time you make it!
Here are some chicken meal prep ideas to switch up this chicken and rice dish:
- Make Instant Pot buffalo chicken for spicy chicken or BBQ chicken instead of the chicken in this recipe. Or you can make cilantro lime chicken, orange chicken, honey garlic chicken, teriyaki chicken, or even bake boneless chicken thighs.
- Add in other veggies like cauliflower, carrots, green onions, sweet corn, green beans, yellow and green bell peppers, or black beans.
- Put the chicken, rice, and veggies in a low carb tortilla.
- Make some cauliflower mashed potatoes to go on the side.
- Make Basmati rice, white rice, or Jasmine rice instead of brown rice for a meal prep bowl.
How To Store Chicken and Rice For Meal Prep
This chicken and rice meal prep recipe makes eight portioned servings or four large servings.
And this probably goes without saying, but this chicken and rice meal prep stores super well.
Since the meal prep chicken and rice are already in airtight meal prep containers, all you have to do is put them in the fridge!
Then the entire chicken meal prep bowls will last in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If you want to store it for longer, so you always have this delicious meal on hand, you can transfer the airtight containers with the chicken and rice to the freezer, where it will last for up to 2 months.
How To Reheat Chicken and Rice
My favorite part about this chicken meal prep for the week is that it tastes really good cold, so you don't even have to reheat it, making it even more convenient.
But if you want to warm up the chicken dinner, one way is to put it in the microwave in 30-second increments until thoroughly heated.
Alternatively, you can put the chicken, rice, and veggies on the stovetop and cook on medium heat for a few minutes until thoroughly cooked.
By the way, if you're reheating frozen chicken and rice, put it in the fridge the night before to thaw.
FAQS About This Healthy Chicken and Rice Recipe
Can I meal prep chicken for a week?
Yes, you can meal prep chicken for a week. The chicken will last in the fridge for up to 4 days, then you can freeze the rest of the chicken to eat on the other days of the week.
How much chicken for 1 week meal prep?
About 4 chicken breasts are the perfect amount for a 1 week meal prep. You can have half a chicken breast at each meal, and it'll be enough to last you the entire week.
How do you keep chicken fresh when meal prepping?
The best way to keep chicken fresh when meal prepping is to transfer it to an airtight container as soon as it cools after cooking. Then you can store it in the fridge or freezer to keep it fresh.
That is how to make chicken and rice meal prep taste delicious in only a few simple steps!
Meal prepping and eating healthy has seriously never been easier! Whether you have a busy work schedule, or you just don't love cooking that much, this meal prep recipe is perfect for you.
This recipe is so simple, healthy, and will help you stay on track with eating better in an effortless way.
If you've been looking for a recipe for meal prepping that tastes incredible, I think you'll find this to be the best one.
If you gave this recipe a try, be sure to leave a comment below and let me know how it went! And for more recipe ideas, make sure to check out my YouTube channel, TikTok, and Instagram.
More Healthy Recipes
If you feel like cooking a healthy meal, I have a ton of recipes on the blog that are super easy and delicious!
Give one of these a try next:
- Low calorie pizza
- Pan seared salmon
- Chicken bacon ranch casserole
- Chicken livers and onions
- Chicken tenderloins and veggies
- Eye of round steak
- Grilled chicken thighs
- Chicken and peppers
Chicken and Rice Meal Prep For The Week
This simple chicken and rice meal prep recipe will keep you full in a healthy way all week long. It's so delicious, made with chicken breasts, brown rice, savory seasonings, and hearty veggies like broccoli and bell peppers. In only one hour, you'll have more than a week's worth of healthy meals to power you through your busy week!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 Servings
- Category: Meal Prep
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
2 cups Brown Rice
6 cups Water (or chicken broth)
Salt
Savory veggie blend:
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Red Onion, diced
1 Zucchini, diced
½ Broccoli Head, diced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Oregano
Salt and Pepper
Chicken meal prep:
4 Chicken Breasts, cubed
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Sweet Paprika
1 tsp. Oregano
1 Lemon, juiced
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
Instructions
- Prepare the rice according to package instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC).
- Combine all veggies in a bowl and add olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir until fully coated. Transfer to a baking paper-lined sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
- Combine the chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, sweet paprika, oregano, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl and stir to combine. Transfer to a baking paper-lined sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through (check the times depending on the size of the chicken breast).
- Divide the rice, veggies, and chicken into 8 individual containers.
Notes
STORAGE: The longest I'll keep cooked chicken in my fridge is 4 days. So if you don't plan on doubling up and eating multiple containers in a day I recommend freezing some of the containers. Easily defrost them by setting them in the fridge the night before, and in the morning they should be god to go.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 425
- Fat: 6
- Carbohydrates: 52
- Fiber: 6
- Protein: 40
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I meal prep a lot, and this was one of the easiest meal preps I’ve ever done! Thank you so much.
Btw, this was definitely 5/5 stars!!
Ate my first prepped container today, and it ROCKED. Total home run man, thank you so much - Tim
I’ve been eating this all week! So tasty man.
Super easy and super delicious. Thank you so much!
I just finished making this meal prep and I have to say it’s so easy and so tasty! Thank you, you just made it easier for me :)
Is this chicken actually safe to eat up to 5 days in fridge? According to the USDA, the refrigerated cooked chicken is safe to eat for 3-4 days if it is properly stored. Is USDA overly safe or does the salt and lemon help preserve it longer?
It's delicious 😋
It's my first meal prep..
But I used this chicken in preseasoned bag.. from Save on Foods, helped with clean up.
Loved it
My new favorite meal prep recipe.