Why, you may be asking yourself, would anyone bother making this from scratch when a box is just a buck? It’s a rice pilaf convenience food.

My first answer is to point you at the list of ingredients for their flavor packet. This also allows you the option to either brown the broken vermicelli before you add the rice or omit it entirely for gluten-free.

DH has a couple favorite meals from childhood that require chicken Rice-a-Roni, so this is what I came up with so that I can make them without the ingredients list making me blanch.

Homemade Chicken “Rice-a-Roni”

Serves: 2

• 2/3 c long-grain white rice
• ~1/4-1/3 c vermicelli noodles, broken into small pieces (usually ~1 inch)
• 4/3 c chicken broth: I use Pacific brand bone broth
• Onion powder, to taste
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Parsley flakes, to taste
• 2 T butter or ghee, for sautéeing

Melt your butter or ghee (or other oil of choice) in your skillet of choice. Add the broken vermicelli noodles and sautée until they begin to turn golden, then add the rice and sautée briefly. Add chicken broth, onion powder, salt, pepper and parsley flakes and bring to a low boil. Cover your skillet and reduce heat: simmer 20-25 minutes, or until rice is done.

I haven’t tried it myself, but I’m sure you could use beef or vegetable broth instead. If you play with it, let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear how it comes out.