Learn Hardcore Russian: На ужин я варю рис и курицу. - For dinner I am cooking rice and chicken.

It literally means “for dinner,” in the sense of purpose/menu. Russian often uses на + accusative to express “for (the purpose of)” with meals and set occasions:

на завтрак = for breakfast
на обед = for lunch
на ужин = for dinner Think “What’s on/for dinner?” rather than “at dinner.”

Why is it на ужин (accusative) and not на ужине (prepositional)?

на ужин (accusative) = for dinner (the menu/purpose).
на ужине (prepositional) = at a dinner event/party. So the case changes the meaning.

Could I use за ужином or к ужину instead, and what’s the difference?

за ужином = during dinner (time of the action), e.g., “We talk during dinner.”
к ужину = by dinner (deadline), e.g., “I’ll have it ready by dinner.”
на ужин = for dinner (what’s being served). Your sentence needs this one.

Why use варю and not готовлю for “cook”?

Варю (from варить) specifically means “I’m boiling/cooking in water” (rice, soup, boiled chicken). Готовлю (from готовить) is the general “I cook.” If you mean “I’m preparing rice and chicken for dinner” without saying how, use:

На ужин я готовлю рис и курицу. Your original with варю implies both items are being boiled.

Does я варю mean “I am cooking now” or “I (usually) cook”?

Both are possible with the imperfective present. Context decides:

Now: “I’m boiling rice and chicken (right now).”
Habitual: “For dinner I (typically) boil rice and chicken.” To make it clearly habitual, add обычно. For a single completed future, use perfective: я сварю.

How do I say the future: “I will boil rice and chicken for dinner”?

Use the perfective сварить: На ужин я сварю рис и курицу.
For a process-focused future, use буду варить: На ужин я буду варить рис и курицу.

Why is it курицу and not курица?

Because it’s a direct object in the accusative singular. Feminine nouns ending in -а/-я take -у/-ю in the accusative singular:

курица → курицу
мама → маму This is standard after a transitive verb like варить.

Why doesn’t рис change form in the accusative?

Рис is a masculine inanimate noun. For inanimate masculine nouns, the accusative singular = nominative singular. So рис stays рис (though its genitive is риса, etc.).

I heard the accusative of animate nouns equals the genitive. Why isn’t it курицы?

That rule applies to masculine animate and to all animate plural nouns. Feminine singular nouns use the -у/-ю accusative ending (distinct from genitive). So:

fem. nom. курица, acc. курицу, gen. курицы
masc. anim. nom. друг, acc.=gen. друга

Could I say варю риса и курицы to mean “some rice and (some) chicken”?

That partitive/genitive is possible in some contexts (e.g., купил риса/мяса, добавь риса), but with cooking verbs like варить, speakers usually use the direct object: варю рис, варю курицу. Варю риса/курицы can sound bookish or odd here.

If I mean one combined dish, should I say “rice and chicken” or “rice with chicken”?

Use рис с курицей for a single dish (“rice with chicken”).
Your original рис и курицу implies two items being cooked (both being boiled, unless you switch to готовлю).

Is варю курицу natural? Don’t people usually fry or bake chicken?

It’s natural if you literally boil the chicken (e.g., for soup/broth, diet food, or shredded chicken). For typical dinner methods:

fry: жарю курицу
stew/braise: тушу курицу
bake/roast: запекаю курицу Generic: готовлю курицу

What about word order? Can I move на ужин, or drop я?

Yes, Russian word order is flexible:

На ужин я варю рис и курицу (focus on “for dinner”)
Я на ужин варю рис и курицу
На ужин варю рис и курицу (dropping я is fine if context makes the subject clear) Putting на ужин first foregrounds the meal context.

How is the sentence stressed and pronounced?

Stress: На у́жин я варю́ рис и ку́рицу.
Approx. IPA: [na ˈuʐɨn ja vɐˈrʲu rʲis i ˈkurʲɪt͡su]
Notes:

ж is always hard; ужин has [ʐ] and the “i” sounds closer to [ɨ] after it.
р before и is soft: рис [rʲis].
Final -цу is [t͡su].

Does курица mean the animal or the meat here?

Literally it’s the bird, but in cooking contexts курицу commonly means “chicken (meat).” If you want to be explicit, you can say куриное мясо or style-specific cuts like куриное филе, бедрышки, etc.

Is рис countable? Does it have a plural?

It’s normally a mass noun with no plural in everyday use. A rare plural рисы exists for types/varieties (e.g., “Asian and African rices”), but you’re unlikely to need it.

How would I negate the sentence?

Neutral: На ужин я не варю рис и курицу.
To emphasize the objects: На ужин я рис и курицу не варю (implies you cook something else instead).