When it comes to one pot wonders, this one pot chicken and rice recipe is as good as it gets! Easy clean up, adaptable, scalable and – most importantly – downright delicious, this is a recipe that will zoom straight to the top of your favorite easy recipes list.
Once you learn how to master this one pot chicken and rice recipe, it's one that you'll go back to again and again.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a one pot classic that’s low maintenance and easy to make
- The subtle spices deliver amazing fragrance and flavor
- It’s a great recipe for meal prep and be easily made in bulk
- This recipe is a great option for long term storage as it freezes really well
- A perfect dish for the whole family
Equipment Needed To Make One Pot Chicken and Rice
There are a few essential items you’ll need to make this delicious chicken and rice recipe:
- Deep frying pan or heavy bottom pan – a deep frying pan or Dutch oven are both perfect for this kind of recipe
How To Make One Pot Chicken and Rice
Measure off the spices.
Mix them all together.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice.
Stir some of the spices, lemon juice and a bit of oil together to form a paste.
Slather the chicken marinade all over the thighs. At this point you can marinate them overnight for extra flavour.
Fry the chicken thighs skin side down until crispy and golden. Flip over and brown on the other side.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Fry the onions, garlic and chilli and softened.
Stir in the rice.
Add the stock, kidney beans and remaining spice mix.
Place the browned chicken thighs on top.
Add lemon slices on top. Cover and cook until the rice and chicken are fully cooked.
Fluff up the rice, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Top Tip
Keep an eye on the pot during the cooking process. If it seems like the pot is getting too dry, add a splash of stock or water to deglaze the pan and make sure the bottom doesn’t burn.
What to Serve with This Recipe
Sides
You can serve this chicken and rice dish with any kind of green side. Here are few suggestions:
You can also serve any kind of greens on the side, such as kale, chard, spring greens or broccoli.
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Wine pairing
This is the kind of dish that suits light red wines and rich white wines. If you're more of a red wine fan, pinot noir would be an excellent pairing option. If you fancy something a little fruitier, another good option would be a Spanish garnacha.
Some white wine suggestions are Chardonnay or Viognier.
Variations to this recipe
- You can also make this recipe using an Instant Pot.
- Replace chicken with a meaty mushroom for a vegan version of this recipe.
Popular substitutions
- Rice one pot meals are adaptable – you can replace the chicken thighs with chicken breasts, diced pork, diced beef or any kind of meaty white fish.
- Replace basmati rice with any other long grain white rice or brown rice.
- You can replace fresh garlic with garlic powder – use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder for the 8 cloves called for in this recipe.
- You can also replace the onions with onion powder – use one tablespoon of onion powder for the two onions called for in this recipe.
- The red kidney beans can be replaced by chickpeas, cannellini beans, butter beans or even frozen peas
- Replace the vegetable oil with olive oil
Top Tip
Leave marinated chicken in the fridge overnight to intensify the flavours.
What kind of chicken should I use for this recipe?
I've gone for skinless chicken thighs, which I think brings some fantastic flavor to the dish. You can also go for chicken breasts for this chicken and rice recipe, although boned chicken brings a lot more flavor to slow cook one pan chicken dishes.
What is the best rice to use for one pot chicken and rice?
There are lots of different options you can go for. For me, basmati rice is the best option. Basmati is a particularly fragrant rice and also brings a wonderful fluffy consistency. A similar alternative is jasmine rice, which is a similar fragrant and flavorful rice.
Another option, particularly if you want something a little healthier, is brown rice. Just keep in mind that you'll have to slightly extend the cooking time.
How do I store leftovers?
Store your chicken and rice in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay fresh for around 3 to 4 days.
Can you freeze one pot chicken and rice?
Yes! One pot chicken and rice freezes well. Allow your leftovers to cool completely before placing them in an airtight freezable container. Then place in the freezer, where it will stay fresh for up to 3 months.
How do you reheat leftovers?
One pot chicken and rice leftovers can be reheated easily in the same pot that you cooked it in. Simply add a splash of liquid, either water or stock, and heat on a medium heat. Stir constantly until your chicken and rice has reheated properly.
Can this recipe be scaled?
Absolutely! This recipe is excellent for scaling up for making a big batch. Simply double or triple the measurements below to make a big batch.
Other One Pot Recipes You’ll Love
There are some fantastic one pot recipes that are easy and delicious. Here are some of my favorites:
- Chicken chasseur – a fantastic one pot winter warmer, this classic Italian dish is pure comfort food
- One pot harissa chicken with prunes – an incredible dish with a whole lot of flavor and lots of delicious ingredients that make for a wonderful one pot recipe
- Caribbean peanut chicken – if you are looking for something a little different, this Caribbean recipe is an absolute winner. Full of excellent flavors, plus it's very easy to make
- Rabo de toro – an incredibly rich traditional Spanish dish, rabo de toro is a one pot oxtail casserole that brings big bold flavors that bring a real Mediterranean character to your table
- Beef risotto – as big Italian favorite with a whole lot of character. If you're a fan of risotto, this is the recipe for you!
Don’t forget to come back and let me know how your recipe turned out!
Print📖 Recipe
One Pot Chicken and Rice
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 portions 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This One Pot Chicken and Rice is nicely balanced with lemon and spices. An easily adaptable dish taking just over an hour to make.
Ingredients
Spice Mix
- 6g (1 tsp) salt
- 2g (1 tsp) ground black pepper
- 2g (1 tsp) cayenne pepper
- 7g (1 tbsp) paprika
- 7g (1 tbsp) smoked paprika
- 7g (1 tbsp) turmeric
- 7g (1 tbsp) chilli powder
- 3g (1 tbsp) dried oregano
Chicken and Rice
- 45ml (3 tbsp) vegetable oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 8 chicken thighs
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
- 500g basmati rice
- 480g (2 400g cans) cooked kidney beans
- 1.25 litres (5 cups) chicken stock
- 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
- parsley, for decoration
Instructions
- Place the oil and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir in 3 tablespoons of the spice mix until a smooth paste forms.
- Rub the chicken thighs all over with the spicy paste. At this point you can choose to marinate the chicken overnight in the fridge to intensify the flavours, or you can go ahead with cooking the recipe.
- Place the thighs skin side down onto a large, deep frying pan and fry until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Flip them and ensure the other sides get browned too. Remove from heat and set aside.
- At this point an oily residue should be in the pan, so no extra oil is needed. Turn down the heat to medium and gently fry the onions for around 5 minutes or until softened.
- Add the garlic and chilli, then fry for another 2 minutes.
- Tip in the rice and stir in the remaining spice mix.
- Pour in the stock, arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer on top, then top with lemon slices.
- Cover and gently cook for around 30 minutes or until the rice and chicken are completely cooked.
- Use a fork to fluff up the rice and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with some greens on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- Keep an eye on the food while the rice is cooking. If you think it’s getting to dry, add a splash of stock or water so that the bottom doesn’t burn.
- After you made this recipe once, feel free to tweak the spice levels to your taste. Make it as hot or mild as you like!
- This is an excellent recipe for meal prep and can easily be made in bulk.
- This recipe freezes well!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: Caribbean
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 484
- Sugar: 5.2 g
- Sodium: 712.3 mg
- Fat: 14.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 6.7 g
- Protein: 41.2 g
- Cholesterol: 144.6 mg
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