One Pan Chicken and Rice
Chicken and rice is an easy, one pan recipe and this version shines with bright Mediterranean flavors. Juicy chicken thighs are soaked in a citrusy, lemon dijon marinade then baked with fluffy rice.
Nothing beats one pan dinners. They make dinner a breeze, yet they’re satisfying enough to eat as leftovers. Though count yourself lucky if you happen to have any leftovers of this delicious meal, it’s a rare feat.
Similar to my greek chicken kabobs, the zesty Mediterranean-inspired marinade bathes the chicken in lemon dijon goodness. But it also does double-duty in brightening up the rice. It’s the perfect cozy family meal that I’m confident you’ll make again and again.
Chicken and Rice Ingredients
Want to know what makes this recipe amazing, with such simple ingredients? It’s the layers of flavors!
Mediterranean Chicken Marinade
- Chicken: Bone in, skin on chicken thighs are the best choice for juicy, tender meat.
- Lemon: The citrus flavor makes you feel like you’re on a sunny vacation.
- Dijon Mustard: My secret ingredient for adding a sharp zip to the marinade.
- Garlic: You know my motto, the more garlic the better!
- Dried Oregano & Thyme: Mediterranean aromatics add that depth of flavor.
- Olive oil: Any good quality olive oil will work great.
Rice Ingredients
- Long Grain White Rice: Make sure to use long grain rice (check this rice post for tips).
- Chicken Stock: Choose a low or no-sodium stock to keep the salt level down.
- Baby Spinach: I always love to sneak in some extra greens, wherever possible.
- Onion: Yellow onion is preferred, but white onions work too.
- Dried Oregano: A sprinkle more to flavor the rice.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below
How to Make Mediterranean Chicken and Rice
By cooking everything in one skillet, the rice soaks up the juiciness from the chicken and the citrusy punch from the marinade. Here’s how to make it.
- Marinate the chicken: Whisk the marinade, pour over the chicken, and marinate in the fridge.
- Sear the chicken: In a large skillet, cook the chicken thighs on both sides until golden. Then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the vegetables and herbs: Saute the onions, spinach, and garlic with oregano, salt, pepper, and the reserved marinade. Give everything a stir until the spinach is slightly wilted.
- Bake in the oven: Add the rice and broth to the skillet and bring it to a simmer. Place the chicken thighs on top, cover the skillet, and bake for about 35 minutes. Then, remove the lid and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Let the chicken rest, then garnish with parsley and lemon zest!
Tips For The Best Chicken And Rice Recipe
Use an oven-proof skillet. Make sure to use a cast iron or stainless steel skillet that can transfer from the stove to the oven.
Chicken thighs are best. While bone-in thighs are personally my favorite, you can also use boneless thighs. I don’t recommend chicken breasts in this recipe, as they’ll likely overcook and dry out by the time the rice is done. Chicken thighs stay juicy, and moist.
Keep on marinating. While you can get away with marinating the chicken for 30 minutes, longer is better! I always aim for at least a couple of hours.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
This really makes for some of the best leftovers, and bonus, it freezes well.
- To store: You can store any leftover chicken and rice in the refrigerator in a covered container for 3-4 days.
- To freeze: Place leftovers in a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer up to 2 months.
- For reheating: Microwave the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes. If you want to crisp up the skin, run the chicken under a broiler for a couple of minutes. Just watch it carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
Healthy, flavorful, and easy are what I aim for in a chicken recipe. If you love that too, check out these recipes.
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Baked Chicken Breasts
- Chicken Fajitas
- White Chicken Chili
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs
- Ultimate Chicken Salad
Want more of those Mediterranean flavors? Check out this list of the Best Mediterranean Recipes!
Chicken and Rice Recipe Video
Want to see how I make this one pan recipe (it’s easy, promise). Watch the video below!
BEST Chicken and Rice (One Pan)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Chicken
- 5 chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Marinade
- 2 lemons, juiced and zested (approx 1/4 cup of juice)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Rice
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups baby spinach, lightly packed and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- chopped parsley, for garnish
- lemon zest or slices, for garnish
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Add all of the marinade ingredients to a bowl and stir together.
- Place chicken thighs in a glass dish, pour marinade over the chicken, and turn each piece to coat. Cover dish and marinate chicken in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Cook the Chicken and Rice
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs skin-side down and cook until skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Reserve the leftover marinade as you'll add that back in later.
- Flip the chicken and cook another 5 minutes. Remove chicken thighs from skillet and set aside.
- Use your tongs to scrape and remove any browned bits, and bunch up a couple of paper towels to soak up some fat from the pan, but not all. Reserve a little bit of grease to cook the onions.
- Add the diced onions and stir for 1-2 minutes, or until they start to become translucent.
- Add the chopped spinach, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and reserved marinade. Stir for another 30 seconds or until the spinach starts to wilt.
- Add the rice to the skillet, and stir well to coat the rice with the oil.
- Pour the chicken stock into the skillet and stir well. Bring this to a simmer on the stove.
- Arrange chicken thighs on top of the rice, then cover the skillet and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the lid, return the skillet to the oven, and bake until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender, about 10 minutes more.
- Let the chicken and rice rest for 5 to 10 minutes. The rice will look really dark as the spinach and onions rise to the surface. Just fluff the rice up with a fork to mix everything back together before serving.
- Top with chopped parsley and grilled lemon slices or fresh lemon zest.
Lisa's Tips
- To store: You can store any leftover chicken in the refrigerator in a covered container for 3-4 days.
- To freeze: Place leftovers in a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer up to 2 months.
- For reheating: Microwave the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes. If you want to crisp up the skin, run the chicken under a broiler for a couple of minutes. Just watch it carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.
- One of my favorite oven-safe pans is this Staub braiser pan. It's so versatile and worth the investment!
This has become a household favorite. Pretty sure we’re having it about 3 times a month now. Easy to make and super delicious. Also, if you don’t have fresh lemons works fine with lemon juice. Also works fine with frozen spinach – add it just before you add the liquid.
Happy to hear this has become a family favorite Rachel!
Fabulous recipe. The only comment other than it being YUMMY is to mention to RESERVE the zest to be added later. I added it to the marinade.
We make this recipe all the time. It’s fairly quick to make and as delicious at the same time. Sometimes we change up the spices if we don’t have everything and it’s always worked out wonderfully.
Happy you love the recipe!
We loved this recipe!!! So easy, quick and lemony!!!!!
Glad you enjoyed this one pan chicken Linda!
I love how this came together in one pan! The flavor was amazing, I love how Lisa uses lemon in her recipes. My family ate this up, bone in chicken thighs and rice also make for a budget friendly family meal. This one is in our regular rotation now.
Glad everyone enjoyed this recipe Kristy!
My family and I LOVE this recipe!! So nutritious and easy to clean up! It takes adaptations super well, you can throw in any veggie you’d like, just grate it if it’s a root veggie, or dice it if it’s a green.
We use chicken breasts rather than thighs. To keep them from becoming to dry, I sear them, set them under foil, bake the rice, then add them in for the last 20-25min (depending on how thick the breast is). It makes perfectly cooked chicken EVERY TIME. Excellent lunch for my husband to take to work as well. Thanks for the winner!
Happy to hear you and your family loves this recipe Liah!
Thank you for the chicken breast tip! I was looking to make this tonight with chicken breasts. Will try your recommendation!
YUM! I made a meal for a family in crisis. I’m from Louisiana and live in Texas. I like well seasoned food, which sometime mean spicy. The family I was cooking for doesn’t do spicy at all. I saw your recipe of a comfort food – chicken and rice, that had delicious seasoning.
I had 2 skillets going on the stove and transferred both into aluminum pans for the oven. I made your recipe for the family, but added tomatoes (the Creole part in me loves tomatoes) to our pan. I loved bringing a healthy, great smelling food to the family. I absolutely loved eating this dish. It made me want to sing Bruno Mars- I could kiss myself for cooking this (I’m so pretty!)
Seriously, I don’t usually like dark meat chicken. I pulled the chicken off the bone after cooking and mixed it in with the rice. I might attempt to do this with chicken breasts, will have to work on the timing….
I made this tonight and I’m utterly obsessed. It’s packed with flavour and the rice is to die for. I can’t remember the last time I was this excited over something I’ve cooked.
I am OBSESSED with this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!! The whole dish has so much flavour and I love the creamy texture of the rice. I would like to double it and am wondering what size dish you would use to do so? Thank you!
I’m happy you love the recipe, Rebecca! I’ve never tried doubling this recipe, so not sure what the instructions would be. But if you try it, let us know how it turns out!
Hi Rebecca! Sorry to jump in here but I was scrolling through comments and saw yours. I thought I would let you know that I doubled the rice potion and added an extra chicken thigh and it turned out so good! Everything cooked well and fit in my skillet but I do have a deep skillet I used for this. I hope it works out for you!
This recipe is easy and SO flavorful! My whole family loved it and I e made it several times now. This recipe is in our every few weeks rotation now.
Can you use brown rice in this recipe?
I don’t recommend that, as brown rice takes longer to cook.
Delicious with nice flavor throughout. I added more spinach than suggested and I liked the proportion to rice. I’ll make again for sure.
Wow! Absolutely delicious! Everyone in the family loved it (including my two toddlers). Will definitely make again.
Yay, happy everyone loved the recipe!
It is rare for me to review recipes, but this one is well worth it. I have to admit that this is the best chicken marinade that I have ever tasted. Even family members who never eat chicken loved it. The rice is packed with flavor.
I added diced courgettes, and topped the chicken with cashew nuts, cranberries and raisins, which were a great addition.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe that will become one of our staples.
Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Follow the instruction. Cooked the chicken 10 minutes on the stove follow by a total of 45 minutes in the oven (a total of 55 minutes for the chicken thigh). The result is a dry chicken that taste like rubber. The rice was so mush.
Your oven may cook a bit warmer than others, next time I’d recommend taking it out a bit earlier. :)
This was fantastic! Biggest issue we had was people having 2 servings instead of 1.
Haha, yes, everyone does always go back for seconds with this one. ;)
I don’t often review recipes, however since my husband nearly shed tears of joy and gratitude for it, I figured I’d better give my five-stars worth! I made it almost exactly, substituting only Greek yogurt for hateful mustard. The rice was exceptionally flavored. This was amazing and worthy of company. Thank you, Lisa! It’s in the menu again tomorrow!
I’m happy you and your husband both loved the recipe Therese!
I only have a 2.5 qt baker will this One pan Chicken and Rice dish fit
This recipe is my favorite one from Lisa. The chicken is so juicy and the rice is packed with flavor. It takes a little bit of time but is otherwise extremely simple to whip up. My partner is a picky eater and even he loves it!
The results are definitely worth it! Glad everyone enjoyed this dish.
I plan on trying this recipe, can I use cauliflower rice instead of white rice
Unfortunately, cauli rice will cook very fast and turn mushy by the time the chicken is done. I’d recommend cooking the chicken and cauli rice separately if you’d like to do that.
This turned out great! But I’m glad I only used one lemon with the rind for the marinade – very lemon forward just with the one, but good! I will add this to our regular rotation for sure – thank you!
Can I just cover and cook on the stove instead of putting it in the oven? Will the chicken be cooked through by the time the rice is done? This looks so yummy and simple
Hi Jenna – Unfortunately, that tends to burn the rice in the bottom of the pan. I do think the oven is best for this recipe. :)