One-Pan Lemon Herb Chicken & Rice

This chicken and rice dish can be made in one pan and is an incredibly flavorful dinner full of fresh lemon and herbs.

I need a lemon tree because I have been ALL about the magical citrus fruit lately. The flavor it adds to such a wide variety of foods is so refreshing. It was a major player in my Green Beans Almondine recipe the other week, and it continues to be a key component of other dinner recipes, like my Baked Salmon with Lemon, Garlic, and Butter Sauce.

Today, I’m excited to share a recipe I’ve been working on, which has chicken as the star. Except that’s kind of not true, because the rice is where the money’s at.

This chicken and rice dish only requires one pan (it’s a great reason to bust out your cast iron skillet if you have one and don’t use it very often). This recipe has some of my all-time favorite ingredients: citrus and fresh herbs.

I’ve been growing a bunch of fresh herbs lately (i.e., basil, parsley, mint, and hopefully cilantro soon). And as the herbs begin to grow, I’m wanting to incorporate them into more and more dishes. Not only are they easy and usually available (please don’t die on me, plants!), but they make dishes LOOK so much better and TASTE so much better.

This has been a fresh new addition to our meal rotation, and it’s such a nice change of pace during the week when we want a legit meal but are feeling uninspired (though making a master list of go-to dinners has definitely helped).

Although this one-pan chicken and rice takes a little time to cook, it’s completely worth it if you’re able to plan ahead and make it happen. Most of the time is the chicken/rice doing its thing in the oven anyways.

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One-Pan Lemon Herb Chicken & Rice

Ingredients

Chicken & Marinade

• 5-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large lemon (will need zest and juice)
• 1 Tbs dried oregano
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt

Rice

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 cup white long-grain rice (I use Jasmine white rice) uncooked
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or broth)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 Tbs dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: fresh chopped parsley and lemon slices

Instructions

Marinade

• In a large resealable bag or other container, combine the marinade ingredients and the chicken. Set aside for at least 20 minutes, or refrigerate overnight.
  

Chicken & Rice

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  
• Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-based skillet (e.g., cast iron) over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off any excess (reserve marinade). Add chicken to the skillet and cook until it begins to brown; repeat with other side. Remove the seared chicken and set aside.
  
• Remove any black bits from the skillet, then add the rice, chicken stock, water, oregano, salt and pepper, and leftover marinade. Let the rice mixture come to a simmer.
  
• Cover the rice and place in the oven. Bake for a total of 35 minutes; when there are 15 minutes left, place the chicken thighs on the rice. Cover again and bake for the remaining 15 minutes.
• When the chicken and rice have cooked for the full 35 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.
  
• Remove from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices.
  

Adapted from RecipeTin Eats.

So if you’re looking for a healthy dinner idea full of fresh ingredients, this chicken and rice might be worth trying! This would go great with a side of green beans or maybe asparagus if you need a veggie to pair with it.

Hope you enjoy it!