Simple, comforting, one-pot chicken and rice dinner with a tasty Middle Eastern twist. Ready in 30 minutes! Be Sure to watch the video for how to make this recipe below.
If you like this one, check out: Greek chicken and orzo; Easy Lemon Chicken; Mediterranean Kidney Bean Salad; Spanish Chickpea Stew; and Mediterranean Braised Lamb Shanks.
Chicken and rice have long been the comfort food of choice at my house. Family favorites include, this Spanish chicken and rice with chorizo, and these Lebanese chicken fatteh bowls. It’s something my kids enjoy a ton, so why stop there!
One-Pot Chicken and Rice with Middle Eastern Twist
Today’s Middle Eastern chicken and rice recipe is a riff of something my mother in law makes. She’s a master of the Levant kitchen, and anything she makes is always pure deliciousness. Last time we were visiting in Michigan, she made a simple rice with peas and carrots, plus a spiced roast chicken on the side. I decided to combine them both into this easy one-pot dinner.
First, boneless chicken pieces take on a quick Middle Eastern spice blend (the stars here are definitely allspice and green cardamom.) Then, we give them a quick browning in excellent EVOO before adding basmati rice, chickpeas, and all the rest in. Everything cooks together in one pot for about 20 minutes or so.
What to serve with this Middle Eastern Chicken and Rice?
With pomegranates so plentiful these days, I decided to serve my chicken and rice in bowls with a generous side of this zingy pomegranate tomato salad and a dollop of Greek Tzatziki sauce. Of course, if you have the time, make a big bowl of tabouli salad or fattoush salad instead. And a starter of creamy roasted garlic hummus wouldn’t hurt.
Watch the video for How to Make this Middle Eastern Chicken and Rice Recipe:
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Middle Eastern Chicken and Rice
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Simple, comforting, one-pot chicken and rice dinner with a tasty Middle Eastern twist. Flavor heaven. Gluten free dinner in minutes!
Ingredients
Spice Mixture
- 2 tsp ground allspice, more for later
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp ground green cardamom, more for later
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric, more for later
For Chicken
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (I use ButcherBox organic, free-range chicken)
- Salt
- Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onions (about 1/2 large onion)
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas (or from canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
- 2 cups Basmati rice, rinsed
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 dry bay leaf
- 2 cups boiling low-fat and low-sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the spices to make the spice mixture. Set aside for now.
- Pat chicken thighs dry and cut them into large pieces (I simply cut each in half). Season well with salt, then season with the spice mixture. Work the chicken with clean hands to make sure all the pieces are well-coated with the spice mixture. Set at room temperature for 20 minutes or so (if you have the time).
- In a large and deep cooking skillet with a lid (like this one), heat 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil on medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Brown chicken briefly on both sides (you are not trying to fully cook the chicken at this point). Remove from skillet and set aside for now.
- To the same skillet, now add onions, carrots, and frozen peas. Cook for 4 minutes or so, tossing regularly, until tender. Add chickpeas and rice. Season with salt, 1/2 tsp allspice and 1/4 tsp ground cardamom. Stir to combine.
- Add chicken back to the skillet (nestle the pieces in between the rice). Add cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Turn heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Remove from heat, garnish with parsley and serve with a side of this pomegranate tomato salad; fattoush salad; or this simple 3 ingredient Mediterranean salad. Add a dollop of Greek tzatziki sauce, if you like!
Notes
- Important tip: Wash the rice three times with warm water. Place rice in a bowl, tip a good amount of warm water in, swirl a little with your fingers. Dump the water out and repeat. It sounds like a bit much, but it ensures the rice never sticks. A trick I learned from Nigel Slater.
- Recommended for this Recipe: ButcherBox organic, free-range chicken (see more info in the post above!)
- Recommended for this Recipe: From our all-natural and organic spice collections, ground allspice; ground green cardamom; ground turmeric! And our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (premium EVOO from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives)
- SAVE! Try our Ultimate Mediterranean Spice Bundle; or Create your own 6-pack or 3-pack from our all-natural and organic spice collections!
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Middle Easter
Keywords: chicken and rice, middle eastern chicken recipe
Made this today! My husband loved it! Thank you!
★★★★★
So glad, Nat!
Deliciously aromatic and earthy. Fantastic recipe.
★★★★★
Thank you! So glad
If you wash enriched white rice you just washed vitamins down the drain…I only eat brown rice..I never wash it…. I’ll soak it and then cook it with the same water
Thanks for sharing, Jim. The steps of soaking do help a whole lot in the end result.
I’m not sure what I did wrong. There didn’t seem to be near enough liquid for the rice. So the bottom 3/4 of the rice was fine but the top layer of rice wasn’t fully cooked. I followed the recipe exactly as written and I never have issues with recipes. Should the rice be soaked at all prior to cooking? I’m baffled as it seems to have turned out fine for everyone else. Other than that it was wonderful, we loved the flavors and textures. Going to try this again and see if I can get it right after hopefully getting a little advice.
★★★
FINALLY! A Mediterranean dish my daughter will eat (recently transitioned from keto to this, and she’s been a hard sell)! This was great. As I look at this, and many other recipes I’ve made the last few weeks off this site, what the portion size is vs what we actually eat is hugely different. I am stuffed and we have almost as many leftovers as my family of 4 ate. Are the portions really that generous in this way of eating?
This recipe will definitely be a regular for us. Thank you!
★★★★
Hi Delaney. I am so glad to hear this. Thank you for sharing! Portion size is something calculated through a program, and while we do our very best, there is always a little margin of error. But in general, you will not be hungry eating the wholesome Mediterranean way 😉
this Is one of my favorite go to meal! I have cooked many of your dishes and nothing can’t stand in the way of this dish. favor is perfect it harmonized wonderful with rice and with great friends. all I can say is wow to you and your recipes. you’re trust worthy!
★★★★★
So glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing!
Ive made this dish quite a few times! my spouse loves it with a little heat so i put peppers in there. this dish is delicious!! You will not be disappointed
★★★★★
Vanessa, thanks so much for sharing! I love the added heat!
This was such a delicious and easy recipe to make. I loved how everything was cooked in one pot and although the ingredients are minimal (score!), the dish was full of flavour.
★★★★★
That’s what I like to hear 😉 So glad you enjoyed it!
Maybe I’m getting a bit too old but I couldn’t find a reference to a video anywhere. Anyone care to share a link? Also another commentor was asking for sumac replacement alternatives, but I didn’t see sumac as part of the spices. Am I missing something?
Hi Nate,
If you scroll down to just before the recipe, you’ll see the video under the header “watch video for how to make this…” No sumac needed 🙂
Great flavor blend! I added an extra 3/4 C broth but otherwise followed your directions. Definitely a keeper. If other readers have not tried the Lebanese Hashweh Rice, they must do it as well! And use lamb!
★★★★★
Wonderful, John! So glad you enjoyed it.
can you replace sumac as the spices you mentioned.
Hi Mary, there is not a good replacement for Sumac really. One thing would be to omit sumac and play with the remaining seasoning to achieve flavor. If you’re having a hard time finding sumac and do want to try it, it is actually available here via our online store: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/product/harissa-spice-blend/
Hi Suzy,
I love Middle Eastern food and cook ot regularll.
I used your recipe for Chicken and Rice as a base and altered it a bit.
I added some chopped garlic, Za’atar, cayenne pepper and used Lebanese 7 Spice instead of allspice.
I also added some tomato puree to the chicken stock. I wanted to Lebanese-ify it.
It turned out really lovely and tasty.
Thank you for your recipe which inspired me.
Thank you for sharing, Louise! Great ideas for sure.
Wow absolutely delicious! It turned out perfectly using a Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet. The only thing I changed was to bake at 375 for 20 minutes instead of over low direct heat. This eliminates the ring of fire issue from the burner and cooks evenly. Definitely a keeper!
★★★★★
Thanks so much for sharing, John!
This turned out perfect! One of my new favourite recipes! The only thing I did different was I used Jasmine rice and washed the rice until the water ran clear and added an extra cup of chicken stock then simmered very low. Thanks
★★★★★
Awesome, Jessica! Thanks for sharing!
The whole spices will give a better flavour if they are sauteed before the vegetables are put.
Thanks for sharing!
II could onlyfind green cardamom seeds (not ground) in the store. Do you have any tips on how I can still use them in this recipe (that is if I can)?
Thanks.
Hi Niki, you can lightly open the cardamom seeds (I would say take 3 to 4 pods at most). Insert them in the rice and once cooked, remove. Also, just FYI, we carry cardamom and all sorts of other all-natural spices here at the online store: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/store/