Juicy, perfectly-seasoned chicken, nestled in fragrant rice makes the best one-pot chicken and rice recipe in just over 30 minutes! Add your favorite salad and call it good!
Be sure to watch the video and read through for some important tips for how to make chicken and rice.
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 is something my kids enjoy a ton, so why stop there!
About this chicken and rice recipe
Today’s chicken and rice recipe is a riff of something my mother in law makes. She’s an expert 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 with a spiced roast chicken on the side. I decided to combine them both into this easy one-pot dinner, infused with warm Middle Eastern flavors like allspice, cardamom, and turmeric.
Many think of chicken and rice bake as a rich casserole that incorporates lots of butter and some sort of creamy soup from a can. This is not that, but I promise you it is comforting and more flavorful than your average chicken and rice casserole.
What you need for this chicken and rice
Let me give you an idea of what's in this one-pan dinner, and you'll know why it's different from other chicken and rice recipes you've seen:
- Chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are my go-to here because they cook quickly and will remain nice and juicy. I used 6 chicken thighs, rubbed in the tasty spice mixture and quickly seared for some color.
- Rice. 2 cups of basmati rice. It is so important to rinse your rice very well until the water runs clear and soak it in water for 15 to 20 minutes (drain before using). This will help the rice cook quickly and evenly and will prevent it from sticking.
- Vegetables. In this healthy chicken and rice recipe is a number of chopped veggies and legumes like onions, carrots, frozen peas, and chickpeas (about 1 cup each), which add nutrition and flavor.
- Spices and aromatics. This recipe starts with a bold spice mixture of ground allspice, black pepper, ground green cardamom, and ground turmeric, which coats the chicken for maximum flavor. There is also cinnamon sticks and a bay leaf nestled in the rice for more flavor. (Shop our all-natural and organic spices)
- Broth. The main cooking liquid here is low-sodium chicken broth (like I said, no heavy creamy soups from a can)
- Extra virgin olive oil. As my cooking fat of choice, EVOO here is used to sear the chicken, giving it great color and flavor, and to cook the vegetables as well before adding the rice and broth to the pan. (Shop our olive oil selection)
How to make chicken and rice from scratch?
This is a simple stovetop recipe that takes one large braising pan like this one and about 30 minutes to cook. Here is the gist, but you can check out the full recipe and video below:
- Brown the chicken First, pat the boneless chicken pieces dry, salt on both sides and coat them well with the spice mixture (2 tsp ground allspice, 1 tsp black pepper, ¾ tsp ground green cardamom, ¼ tsp ground turmeric). Heat up a bit of good extra virgin olive oil in a large deep pan with a lid (something like this). Brown the chicken on both sides, then set the chicken aside so you can use the same pan.
- Sautee the vegetables. Toss the chopped onions, carrots, and frozen peas in the pan and sautee in olive oil until softened.
- Add the rice, chickpeas. Now, this is why the pan needs to be nice and big. Add well-rinsed basmati rice that's been soaked in water and drained, and chickpeas and season with salt, ½ teaspoon allspice and ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken back, add broth etc. Nestle the chicken pieces in the rice and add the broth, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaf
- Cook. Bring the liquid to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked and tender (not hard or chewy) and the chicken is fully cooked (its juices should run clear). Garnish with parsley.
What to serve with it
I love the idea of serving a big bright salad next to this chicken and rice dinner. There are so many options to choose from, but here are a few: pomegranate tomato salad, Shirazi salad, fattoush, or Greek salad.
And if you want to add some dips or appetizers to complete this Mediterranean feast, try Melitzanosalata (Greek eggplant dip), hummus, baked zucchini spears, or cauliflower fritters.
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Easy One-Pot Chicken and Rice Recipe
Ingredients
For the Spice Mixture
- 2 teaspoon ground allspice more for later
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon ground green cardamom more for later
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric more for later
For the Chicken and Rice
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onions, about ½ 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 well and soaked in water for 15 to 20 minutes and drained*
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 dry bay leaf
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, boiling
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, heat 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Brown the chicken briefly on both sides. Remove from the 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 the chickpeas and rice. Season with salt, ½ teaspoon allspice and ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet (nestle the pieces in the rice). Add the cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Remove from the heat, garnish with parsley.
Video
Notes
- Important Rice Note: Wash the rice three times with warm water until the water runs clear and place it in a bowl and let it soak in water for 15 to 20 minutes. This will help it cook evenly and quickly without getting sticky.
- Visit Our Online Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils and spices used in this recipe
Nutrition
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2018 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers' benefit.
What are your thoughts on substituting basmati for the rice? Would I still pre soak?
Hi, Jean. The recipe actually does call for basmati rice. And I do recommend rinsing it well and soaking in water for 15 to 20 minutes.
I loved this dish...it will become a regular around here!!
Wonderful! Thanks, Mary!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it twice already and everyone loved it!! I just seasoned my chicken for my third time making this and plan to deviate a little.. since it’s a beautiful day in New England we are grilling the seasoned chicken and I’ll add it at the end. I haven’t started the rice yet but I’m planning to add more spices since it won’t be cooking with the chicken, and I’ll be sautéing hot peppers with the onions and adding broccoli near the end! I love the flavors in this dish! I bought pita and spicy hummus to go as a side along with the cucumber, tomato, parsley salad you recommend!
Mmm! I can’t wait for dinner! Thanks again for this great recipe!
Hope you loved it, Joanne!
Tried this last week. Delicious!! I thought the spices might be too strong, but no, perfect! Thanks
So glad you enjoyed it!
I plan to make this tomorrow, and I noticed that my grocery delivery gave me bone in and with skin chicken thighs instead of boneless and skinless that I had ordered.
Will this change anything in how I make the recipe?
It will change it in terms of the cook time; boneless chicken cooks more quickly. I would advice that you remove the skin.
Thank you! I will definitely remove the skin 😊
Super excited to cook this recipe!
Very delicious! We used Brown Basmati rice and it turned out great. I’m not used to cooking chicken with these flavors, but it smelled fantastic while cooking. It was surprisingly easy to make. I love the video. I was even patient with the chicken and let it brown.
Thanks for sharing, Grant! So glad you enjoyed it!
This was a wonderful dish - thank you for developing it! It was very accessible and easy to make, but packed a huge punch in terms of flavor!
Thank you so much, Leia!
I made this last night and it is truly delicious. However, it took an hour of simmering before the rice was cooked. It is possible that the brown basmati rice that I used was the reason for this, or perhaps my pan was not deep enough? I used a paella pan. In any case, I just wanted to alert folks that if they use other rice, it may take longer. This will become a regular part of my rotation, though for sure!
Hi, Christina! It's likely due to using brown rice. The cooking time and rice/water ratio listed in this recipe are intended for white rice. Generally speaking, brown rice requires more liquid and more time to cook. Next time, I would adjust according to what your rice package requires.
The spices are overwhelmed by the volume of rice—even doubled the spices resulted in an experience more aromatic rather than flavorful. How might it be taken up a notch?
Hi there. Thank you for sharing. This is actually one many have made with great success with the measurements given, and having made it myself several times, the spices have worked great for us. I can only think of one thing, the quality and freshness of spices matters. Sometimes if the spices are quite old, they do get stale and lose their punch.
We have made this recipe several times and love it. I agree that using fresh, good quality spices is key!
I want to try this soon. May I know what kind of pan you are using? I have regular non-stick pan, would that be ok to use?
Hi, Tess! In this recipe, I use a pan similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/112000-02-Artisan-Enameled-Braiser-Scarlet/dp/B072QG12NV?dchild=1&keywords=large+shallow+braising+pan&qid=1616167908&sr=8-5&linkCode=sl1&tag=themedidish-20&linkId=4e1e789aec5f7a577bef46b09f879a0c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl . A non-stick pan would work, just be sure it's large and deep with a lid :).
This recipe looks really tasty. What adjustments would I have to make to timing and volume of liquid if I used brown basmati rice?
Hi Hilary. I've never tried this one with brown rice myself, so it's hard to for me to advise on an exact time/volume. Generally speaking, brown rice requires more liquid and more time to cook. I would adjust according to what your rice package requires.
This looks amazing. Can't wait to try it. Thank you so much 💓
Really delicious! I Usually make food with lots of hot peppers, but my husband can't eat that right now. This dish was perfect ... Full of lovely spices but not at all hot. I can't get pomegranates where I live, so I added a few handfuls of dried cranberries. Thanks for a real keeper!
So glad you enjoyed it, Marilyn!
Just cooked this for supper and it tasted amazing. Will definitely be cooking this again soon. Thank you for the recipe.
This was an AMAZING recipe. I followed it pretty much as is however I used chicken legs and bone-in thighs because that's what I had. My husband was out for dinner and when he came home and tried what I made he was on dinner #2 It was a very easy Middle Eastern like Biryani and took hardly any time at all. What an easy and delicious recipe! Thankyou! I never write reviews but this was very much deserving a comment!
Oh, thank you, Sam! That means a lot!!
This was delicious! I did deviate a little from the recipe, basically using 3 cups of broth instead of 2, and adding some chopped garlic (sauteed with the onions, carrots and peas). Oh, I also added chopped cilantro at the end (after everything was cooked), which brightened up the dish nicely. Definitely a keeper!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Caroline!