This one pot chicken & rice takes juicy chicken thighs and marinades them in a seasoned yoghurt, paired with a far from boring rice… you really can’t go wrong with this classic, budget friendly, weeknight dinner. To add the cherry on top, it’s all done in one pot!
I know when many hear ‘chicken and rice’ it sounds like a typical bland weeknight dinner. But don’t be fooled, this is no ordinary chicken and rice recipe. So if you’re stuck on easy and cheap dinner ideas, this one’s for you!
The key to this delicious recipe is marinating the chicken (this helps it stay juicy) and to coat the rice in any leftover marinade before cooking it. Also, cook the rice in chicken stock instead of water. By cooking it all in one pot, it means no flavours left behind!
Key Ingredients
- Chicken thighs: I highly recommend using these over chicken breasts. Chicken thighs are more tender and moist, chicken thighs will be more likely to dry out in a dish like this. The extra bit of fattiness on the thighs will give this dish that extra bit of goodness.
- Aromatics: onion and garlic help build the base for the flavour of this rice, adding a sweet and caramelised depth to the dish.
- Greek yoghurt: this is used to tenderise the chicken thighs, as it contains lactic acid. It also helps with moisture retention, it helps the marinade adhere to the chicken.
- Jasmine rice: due to the texture, this can absorb the flavours of the seasonings. It’s neutral yet slightly sweet flavour means it’s versatile, and compliments a variety of meals – such as this one pot chicken and rice!
- Chicken stock: forget bland rice, by cooking the rice in chicken stock it boosts the flavour.
- Seasonings: I am a creature of habit and essentially use the same ingredients in a lot of my dishes. For the marinade of this delicious chicken I use cumin, paprika, chicken powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and mixed herbs.
How to make this scrumptious one pot chicken & rice
Marinating the chicken.
In a large bowl, add the chicken thigh and coat in greek yoghurt. Sprinkle the seasoning in, and mix. I recommend leaving the chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour if possible, even better if you can do a few, this is to allow the chicken to tenderise and really be infused with the seasonings.
Sear the chicken.
To a medium heat pot, add the marinated chicken thighs. Sear the chicken for a few minutes on each side, until they have started to form a crust or are deep in colour.
Add the chicken to the oven.
Once the chicken has finished in the pot, remove it. Wrap in tinfoil, and then place on a baking tray. Pop it in the oven at 160℃.
Sauté the aromatics.
To the same pot the chicken was in, add sliced (or diced) onion and crush garlic. Sauté onion and garlic in the remaining yoghurt mix, until softened.
Cook the remaining marinade.
Once the onion and garlic have started to soften, continuously add remaining yoghurt. Let the marinade cook down into a deeper colour.
Toast and cook the rice.
Add rice to the pot, stir so that rice is coated in the seasoned marinade. Let the rice toast for a few minutes. To cook, pour in the chicken stock. Cover the pot with a lid, and let the rice simmer for 10 minutes to cook.
Serve the one pot chicken & rice.
Once the rice has cooked, fluff it up with a fork. Remove the chicken from the oven, add back into the rice alongside any juices in the tinfoil. Mix them together, then serve!
Why you should make this one pot chicken & rice
- One Pot: it’s in the title, which is why it’s a great reason to make this chicken and rice dish! It’s convenient and practical for an easy meal, fewer dishes and less clean up.
- Balanced: this one pot chicken and rice combine protein and carbohydrates, pair it with a side of veggies (if you’d like) and you get a perfect rounded meal.
- Leftovers: this is also a great dish to meal prep for a couple days if you’d like. It’s easy to make a large serving.
Could I add more vegetables to the rice?
Of course you can! I just kept the chicken and rice simple, and had the veggies on the side. But some good additives to this could be peas, mushrooms, grated carrot, green beans? I would pick a veggie that you could sauté before or after the onions.
What do you serve the chicken & rice with?
Whilst you can definitely serve this as is, I like to add some sautéed green beans on the side of my chicken and rice. I think something green is always good for a side dish to this kind of meal. Could be roast broccoli or brussel sprouts, or a fresh salad.
Storage
Allow the one pot chicken and rice to cool before refrigerating. Keep in an airtight container (or containers if using leftovers for meal prep). I would recommend only storing up to 3 days, including the day it was made. Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
More one pot recipes:
Alrighty, time to make this easy as one pot chicken and rice for your next dinner! Let me know if you enjoy it… let’s go!
One Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs
- 2.5 cups plain greek yoghurt
- 1 brown onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 cups jasmine rice
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp chicken powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp mixed herbs
Instructions
- At least 1 hour before cooking, marinate chicken thighs in greek yoghurt and seasonings. Cover and let sit in the fridge.
- To a medium heat pot, add marinated chicken thighs. Sear until they have started to form a crust.
- Remove the chicken, wrap in tinfoil, then place in an oven at 180℃.
- To the same pot, sauté onion and garlic in the remaining yoghurt mix.
- Once they have started to soften, continuously add remaining yoghurt. Let this cook down into a deeper colour.
- Add in rice, stir so that rice is coated in the yoghurt seasoning. Let toast for a couple minutes.
- Pour in chicken stock, then cover with the pot’s lid.
- Let the rice simmer for about 10 minutes or so, until it has cooked.
- Once the rice has cooked, fluff it up with a fork.
- Remove the chicken from the oven, add back into the rice alongside any juices in the tinfoil.
