Don’t you just love one-pot recipes? I know I do! They come together quickly and they require minimum cleaning after dinner, which is fantastic, especially after you have had a long tiring day. This One Pot Chicken and Lemon Rice is one such recipe, and it has yet another merit: it tastes amazing.
We all like chicken and rice at my house, and we usually have it “curry style”. As you know, Italians never have risotto with chicken, so curries are a great option to mix poultry with rice. Now that I have discovered this new cooking method, I can see many other delicious flavours and recipes coming up.
You basically cook the rice with the absorption method, but by cooking it together with the chicken, the flavours get much more intense! The rice comes out fluffy, moist and with well-separated grains. It is really tasty and with just a hint of lemon!
Try it, I am sure it will make everyone happy and it will become a midweek family favourite at your place, just as it happened to us. Enjoy!
One Pot Chicken and Lemon Rice
One Pot Chicken and Lemon Rice – a quick and delicious dinner that will become a midweek family favourite!
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade
- 4 chicken thighs skin on and bone in
- 1 big lemon zest and 4 tbsp of juice
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- ¾ tsp salt
Rice
- 1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- ½ onion chopped
- 180 gms – 1 cup long grain rice
- 500 ml – 2 cups chicken stock
- ¾ tsp salt
Garnish
- Parsley chopped
- Lemon slices
Instructions
Marinade
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Mix together the marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken and set aside for at least 30 minutes but preferably overnight.
To Cook
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Remove chicken from marinade, but reserve the marinade.
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Heat ½ tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a deep, heavy-based pot that can be put in the oven over medium-high heat.
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Place the chicken in the pot, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, then turn and cook the other side until golden brown. Remove the chicken and keep aside.
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Pour off fat and wipe the pan clean, then return to the stove.
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Heat 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in the pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Then add the rice, the remaining ingredients, and the reserved marinade.
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Let the liquid come to a simmer. Place the chicken and lemon slices on top, then cover the pot with a lid.
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Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C – 350°F for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
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Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, garnished with chopped parsley.
Recipe Notes
You can also use a skillet for this recipe. If you don't have a lid for the pot you use, you can cover it with foil. This recipe works best with white long grain, but you can also use jasmine and basmati rice.
Wow, that looks so tasty. Love this recipe.
Looks delicious! What a meal!