This recipe for One-Skillet Chicken Thighs & Rice is a STAPLE in my dinner rotation. It's such an easy one-pot meal that is cheap and full of flavor! Pair this with a green veggie of your choice for a well-rounded meal.
Juicy chicken thighs with a crispy, seasoned skin. Beautifully cooked rice. And the absolute best part of this One-Skillet Chicken Thighs & Rice dish? Only one pot/pan to clean!
Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs - I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe.
- Seasonings - The seasoning blend below is the perfect blend of spice and flavor. I've tried and tested it so many times, and you can't go wrong with this combination!
- Jasmine Rice - I've found that jasmine rice gives the perfect texture for our dish. Be sure to grab a longer-grain rice since we need it to withstand our cooking methods!
You guys know how much I love cooking but hate washing dishes lol. It's such a conflict, but I grew up hand washing & wiping the counters/stove/fridge & sweeping after each night - so cleaning the kitchen and having a million dishes would always have me anxious. Being lazy one day, I decided to try and create a recipe for Chicken Thighs and Rice that can be made all in one cast-iron skillet. Something where the chicken was beautifully seared, the rice was perfectly cooked, and everything was seasoned to perfection. Voila!
How to Make Chicken & Rice in the Same Skillet
There's a few tricks to making a perfect One-Skillet Chicken & Rice dish.
- Marinate the chicken! Poke the chicken thighs with a fork, then season generously with our seasoning blend below. Marinate for at least 15 minutes, but the longer the better, for a beautiful flavor in every bite.
- Sear the chicken (but not fully cook it), then let the thighs finish cooking in the chicken stock/rice. This method creates a fantastic sear on the outside of your chicken thighs without overcooking the inside.
- Don't peek at the rice. Once you add the liquid to your toasted rice, cover the pan, and don't lift it up for the first 35 minutes! You want the rice to steam properly, and removing the lid too early can affect that.
At the end, you have a one-pot chicken dish that the entire family will love. And it's all ready in under 45 minutes!
Serve this with your favorite green veggies. I'm partial to my sheet pan-roasted asparagus, roasted broccoli, or brussels sprouts.
Other Easy Weeknight Dinners
One-Skillet Chicken Thighs & Rice
Simplify your weeknight dinner - and weeknight dishes - with this super easy Chicken Thighs & Rice recipe!
Equipment
- Cast-Iron Skillet with Lid if possible - a normal skillet with high sides + a lid will work as well.
- Tongs
- Large Fork to fluff up the rice
Ingredients
Marinating Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon harissa seasoning
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon jerk powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Main Ingredients
- 4 count bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 pinch oregano
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Take the listed marinating seasonings and rub them into the chicken thighs. Marinate for at least 15 minutes, or up to overnight for the best depth of flavor.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium heat.
- Sear the marinated chicken thighs, skin side down, for 10-13 minutes until they are browned.
- Remove (they will still be undercooked) and set aside. Keep the oil that the chicken thighs made in the skillet; we will use that in our next steps.
- In the same skillet, add your rice, minced garlic, and a pinch of oregano + salt.
- Cook the rice in the oil that the chicken created for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to evenly brown the rice.
- Pour in the chicken stock and keep cooking until the mixture is simmering, almost boiling.
- Add chicken, skin side up, to the top of your rice mixture. Cover securely with a lid, and bake for 35 minutes.
- Uncover the skillet, stir up the rice, and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes or so until done to your liking. Enjoy!
Notes
Tips & Tricks for Success:
I've found that using aluminum foil to cover the skillet can lead to inconsistent results with the cook of your rice. I recommend using a skillet with a tight-fitting lid.
Step 7 also helps brown and parcook the outside of the rice. When combined with the steaming in a closed skillet in the oven, you should get perfectly fluffy rice! Just remember not to remove the lid until the cooking time is up.
Nutrition
Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 787mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 102IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe yet?Please consider leaving a comment! Reviews help other readers find their next favorite dish, like this one.
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The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $1.68
- Total Cost (4 servings): $6.72
- Those Other Guys: $16.99 per serving
Jackie B. says
Absolutelyyyy delicious!!!! This recipe has become a hit in my house time and time and time again! And as I make it for the 4th time, I finally had to make my way over to leave a review!
My chicken was juicy and flavorful! My rice was fragrant and tasty! If anyone is ever in a pinch for a dinner date idea or hosting a small number of people, this recipe will put out all the stops with low effort and low mess in the kitchen.
Shani W. says
I'm so glad to hear that, Jackie! This is one of my go-to's as well for those very same reasons you listed. Thank you so much for coming back to make it again, and commenting! 🙂
M says
I followed the instructions precisely and my rice turned out half crunchy. I added small amounts of water and cooked on low over and over for about 2 hours for the rice to finally get soft. This was so frustrating.
Shani W. says
I'm so sorry to hear that! Without being there in the kitchen, I won't know exactly went wrong - however, I can suggest a few things that could have affected the cook on your rice:
- Be sure to use medium- or long-grain white rice. I haven't tested this recipe with brown rice (or other varieties) yet, but that does have a longer cook time.
- Also, did you sauté the dry rice in the oil from the chicken for 2+ minutes until browned? That usually helps sort of parcook the outside of the rice before we add the liquid so it can steam all the way through.
- After adding the broth, be sure to let the skillet begin simmering before you cover and add to the oven. I keep the heat on medium until I see lots of bubbles, then go ahead and cover with a lid.
- The only other step I can think of is keeping that lid on. I've used aluminum foil to cover the skillet before, and sometimes it ventilates itself in the oven which lets out steam and leads to crunchy rice mixed in with fully cooked rice. If you have a skillet with a tight-fitting lid, I'd try that and make sure you don't peek until after 35 minutes.
Hopefully you'll give it another try - please let me know how it comes out if so! Thank you for commenting!
Anonymous says
This recipe was easy to make and delicious! I wasn’t sure how the rice was going to come out but the consistency was great! I adjusted the spices a little bit to make it more kid friendly. I will definitely be making this again!
Shani W. says
I'm so glad to hear it! Thank you for commenting!
Anonymous says
This recipe was delicious! I was impressed with how the rice came out and I adjusted the spices in the chicken so it was less spicy for kids. I’m definitely making this again!
Shani W. says
Yayyy this is great news - thanks so much! 🙂
Anonymous says
This was so great. I was really nervous about the rice cooking, but followed your tips and didn’t peek under the lid. Everything turned out perfect at the end!
Shani W. says
Haha it's so worth it at the end! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Tom Bantle says
Hearty and Savory. Delicious
Keshia G says
The hubs and I love this recipe!!! I changed up the seasonings a bit but it came out perfectly!! This is definitely a keeper. I’m just amazed at how simple it was. Thank you.
Shani W. says
Thanks so much Keshia! 🙂
Abbey says
I made this a week or so ago in my new jumbo nonstick skillet I purchased from Sams and I was afraid it would not come out like the picture without using a cast iron skillet....but I was WRONG this was so delicious!!! We ate it all!
Shani W. says
So glad y'all enjoyed it Abbey! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Anonymous says
What would be a good rice to make with this?
Shani W. says
Long-grain or medium-grain white rice is what I recommend.
Peg says
Excellent recipe - I actually made it with 7 skin-on, bone-in thighs because that is what I had. They fit nicely in my 3.5 qt brasier and I think the rice to chicken ratio worked well. The thighs were done within the recipe time even though they were bone-in.
I tossed fresh chunked carrots and asparagus with avocado oil and a savory salt & pepper spice and roasted them in the oven at 420 for about 15 mins and they went very well with this dish. So easy!
Shani W. says
Yum - the carrots and asparagus combo sounds so delicious! Thank you for trying this recipe. I normally also use skin-on, bone-in thighs so I'll be sure to update the recipe card to reflect that.
Rachel says
My family loved it! Didn’t have Harissa seasoning so used cayenne pepper. Also added small broccoli pieces just before baking. It’s definitely going in the rotation!
Shani W. says
YUM - the broccoli is such a smart addition! Thanks so much Rachel 🙂
Jennifer says
I love this recipe! Especially since my kids are it and asked for seconds. It will be going in our regular rotation.
Shani W. says
That makes me so happy to hear! Thanks Jennifer 🙂
Rainah says
This recipe is everything! Normally I get “the ick” when eating bone-in chicken, but I CLEANED my plate and went back for more!! Thank you Shani for my new staple meal prep
Shani W. says
That makes me so happy to hear! I've definitely gotten the chicken ick before haha. So glad that this recipe was a winner for you! 🙂 Thank you for commenting.
William Sherman says
WOW!!! I just tried out your recipe and all my granddaughters went nuts over it! "we need a bigger pan":) Im a retired grandpa with lots of hungry girls and this just made me a Starr ! thanks for everything. I'm a fan, Grandpa Bill
Shani W. says
Thanks so much, Grandpa Bill! I love to hear that the kids really enjoyed this recipe!
Shawn says
This recipe was so delicious! My family loved it! I can't wait to make it again!
Shani W. says
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for trying it Shawn!