One-Skillet Chicken Thighs & Rice

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

• Lemon Pepper Wet Wings
• Curry Turkey Meatballs
• Soy-Lime Beef Stir-Fry

One-Skillet Chicken Thighs & Rice

Shani W.

Simplify your weeknight dinner – and weeknight dishes – with this super easy Chicken Thighs & Rice recipe!

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Course Dinner

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

Seasonings

• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. harissa seasoning
• ½ tsp. thyme
• ½ tsp. jerk powder
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• 1 pinch oregano
• 1 pinch salt

Main Ingredients

• 4 ct. chicken thighs
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups chicken stock

Instructions

 

• Take the listed seasonings (besides the pinch of oregano & salt) and rub them into the chicken thighs. Marinate for at least 15 minutes, up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium heat.
• Sear the chicken thighs, skin side down, for 10-13 minutes until they are browned.
• Remove (they will still be undercooked) and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add rice, minced garlic, and a pinch of oregano + salt.
• Cook for about 2 minutes until browned.
• Pour in chicken stock and keep cooking until the mixture is simmering.
• Add chicken, skin side up, to the top of your rice mixture. Cover securely with foil, and bake for 35 minutes.
• Uncover the skillet, stir up the rice, and cook for another 10 minutes or so until done. Enjoy!

Keyword Cast Iron, chicken and rice, chicken thighs, One-Pan, One-Skillet

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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