One Pan Greek Chicken and Rice | Olive & Mango

This one pan or one-pot Greek chicken and rice dish is literally one of my favourites. It has all the things in it and flavors I love. Rice, chicken, spinach and lemony goodness. What’s better than a one pan meal for the midweek or any day?!? – easy cleanup and happy tummy’s all around. This dish is a great stand alone meal but even better when served with a side salad – perhaps my Greek Horiatiki Salad or my Classic Greek Lettuce Salad (Maroulosalata). Finish off the dish with an extra squeeze of lemon juice and serve garnished with lemon slices, chopped fresh herbs and crumbled feta and enjoy!

One Pan Chicken and Rice Recipe Ingredients

• CHICKEN: I used bone-in chicken thighs with the skin on for this recipe for extra flavor since the chicken cooks with the rice creating so much delicious flavor but you can use chicken breasts just use the same weighted amount and you may need to sear and brown the pieces a little longer. They might be a little overcooked by the time the dish is ready. Just something to keep in mind. In general other cuts like breasts will dry out too much while they’re in the oven, whereas the bone-in pieces will help retain moisture. If you are worried about too much fat in he dish due to the skin – just be sure to drain off any excess leaving back at least 2 tablespoons of fat in skillet after you have seared the chicken.
• RICE: I like to use long grain white rice either regular or par boiled works with this recipe. If you use any other rice I cannot guarantee that it won’t be over cooked or undercooked. If you use a rice like basmati it will be overcooked – if you use brown rice or wild rice it will be under cooked – so there is a balance of cooking the rice and the chicken at the same time and long grain white rice is what works for this particular recipe and how I tested it
• ONION & GARLIC: I like to use yellow or white onion but red onion or shallots will work well too and feel free to adjust garlic amounts to taste
• LEMONS: You will need 1-2 lemons for the actual recipe – marinade and dish along with more if you would like to garnish with more lemon slices
• SPINACH: I love to add some greens to just about everything – but in this dish it not only is a great way to add more veggies and nutrition but it gives the rice a very spanakorizo (Greek spinach rice). It’s optional to add the spinach but if you were looking for other veggie add ins feel free to toss in some green peas or when sautéing the onions you could do more of a mirepoix by sautéing some finely minced carrots and celery or sweet peppers or even saute in some mushrooms for a vegetable alternative
• SPICES & SEASONINGS: I used dried oregano, dried thyme, paprika, and powdered garlic for the marinade and dish along with salt and black pepper of course. Feel free to adjust amounts to taste and you are welcome to switch up the flavors with different spice blends and flavours like lemon pepper or Italian seasoning or Cajun etc and feel free to add more flavour to the marinade with a dash of soy sauce or even some powdered mustard, prepared mustard or dijon mustard
• CHICKEN BROTH/CHICKEN STOCK: This is for cooking the rice – Veggie broth works too.
• FOR SERVING: I like to serve this dish with extra lemon wedges or slices, freshly chopped parsley and crumbled feta cheese but grated Parmesan cheese is great too – of course all garnishes are optional and to taste. Feel free to use other fresh herbs for garnishing to taste like fresh dill or fresh thyme

One Pan Greek Chicken Recipe Instructions

This tasty dish comes together pretty quickly so it is best to have all your ingredients chopped and ready to go. Here is a basic breakdown of the directions (Full detailed recipe instructions are all in recipe card below):

1. Season and marinate chicken thighs and set aside.
2. Preheat oven
3. Heat large oven-safe skillet or dutch oven and sear/brown chicken on both sides, remove to plate and set aside after
4. Stir in veggies, herbs and reserved marinade
5. Stir in rice then broth and bring to a simmer
6. Place prepared chicken pieces over rice
7. Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil and transfer to the preheated oven and bake
8. Once done fluff up the rice with a fork removing chicken from pan if desired
9. Garnish with parsley, lemon slices and feat cheese and serve.

One Pan Chicken and Rice Storage, Make Ahead & Freezing

• STORAGE: Refrigerate any cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3- 5 days. To reheat, add a few teaspoons of water or drizzle some olive oil over the rice and stir gently. This is to prevent it from drying out. Microwave the chicken for 1 to 2 minutes or until warm. If you’re reheating a large portion, do it in the oven at 350˚F for 10 to 15 minutes watching that it doesn’t burn
• MAKE AHEAD: Chicken can be tossed in the marinade and chilled in an airtight container in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 1 day ahead.
• FREEZING: Cooked and cooled chicken and rice can be frozen in an airtight freezer friendly container for up to 1-2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat same as stated above.

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