One Pot Chicken and Rice

5 from 8 votes
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This One Pot Chicken and Rice recipe is a whole meal with tender, pan seared chicken thighs, sautéed veggies, and creamy rice. A simple, but flavorful meal for busy weeknights with minimal prep and easy cleanup. 

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scooping out chicken thighs set on a bed of rice inside a white skillet

Do you like chicken and rice? Of course you do! Who doesn’t? It’s one of the most basic meals and can be combined in so many different ways and flavors – Mexican, Middle Eastern, Asian – you get the picture. This one pot chicken and rice recipe makes an excellent base for wherever you want to take it!

Why You’ll Love This Chicken and Rice Recipe

  • A full meal. There’s nothing better than a complete dinner with only a single pan to wash! Chicken, rice, and veggies – what more do you need?
  • So flavorful. The rice comes out super flavorful and creamy and the chicken is tender and juicy. And the veggies, don’t get me started on the veggies. They’re rich and fork tender. 
  • Pantry ingredients. Good food doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. Simple pantry ingredients can create really special meals like this flavorful chicken and rice dish.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Chicken Thighs: I prefer bone-in, skin-on thighs for maximum flavor.
  • Seasoning: We’ll be using Italian seasoning, sweet paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Feel free to change this up based on your preference.
  • Olive Oil and Butter
  • Veggies: I love the simple combo of onion, red bell pepper, carrots, and fresh garlic.
  • White Rice: You can use any kind of long grain white rice you’d like.
  • Chicken Broth: Chicken broth, bone broth, or veggie stock all work here.
  • Fresh Parsley
skin-on chicken thighs served over rice in a white plate with fork on the side

How to Make this Chicken and Rice Recipe

You’ll be ready to enjoy this simple meal in under an hour! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

  1. Prep. Preheat the oven to 375˚F and season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, paprika, and garlic powder. 
  2. Brown the chicken. Add olive oil to a large oven-safe skillet and heat over medium heat. Add chicken thighs to the hot oil, skin side down, and cook for 3 minutes. Flip them over and cook them for 2 more minutes. 
  3. Saute veggies. Melt more butter in the same skillet. Add the diced onion, peppers, and carrots to the melted butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
  4. Add rice. Stir in the rice and cook for about a minute, or until lightly toasted. Pour in the hot water and chicken broth. Stir and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. 
  5. Season and return chicken. Stir in the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, then add the chicken thighs back to the skillet, skin side up. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  6. Bake: Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook for 10 to 12 more minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.
  7. Serve: Remove from the oven and let it stand for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley and serve. 
skin-on chicken thighs served over rice in a white plate with fork on the side

Tips for the Best Chicken and Rice

This one pot chicken and rice recipe is pretty hard to mess up. Even if you make a small miscalculation, the flavors are still going to be so good together. If you want to make sure it’s as perfect as possible, follow these simple tips:

  • Chicken cut. You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time. Also, it may be lacking a bit of the richness that you get from the bone-in, skin on chicken thighs.
  • Add some mushrooms. To pack in even more flavor, I suggest adding in mushrooms, too! Mushrooms go great with chicken and rice. 
  • Toast the rice. Add the rice before the liquid and allow it to toast in the butter for about a minute. This adds a really nice hearty and nutty flavor to the rice. 
  • Check the temp. If you’re not sure the chicken is cooked through, use an instant read meat thermometer to make sure the chicken’s internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
  • Change up the spices. You could use this same technique with a different flavor profile by swapping out the spices. I’m thinking Mexican or Indian!
scooping out chicken thighs set on a bed of rice inside a white skillet

Serving Suggestions

This is a whole meal in one pot, so no need to go overboard with sides. Adding a simple green veggie, like steamed broccoli, sauteed asparagus, or roasted Brussels sprouts would be a nice touch.

One thing I love to have on the side of any chicken and rice meal is flatbread. I like to put the rice, veggies and chicken in a folded piece of flatbread and eat it up like little pockets of yum. This easy flatbread recipe is always a hit!

I also love to have a light, fresh tossed salad on the side of this meal. Anything with an Italian vinaigrette would pair really nicely with the spices in this chicken and rice dinner.  

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

  • To store your leftover chicken and rice, allow them to come to room temp and then place the leftovers in an airtight container. Your leftovers will stay in your refrigerator for about 3-5 days. 
  • You could also place the leftovers into a freezer safe zip top bag and keep them in your freezer for about 3 months. I love to use this as a make ahead freezer meal because it has so much flavor and it’s a complete meal in one. 
skin-on chicken thighs served over rice in a white plate with fork on the side

More Chicken Thigh Recipes

5 from 8 votes

One Pot Chicken and Rice Recipe

This One Pot Chicken and Rice recipe is a whole meal – tender, pan seared chicken thighs, sautéed veggies, and creamy rice.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

  • 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning,, divided
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • ½ cup diced red bell peppers
  • ½ cup sliced carrots
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • cups long grain white rice
  • cups hot water
  • cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
  • chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
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Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375˚F.
  • Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper, half of the Italian seasoning, paprika, and garlic powder.
  • Add olive oil to a large oven-safe skillet and heat over medium heat.
  • Add chicken thighs to the hot oil, skin side down, and cook for 3 minutes; flip over and cook for 2 more minutes.
  • Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
  • Melt butter in the same skillet.
  • Add diced onion, peppers, and carrots to the melted butter; cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened.
  • Stir in the garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
  • Stir in the rice and cook for about a minute, or until lightly toasted.
  • Pour in the hot water and chicken broth; stir and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
  • Stir in remaining 1/2-tablespoon Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, then add the chicken thighs back to the skillet, skin side up.
  • Bring mixture to a boil.
  • Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven; cook for 25 minutes. (You can also use aluminum foil for cover, but make sure to cover it tightly.)
  • Remove lid and continue to cook for 10 to 12 more minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.
  • Remove from oven and let stand few minutes before serving.
  • Garnish with parsley and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 460mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 342IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.

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Recipe Rating




23 Comments

  1. Beth Pierce says:

    5 stars
    I made this the other night and it was so delicious! My family loved it! Thanks!

  2. Sara Welch says:

    5 stars
    What a hearty and flavorful dish! Definitely looking forward to giving this a try; looks too good to pass up!

    1. Katerina Petrovska says:

      I hope you enjoy it! Thank you, Sara! 🙂

  3. Toni says:

    5 stars
    This quickly became a favorite meal at my house!!

    1. Katerina Petrovska says:

      That’s wonderful! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂

  4. Kevin says:

    5 stars
    One pot meals are my jam durning the week! this will make a regular appearance!

    1. Katerina Petrovska says:

      That’s great! I hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂

  5. Catalina says:

    5 stars
    You just gave me a brilliant idea for dinner tonight!

    1. Katerina Petrovska says:

      I hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂

  6. Cathy says:

    Love how simple yet flavorful this is!

    1. Katerina Petrovska says:

      Thank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

  7. Jacque Hastert says:

    5 stars
    I love this dish! This dinner is perfect for weeknights when things are busy. Can’t beat a delicious dinner with minimal cleanup!

    1. Katerina Petrovska says:

      Thank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

  8. Ashley says:

    Can you make this skinless/boneless ? Will it turn out the same?

    1. Katerina says:

      I would advise not to because chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) cook much faster than bone-in chicken thighs. The rice will need to cook longer than the breasts, so you might end up with very dry chicken.

  9. BERNADETTE KOVACIK says:

    will the rice cook thoroughly in the skillet or should we partially cook it beforehand? I’ve had bad luck with similar recipes in the past with un-cooked rice. lol

    1. Katerina says:

      Hi!
      Oh I know! I’ve also had some bad luck with those recipes, but this one does work because half of the liquid has to be hot when you add it to the rice. Just follow the recipe as-is – use hot water, use long grain rice, broth, etc… – and it will work, I promise. 😊

  10. Maryann says:

    5 stars
    Just made this recipe for the first time tonight. It was easy and yummy to eat. Will definitely make this again.

    1. Katerina Petrovska says:

      That’s great to hear! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for chiming in! 🙂