Juicy, perfectly-seasoned chicken, nestled in fragrant rice makes the best one-pot chicken and rice recipe in just over 30 minutes! Add your favorite salad and call it good!
Be sure to watch the video and read through for some important tips for how to make chicken and rice.
Chicken and rice have long been the comfort food of choice at my house. Family favorites include, this Spanish chicken and rice with chorizo, and these Lebanese chicken fatteh bowls. It is something my kids enjoy a ton, so why stop there!
About this chicken and rice recipe
Today’s chicken and rice recipe is a riff of something my mother in law makes. She’s an expert of the Levant kitchen, and anything she makes is always pure deliciousness. Last time we were visiting in Michigan, she made a simple rice with peas and carrots with a spiced roast chicken on the side. I decided to combine them both into this easy one-pot dinner, infused with warm Middle Eastern flavors like allspice, cardamom, and turmeric.
Many think of chicken and rice bake as a rich casserole that incorporates lots of butter and some sort of creamy soup from a can. This is not that, but I promise you it is comforting and more flavorful than your average chicken and rice casserole.
What you need for this chicken and rice
Let me give you an idea of what’s in this one-pan dinner, and you’ll know why it’s different from other chicken and rice recipes you’ve seen:
- Chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are my go-to here because they cook quickly and will remain nice and juicy. I used 6 chicken thighs, rubbed in the tasty spice mixture and quickly seared for some color.
- Rice. 2 cups of basmati rice. It is so important to rinse your rice very well until the water runs clear and soak it in water for 15 to 20 minutes (drain before using). This will help the rice cook quickly and evenly and will prevent it from sticking.
- Vegetables. In this healthy chicken and rice recipe is a number of chopped veggies and legumes like onions, carrots, frozen peas, and chickpeas (about 1 cup each), which add nutrition and flavor.
- Spices and aromatics. This recipe starts with a bold spice mixture of ground allspice, black pepper, ground green cardamom, and ground turmeric, which coats the chicken for maximum flavor. There is also cinnamon sticks and a bay leaf nestled in the rice for more flavor. (Shop our all-natural and organic spices)
- Broth. The main cooking liquid here is low-sodium chicken broth (like I said, no heavy creamy soups from a can)
- Extra virgin olive oil. As my cooking fat of choice, EVOO here is used to sear the chicken, giving it great color and flavor, and to cook the vegetables as well before adding the rice and broth to the pan. (Shop our olive oil selection)
How to make chicken and rice from scratch?
This is a simple stovetop recipe that takes one large braising pan like this one and about 30 minutes to cook. Here is the gist, but you can check out the full recipe and video below:
- Brown the chicken First, pat the boneless chicken pieces dry, salt on both sides and coat them well with the spice mixture (2 tsp ground allspice, 1 tsp black pepper, 3/4 tsp ground green cardamom, 1/4 tsp ground turmeric). Heat up a bit of good extra virgin olive oil in a large deep pan with a lid (something like this). Brown the chicken on both sides, then set the chicken aside so you can use the same pan.
- Sautee the vegetables. Toss the chopped onions, carrots, and frozen peas in the pan and sautee in olive oil until softened.
- Add the rice, chickpeas. Now, this is why the pan needs to be nice and big. Add well-rinsed basmati rice that’s been soaked in water and drained, and chickpeas and season with salt, 1/2 tsp allspice and 1/4 tsp ground cardamom. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken back, add broth etc. Nestle the chicken pieces in the rice and add the broth, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaf
- Cook. Bring the liquid to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked and tender (not hard or chewy) and the chicken is fully cooked (its juices should run clear). Garnish with parsley.
What to serve with it
I love the idea of serving a big bright salad next to this chicken and rice dinner. There are so many options to choose from, but here are a few: pomegranate tomato salad, Shirazi salad, fattoush, or Greek salad.
And if you want to add some dips or appetizers to complete this Mediterranean feast, try Melitzanosalata (Greek eggplant dip), hummus, baked zucchini spears, or cauliflower fritters.
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Easy One-Pot Chicken and Rice Recipe
Ingredients
For the Spice Mixture
- 2 tsp ground allspice more for later
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp ground green cardamom more for later
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric more for later
For the Chicken and Rice
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onions, about 1/2 large onion
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas or from canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups Basmati rice, rinsed well and soaked in water for 15 to 20 minutes and drained*
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 dry bay leaf
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, boiling
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the spices to make the spice mixture. Set aside for now.
- Pat chicken thighs dry and cut them into large pieces (I simply cut each in half). Season well with salt, then season with the spice mixture. Work the chicken with clean hands to make sure all the pieces are well-coated with the spice mixture. Set at room temperature for 20 minutes or so (if you have the time).
- In a large and deep cooking skillet with a lid, heat 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Brown the chicken briefly on both sides. Remove from the skillet and set aside for now.
- To the same skillet, now add onions, carrots, and frozen peas. Cook for 4 minutes or so, tossing regularly, until tender. Add the chickpeas and rice. Season with salt, 1/2 tsp allspice and 1/4 tsp ground cardamom. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet (nestle the pieces in the rice). Add the cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Remove from the heat, garnish with parsley.
Video
Notes
- Important Rice Note: Wash the rice three times with warm water until the water runs clear and place it in a bowl and let it soak in water for 15 to 20 minutes. This will help it cook evenly and quickly without getting sticky.
- Visit Our Online Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils and spices used in this recipe
Nutrition
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2018 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit.
FINALLY! A Mediterranean dish my daughter will eat (recently transitioned from keto to this, and she’s been a hard sell)! This was great. As I look at this, and many other recipes I’ve made the last few weeks off this site, what the portion size is vs what we actually eat is hugely different. I am stuffed and we have almost as many leftovers as my family of 4 ate. Are the portions really that generous in this way of eating?
This recipe will definitely be a regular for us. Thank you!
Hi Delaney. I am so glad to hear this. Thank you for sharing! Portion size is something calculated through a program, and while we do our very best, there is always a little margin of error. But in general, you will not be hungry eating the wholesome Mediterranean way 😉
this Is one of my favorite go to meal! I have cooked many of your dishes and nothing can’t stand in the way of this dish. favor is perfect it harmonized wonderful with rice and with great friends. all I can say is wow to you and your recipes. you’re trust worthy!
So glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing!
Ive made this dish quite a few times! my spouse loves it with a little heat so i put peppers in there. this dish is delicious!! You will not be disappointed
Vanessa, thanks so much for sharing! I love the added heat!
This was such a delicious and easy recipe to make. I loved how everything was cooked in one pot and although the ingredients are minimal (score!), the dish was full of flavour.
That’s what I like to hear 😉 So glad you enjoyed it!
Maybe I’m getting a bit too old but I couldn’t find a reference to a video anywhere. Anyone care to share a link? Also another commentor was asking for sumac replacement alternatives, but I didn’t see sumac as part of the spices. Am I missing something?
Hi Nate,
If you scroll down to just before the recipe, you’ll see the video under the header “watch video for how to make this…” No sumac needed 🙂
Great flavor blend! I added an extra 3/4 C broth but otherwise followed your directions. Definitely a keeper. If other readers have not tried the Lebanese Hashweh Rice, they must do it as well! And use lamb!
Wonderful, John! So glad you enjoyed it.
can you replace sumac as the spices you mentioned.
Hi Mary, there is not a good replacement for Sumac really. One thing would be to omit sumac and play with the remaining seasoning to achieve flavor. If you’re having a hard time finding sumac and do want to try it, it is actually available here via our online store: https://shop.themediterraneandish.com/product/harissa-spice-blend/
Hi Suzy,
I love Middle Eastern food and cook ot regularll.
I used your recipe for Chicken and Rice as a base and altered it a bit.
I added some chopped garlic, Za’atar, cayenne pepper and used Lebanese 7 Spice instead of allspice.
I also added some tomato puree to the chicken stock. I wanted to Lebanese-ify it.
It turned out really lovely and tasty.
Thank you for your recipe which inspired me.
Thank you for sharing, Louise! Great ideas for sure.
Wow absolutely delicious! It turned out perfectly using a Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet. The only thing I changed was to bake at 375 for 20 minutes instead of over low direct heat. This eliminates the ring of fire issue from the burner and cooks evenly. Definitely a keeper!
Thanks so much for sharing, John!
This turned out perfect! One of my new favourite recipes! The only thing I did different was I used Jasmine rice and washed the rice until the water ran clear and added an extra cup of chicken stock then simmered very low. Thanks
Awesome, Jessica! Thanks for sharing!
The whole spices will give a better flavour if they are sauteed before the vegetables are put.
Thanks for sharing!
II could onlyfind green cardamom seeds (not ground) in the store. Do you have any tips on how I can still use them in this recipe (that is if I can)?
Thanks.
Hi Niki, you can lightly open the cardamom seeds (I would say take 3 to 4 pods at most). Insert them in the rice and once cooked, remove. Also, just FYI, we carry cardamom and all sorts of other all-natural spices here at the online store: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/store/
Made this last night I had some issues: ratio rice/broth 1:1 is insuffisant: rice on top remained raw, had to add more liquid, end up with overcook rice for half of it and cooked right for the other half of the rice. Color is off also: not as appealing as in the photos, more like in the video. I used pork instead of chicken and it was also overcooked cause of the rice issue. I watched the video again and again can’t find what I did wrong but I’ll bet its ration 1:1 ratio that is the cause. Flavors were great, (spices choice) but not an appealing dish.
What kind of rice did you end up using? The basmati rice used here does not require as much water. One thing is maybe to consult the rice package and use the amount of water instructed there. Some rice does a lot better if soaked for a while until the rice grains soften a bit.
I made this recipe and it is outstanding! Do not omit any of the ingredients because they all work together very nicely in this easy and delicious recipe!
Nina, thanks so much for your feedback!
What is the pomegranate dish served with this
Hi Tammy. Here is the link for the tomato and pomegranate salad you see in the pictures: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/pomegranate-tomato-salad-recipe/
Does the chicken broth go in at the same time as rice and chick peas?
Hi Jennifer. Your answer is in steps #4 and #5. Enjoy!