One Pot Chicken Thighs And Rice

Chicken Thighs and Rice is a recipe I turn to when I want something comforting, easy, and satisfying. It’s one of those one-pot meals where the chicken comes out juicy, the rice is perfectly seasoned, and everyone at the table is happy for dinner.

Why We Love Chicken Thighs And Rice

• Easy Family Meal – This recipe is simple, flavorful, and makes a juicy, tender dinner. It’s a great recipe for any weeknight.
• Tender Chicken And Rice All In One Pot – This dinner can go from stovetop to oven without dirtying a lot of dishes.
• Budget Friendly Meal – This dinner can help to stretch your budget a little more without sacrificing flavor. It’s great to meal prep this recipe ahead of time, and then reheat it for dinner too.

Ingredients For Chicken Thighs And Rice

• chicken thighs bone-in and skin-on, 4-6 usually can fit in the pan and be used for this recipe. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs. If you have chicken breasts I recommend using the method in my creamy chicken and rice, which is also one pot and will make juicy chicken with chicken breast.
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• pepper
• salt
• red pepper flakes optional
• olive oil
• minced garlic can also use 4 fresh garlic cloves for 2 teaspoons garlic
• short grain white rice uncooked, jasmine rice or brown rice could also be used, see the notes in the recipe card. I have not tried this chicken and rice recipe using minute rice or instant rice, but it would need a different amount of liquid, and the rice may be done before the chicken.
• chicken broth
• parsley or green onions optional garnish

How To Make One Pot Chicken And Rice With Chicken Thighs

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken thighs dry and transfer them to a medium-sized bowl.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and garlic powder and set aside.
3. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the top of the chicken thighs and stir to coat making sure the spice mixture is covering all sides of the chicken thighs. You may need to use your hands to rub the spice mixture into the meat.

4. Place a large Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and allow it to warm. Place the chicken thighs in the pot skin side down. Cook on one side for about 6 minutes, allowing the skin to brown. Flip the chicken and cook for another 6 minutes or until brown but not cooked through. Remove the chicken and place to the side.

5. Add the garlic to the pot and stir, allowing the garlic to cook for about 30 seconds. Then add the rice and cook for 1-3 minutes while stirring until the rice just begins to brown. Then add the chicken broth to the rice and stir to combine.

6. Place the chicken thighs on top of the rice mixture skin side up. This will prevent the skin from getting soggy and help it to brown.

7. Cover the pot with foil and transfer to the oven to cook for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F and the rice is tender. Then fluff the rice, serve and enjoy!

Easy Chicken And Rice Variation Ideas

Add Your Favorite Seasoning Blend – This recipe is a great base recipe, but I’ll often change it up with seasoning depending on what I’m making. Try adding a tablespoon of Italian seasoning, Greek seasoning, or another seasoning blend you love when you mix the seasoning together for the chicken.

Double The Rice – With a larger pot like a Dutch oven, the rice and broth in this recipe can easily be doubled to stretch your meal a little further.

Add Vegetables – You can add vegetables right to the rice mixture. Try adding ingredients like diced onion, bell pepper, mushroom, or carrots.

For vegetables that have more water like spinach or zucchini, I recommend sautéing them to remove the water before adding them to the rice mixture, so it doesn’t make your rice soggy or gummy from too much liquid. Frozen vegetables can also be used, but I recommend sautéing them first so the water from the freezing process doesn’t make the rice soggy.

How Long Will Chicken Thighs And Rice Last?

Expect leftovers of this chicken thighs and rice will last for about three days. Store leftovers in an airtight covered container in the refrigerator. You can reheat in the microwave or in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until hot. When reheating I’ll often sprinkle just a little water over the serving to help keep it from drying out.

Leftovers can be frozen and should reheat well in the microwave.

Chicken Thighs And Rice

Course Dinners

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 48 minutes minutes

Total Time 58 minutes minutes

Chicken Thighs and Rice is a meal you will come back to again and again—it’s comforting, flavorful, and surprisingly simple to make. With just one pot and basic ingredients, it’s a family dinner that never disappoints.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken thighs dry and transfer them to a medium-sized bowl.

• In a small bowl, stir together the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and garlic powder and set aside.

• Sprinkle the spice mixture over the top of the chicken thighs and stir to coat making sure the spice mixture is covering all sides of the chicken thighs. You may need to use your hands to rub the spice mixture into the meat.

• Place a large Dutch oven or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and allow it to warm. Place the chicken thighs in the pot skin side down. Cook on one side for about 6 minutes, allowing the skin to brown. Flip the chicken and cook for another 6 minutes or until brown but not cooked through. Remove the chicken and place to the side.

• Add the garlic to the pot and stir allowing the garlic to cook for about 30 seconds. Then add the rice and cook for 1-3 minutes while stirring until the rice just begins to brown. Then add the chicken broth to the rice and stir to combine.

• Place the chicken thighs on top of the rice mixture skin side up. This will prevent the skin from getting soggy and help it to brown.

• Cover the pot with foil and transfer to the oven to cook for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F and the rice is tender. Then serve and enjoy!

For this recipe you need a pan that can go both on top of the stovetop and in the oven. Pans like a Dutch oven, a cast iron pan, or a stainless steel skillet are all generally safe to heat on the stovetop and in the oven/Plastic, nonstick, and pans with wood handles are not safe to heat in the oven. If you are unsure, you can transfer the rice mixture from a skillet to a casserole pan and top it with the browned chicken if needed when it’s time to put everything in the oven.
You can swap jasmine rice for white rice, but I would reduce the chicken broth by 1/3 cup.
You can swap brown rice, but it will take about 60 minutes of cooking for brown rice to become tender. For brown rice you’ll need the same amount of broth to rice ratio.
If you have a larger pot like a Dutch oven, the rice and broth can easily be doubled if you prefer more rice, though expect the cook time to be a little longer for the rice to become tender.
Chicken thighs have a little more fat on them and can cook a little longer while still being juicy as any fat continues to render into the meat.
Chicken thighs can vary a lot in size and weight. 3/4 of a pound – 1 pound of bone in chicken thighs is usually about a serving of meat for one person.

Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 1132mg | Potassium: 394mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 151IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2mg

Keyword chicken, chicken thighs, rice

Did You Make This?

I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!