This chicken and rice has consistently been an easy, one-pan weeknight dinner I can depend on. Juicy chicken thighs are soaked in a lemon Dijon marinade, then baked with an herby rice mix that ties the whole dish together!
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Why You’ll Love My Chicken & Rice
- It’s a full meal in one pan. The chicken thighs are deliciously tender and the rice soaks up the juiciness from the chicken along with the citrusy flavor from the marinade. So yum!
- I sneaked in extra veggies. Those darker flecks in the rice are chopped baby spinach! I love to chop up leafy greens and add them to meals for a veggie boost.
- It’s a flavor you’ll never get tired of. If you’re like me and looove fresh Mediterranean flavors, I’m confident you’ll love this chicken and rice dish. It’s bright and herby!
Ever since I posted this recipe along with my chicken and rice video back in 2020, it’s been a true community favorite. As Downshifter Martine says, “This has been a go-to of mine for several years—delicious and well balanced flavours. With a quick morning prep and limited dishes to clean post dinner, it’s perfect for a busy schedule.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself! It’s easy to prep (I’ll share tips below), perfect for busy weeknights, and always hits the spot. Similar to my Greek lemon chicken and Greek chicken kabobs, the marinade coats the chicken with bright, herby flavors. The marinade also adds a ton of flavor to the rice as they cook together, making this a win-win dinner situation!
Chicken and Rice Ingredients
For the chicken and marinade, you’ll need:
- Chicken thighs: Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are the best choice for juicy, tender meat.
- Lemon: The citrus flavor makes you feel like you’re on a sunny vacation in the Mediterranean.
- Dijon mustard: My secret ingredient for adding a sharp zip to the marinade.
- Garlic: You know my motto—the more garlic the better!
- Dried oregano & thyme: These Mediterranean aromatics add delicious depth of flavor.
- Olive oil: Any good quality olive oil will work great.
For the rice, you’ll need:
- Long grain white rice: Make sure to use long grain rice. I’ve also got some tips on rice varieties on my how to cook rice post.
- Chicken stock: I prefer to use a low-sodium chicken stock to keep the salt level down.
- Baby spinach: This is my favorite leafy green for sneaking veggies into any meal, but you can also use kale, chard, or any leafy green you prefer.
- Onion: Yellow onion is preferred, but white onions work too.
- Dried oregano: I love adding a sprinkle more here to add extra flavor to the rice!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below
How to Make Mediterranean Chicken and Rice
Cookware tip: Before we get started, make sure to use a cast iron or stainless steel skillet that can transfer from the stove to the oven. I love my Staub cast iron pan for this.
First, marinate the chicken. Whisk the marinade, pour it over the chicken, and marinate in the fridge. While you can get away with marinating the chicken for 30 minutes, longer is better! I always aim for 1 to 2 hours.
Second, sear the chicken. In your skillet, cook the chicken thighs on both sides for about 5 minutes, until golden. Then, remove them from the pan, set aside, and use your tongs to scrape and remove any brown bits. I also like to use paper towel to soak up some of the excess fat. P.S. Don’t throw away the marinade, as you’ll add it back into the pan with the rice!
Third, cook the vegetables and herbs. Sauté the onions until golden, then add the spinach and garlic with oregano, salt, black pepper, and the reserved marinade. Cook everything together until the spinach is slightly wilted.
Fourth, add the rice and broth. Stir in the rice so it’s nicely coated with the oil and seasonings. Then, add the broth and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Lastly, add the chicken thighs and bake. Place the chicken thighs on top, cover the skillet, and bake for about 35 minutes at 350°F (175°C). Then, remove the lid and bake for an additional 10 minutes. For serving: I’ll let the chicken rest for a few minutes before garnishing with parsley and lemon zest for the final touch!
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep in mind that brown rice takes longer to cook, so it can throw off the timing. And you don’t want overcooked chicken. If anything, I might pre-cook the rice a bit before adding it to the pan to ensure it cooks perfectly by the time it comes out of the oven.
I don’t recommend chicken breasts in this recipe, as they’ll likely overcook and dry out by the time the rice is done. Chicken thighs stay juicy and moist. And yes, you can also use boneless chicken thighs!
I wouldn’t recommend it. The citrus in the marinade can make the texture a bit mushy, which isn’t ideal.
Storage and Reheating
- To store: Leftovers will stay good in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, making it ideal for meal prep!
- To freeze: You can freeze this for up to 3 months, and it still reheats like a dream. Just make sure to thaw portions in the fridge before reheating.
- For reheating: The easiest method is microwaving it for 2 to 3 minutes. If you want to crisp up the skin, you can place the chicken under a broiler for a couple of minutes. Just watch it carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
- Cilantro Lime Chicken: Makes for a wonderful Tex-Mex dinner.
- Teriyaki Chicken: A 20-minute stir-fry.
- Greek Sheet Pan Chicken: Another Downshifter favorite!
- Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs: The seasoning on this is so good.
- Or give these other chicken breast recipes or chicken thigh recipes a try!
If you try this one pan chicken and rice recipe, let me know how it turns out in the comments below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re looking for more healthy food inspiration, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 5 chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Marinade
- 2 lemons, juiced and zested (approx 1/4 cup of juice)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Rice
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups baby spinach, lightly packed and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- chopped parsley, for garnish
- lemon zest or slices, for garnish
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Make the marinade. Add all of the marinade ingredients to a bowl and stir together.
- Marinate the chicken. Place chicken thighs in a glass dish, pour marinade over the chicken, and turn each piece to coat. Cover dish and marinate chicken in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Cook the Chicken and Rice
- Sear chicken. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs skin-side down and cook until the skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Reserve the leftover marinade as you'll add that back in later. Flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove chicken thighs to a plate and set aside.
- Clean pan. Use your tongs to scrape and remove any browned bits, and bunch up a couple of paper towels to soak up some fat from the pan, but not all. Reserve a little bit of grease to cook the onions.
- Add the diced onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they start to become translucent.
- Add veggies and herbs. Add the chopped spinach, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and reserved marinade. Stir for another 30 seconds or until the spinach starts to wilt.
- Add the rice to the skillet, and stir well to coat the rice with the oil.
- Pour the chicken stock into the skillet and stir well. Bring this to a simmer on the stove.
- Bake. Arrange chicken thighs on top of the rice, then cover the skillet and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the lid, return the skillet to the oven, and bake until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender, about 10 minutes more.
- Rest. Let the chicken and rice rest for 5 to 10 minutes. The rice will look really dark as the spinach and onions rise to the surface. Just fluff the rice up with a fork to mix everything back together before serving.
- Serve. Top with chopped parsley and grilled lemon slices or fresh lemon zest.
Lisa’s Tips
- To store: You can store any leftover chicken in the refrigerator in a covered container for 3 to 4 days.
- To freeze: Place leftovers in a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer up to 2 months.
- For reheating: Microwave the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes. If you want to crisp up the skin, run the chicken under a broiler for a couple of minutes. Just watch it carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.
- One of my favorite oven-safe pans is this Staub braiser pan. It’s so versatile and worth the investment!
Nutrition
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This recipe was originally posted October 2020, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
Delicious! Made it tonight.
Glad you enjoyed this chicken and rice, Celeste!
Used organic Basmati Rice and followed your recipe directions is absolutely perfect. So yummy 😋
Yay! I’m so glad your chicken and rice turned ot perfeclty, Kathy!
Should I rinse the Jasmine rice before cooking?
Thanks!
Hi Karyn – Yes, rinse the rice before adding it!
Made this tonite with a wild and red rice blend. I didn’t alter the cooking time and it still turned out amazing. I think I could have added a bit more rice as there was plenty of liquid left. But wow, so flavorful and zesty:) I really enjoy your recipes, thank you!
Glad you loved this chicken and rice dish, Kim!
This looks good. I will try it in the next couple of days.
Excited for you to try this, Pam!
This chicken and rice is SO flavourful and easy! A family favourite on repeat.
It’s also good with mushrooms and marinated artichokes stirred in with the spinach. Yum yum yum – thanks Lisa!
Thrilled to hear the whole family loves this one, Trina!
I’ve been making this recipe for years now and it has probably become my most re-made meal ever so I figured I should leave a review! I literally have the whole thing memorised haha!
It’s my go-to when I need a hearty, healthy meal when I can’t think creatively for anything else. I make the recipe exactly as is and marinate chicken over night. I generally make it with skinless, boneless thighs as it’s what I tend to buy in bulk and it always turns out great. Such a great recipe and works with any kind of sides you want to have. I could eat the rice just on its own!
Thrilled to hear this recipe has become such a favorite over the years, Danni!
This is the best rice because of the baking time it is soft and crusty. Great recipe!
Glad you’re loving this chicken and rice, Holly!
This is my husband and I’s favorite way to eat rice! We’ve made this recipe many times. We usually use chicken breasts because we prefer to eat that over thighs. And sometimes we also make it without any chicken, just using really good quality chicken stock and bullion.
The rice in this recipe is also delicious and we love adding extra onion and spinach. It’s the tastiest way to eat rice. We’ve also made this recipe for a bunch of guests who’ve come over and they always love it.
A few times we’ve made it without having accesses to an oven-safe pan, so we put foil on top of a regular stainless steel pan, and made sure to seal it as best as we can with a flat pan sheet on top. If the rice needed one or two extra minutes to cook, we add more broth since it evaporates quickly without a proper lid, and just let the rice absorb it. And that fixes it right away. Such a forgiving recipe. Thank you Lisa for this excellent way to eat rice!
Hi Silvana – Thanks so much for leaving a review! Happy to hear this has become a favorite for you and your husband.
This recipe looks delicious! If I substitute the white rice for brown rice would you recommend adding additional broth and cooking it longer before adding the chicken?
Hi Lise – While I haven’t tried that yet myself, it may work. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out!
Great flavor. I used 2x boneless skinless chicken thighs and wild rice, it still came out great!
Glad this worked out great with boneless skinless thighs, Heather!
This one- pan dinner is a winner! My family requests this often and it’s SO easy – with incredible flavour. It’s very satisfying without feeling heavy. Makes for good meal-prep for the week, too!
Thanks Lisa! Everything you make is always a guaranteed hit!
Happy to hear this has become a family favorite, Trina!
This recipe has become a family favorite! It’s super easy to make with readily available ingredients and has become a regular in our meal prep rotation and the flavors of the marinade are the perfect pairing with chicken and rice.
I’m so glad this has been a part of your meal prep rotation, Julie. Great healthy choice!
Love this recipe. I make it with red rice, which I precook a little bit before cooking it with the chicken. It’s on repeat in our house.
Sounds great with red rice, Natasa. Glad this dish has become a staple now!
This is a quick and easy one-pan chicken dinner that even someone with ADHD can create. The rice is very flavorful, and I love that you use chicken thighs!
So glad you enjoyed it, Alison!
Easy and DELICIOUS!
Glad you loved this chicken and rice, Warren!
This is my all time favorite! I like so many of your recipes and cook almost exclusively from yours and Whole 30! This one is so tasty!my husband loves chicken thighs and I love the spinach, lemony rice. It’s a huge hit with us!
Amazing! Happy to hear you and your husband are enjoying all the recipes so far, including this chicken and rice, Sue.
This was excellent! So flavorful! I added lemon zest at the end and I’m so happy I did! My chicken thighs came out a bit dry, so next time I’ll shorten the time a bit. Thank for sharing!
You can never go wrong with extra lemony goodness! Enjoy, Karen.
First of all, a million thanks to you, Lisa, for making these recipes available to us! I started eating gluten and dairy free 2 years ago, and I have come to enjoy cooking and baking because of your recipes. The “one pan chicken and rice” recipe was one of the first I made, and I have lost count of the times I have made it since.
Thanks for your feedback, Elizabeth! Happy to hear you’re starting to enjoy cooking again, starting with this chicken and rice dish. Enjoy!
I would like to make this recipe with either brown rice or wild rice. Do you have any suggestions on how to modify the recipe?
This has been a go-to of mine for several years—delicious and well balanced flavours. With a quick morning prep and limited dishes to clean post dinner, it’s perfect for a busy schedule.
For preference, the only change I make is to omit the skin on the thighs. They still cook beautifully without drying. I have used chicken breast in a pinch—it’s best if they’re thick to avoid drying, but thighs remain the favourite.
Try it! Bon appétit.
I’m so glad this chicken and rice dish has become a regular in your routine, Martine!
Wonderful recipe! I’ve been on a roll trying your recipes. This one is so good. I feel like I’m eating at one of those healthy restaurants that everyone loves to visit but is overpriced. Yeah same feeling but at home! Thank you for sharing healthy delicious recipes.
Yay! Happy to hear you’re loving this one pan chicken and rice, Sarai!
Hi Lisa can I use a disposable foil roasting pan for this recipe. Thanks
I would think that would be fine but you would need to make sure the lid on it is really tight so the rice will cook right. I have cooked rice in a 9×13 pan before by putting heavy duty foil over the top and sealing it very tightly. It will work.
I made this recipe for company and myself. Some how there was to much liquid so the rice, while really tasty was mushy. I would make this recipe again and watch the amount of liquid. Thanks for all the great recipes. FYI your chocolate cake is my go to for any occasion.
Hi Valree – Some brands of rice require more/less liquid, so I’d recommend double checking what your rice packaging says. But glad you’re enjoying all my recipes!
I”ve made this several time and love it. But can I make this a 4-5 hours ahead of time, if so how best to reheat, should I under cook the over portion and finish later?? Would that work?
Though it does take some time to prepare, this is an A+ family favorite. I make it whenever my children come to visit. So moist and delicious
I’m glad the whole family enjoys this recipe, Gail!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it always turns out perfect. My husband and I absolutely love this dish!
Wonderful, I’m so happy to hear that!
Just finished another wonderful meal using this Greek one pan chicken and rice! You never disappoint !!! Family loved it too!!
Happy to hear the whole family loved this one pan chicken and rice, Michelle!
Excellent and super simple. My teenage boys devoured it!
Glad the whole family loved this recipe, Kimberly!
Wow. I made this for the first time for dinner last night (having leftovers for lunch) reheats well too! I made mine with chopped kale instead of spinach and followed the recipe to a tee. This one is Defintiely making it on my rotation of recipes. It’s so flavorful and as a busy mom I LOVE how it is all one pan! Easy clean up for something that looks like it took forever to make (and it didn’t!) thank you! F stars for sure ☺️
Thrilled to hear this chicken recipe ticked all your boxes for the best dinner ever, Marianne!
I loved this recipe! My whole family enjoyed it- two weeks in a row :) Fresh and healthy with just a few simple ingredients. I added feta cheese and Kalamata olives to garnish.
Hi Danielle – Amazing to hear the whole family enjoyed this one pan chicken and rice dish! Sounds great with the additional feta cheese and Kalamata olives.
This is a family favorite! We love it!
Thanks, Amy! I’m happy to hear it. :)
Actual quote from my husband: “this is the best chicken and rice I ever tasted”
I butchered the recipe- plopped everything in a 9×13 pan with ingredients from rice section on bottom then chicken then marinade ingredients and topped with lemon slices. I’m sure it’s better when cooked as directed but it was so incredible this way that it’s hard to imagine how! Will definitely try it again. 10/10 delicious I just had my fourth serving. Even has my picky toddlers seal of approval!
Good to know this still turned out great in a casserole pan! Sounds like you’ve got a meal that will be a hit every time.