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One skillet Mediterranean chicken and rice is a classic meal the whole family will love. Traditionally, it’s made in a casserole dish. At least, that’s how my Mom and Grandma make it. Chicken and rice can be made so many different ways and varies from country to country. I decided to give it a different twist by making it in a skillet and adding a fresh lemon flavor. Other than that, this One Skillet Mediterranean Chicken and Rice is a traditional Mediterranean recipe for chicken and rice.
If you are looking for more Mediterranean-style recipes, check out my Simple Moussaka recipe, Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs & One Skillet Tuscan Chicken (which is one of the most popular recipes on my blog).
This rice pilaf tastes amazing! It’s cooked in homemade chicken stock (you can also add some wine for flavor), and the juices from the chicken seep into it while it cooks. Also, the lemon zest and juice add a fabulous fresh flavor to the rice. Sometimes, I also love to add some peeled tomato pieces to the rice and olives on top. It makes the dish very delicious – it’s always better when you add more Mediterranean flavors.
I prepped the chicken by boiling it in water for 15 minutes. This makes the chicken extremely juicy and tasty, and it doesn’t dry out in the oven while it bakes. You could also use chicken breasts or tenderloins, Â but it won’t have the same flavor because it’s not as flavorful as bone-in chicken thighs.
If you decide to use chicken breasts, you can skip the first step of boiling the chicken and just saute each breast for few minutes on each side.
All the magic happens while the chicken and rice bake in the oven. All the flavors and juices mix together and infuse the chicken and rice with an incredible flavor. It’s a good thing that this recipe makes plenty of rice pilaf because I guarantee you will want seconds and thirds.
Let me know how you like this easy One Skillet Chicken and Rice recipe in the comments below! I would love to hear from you!
Happy cooking!
How To Make One Skillet Mediterranean Chicken and Rice
What you need
4 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
Homemade Chicken stock (or use store bought stock instead)
8 cups water
2 celery stalks, cut in 2 pieces
1 onion, quartered
2 carrots, cut in 2 pieces
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
Rice Pilaf
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked rice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock (recipe above, or store bought)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 lemon for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Place chicken thighs in a large pot and fill with water so it covers the chicken, season with salt. Add chopped onion, celery, carrots, and parsley to the water. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil chicken for 15 minutes. After that, move chicken to a plate, and train the chicken stock and use for later. If you decide to use store-bought chicken stock, you don’t need to add the vegetables to the water, but you do have to boil the chicken for 15 minutes in water.
Heat oil in a large 10″ oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped carrots, onion, and garlic. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, Â thyme, and oregano. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Add rice to the skillet and stir well. Season the rice-vegetable mixture with salt, Â black pepper, thyme, and oregano.
Season chicken thighs with garlic powder, paprika, salt and black pepper on both sides. Place the chicken on top of the rice mixture in the skillet.
Add lemon zest and lemon juice to the chicken stock and mix well. Pour over the rice mixture.
Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for about 30 minutes. Move the oven rack to the top and bake for another 10 minutes, to get a nice golden brown crispy skin on the chicken.
One Skillet Mediterranean Chicken and Rice
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INGREDIENTS
Homemade Chicken stock (or use store bought stock instead)
- 8 cups water
- 2 celery stalks, cut in 2 pieces
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 carrots, cut in 2 pieces
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
Rice Pilaf
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock, recipe above, or store bought
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 Tbsp
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lemon for garnish, optional
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place chicken thighs in a large pot and fill with water so it covers the chicken, season with salt. Add chopped onion, celery, carrots, and parsley to the water. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil chicken for 15 minutes. After that, move chicken to a plate, and strain the chicken stock and use for later. If you decide to use store-bought chicken stock, you don't need to add the vegetables to the water, but you do have to boil the chicken for 15 minutes in water.
- Heat oil in a large 10" oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped carrots, onion, and garlic. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, thyme, and oregano. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- Add rice to the skillet and stir well. Season the rice-vegetable mixture with salt, black pepper, thyme, and oregano.
- Season chicken thighs with garlic powder, paprika, salt and black pepper on both sides. Place the chicken on top of the rice mixture in the skillet.
- Add lemon zest and lemon juice to the chicken stock and mix well. Pour over the rice mixture.
- Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for about 30 minutes. Move the oven rack to the top and bake for another 10 minutes, to get a nice golden brown crispy skin on the chicken.
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This recipe sounds delicious! I will be making it soon!
How much oil do you put in the pan before adding the carrots, onion s etc?
a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
Hi! Really looking forward to trying this recipe this evening. Two questions. The recipe calls for a tsp each of oregano and thyme. The directions say to add both herbs at two different times. Is it a tsp of each herb both times or is the recipe 1 teaspoon of each divided? Also, when initially placing the skillet in the oven, do you cover? Thank you so much!
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
The total amount of oregano is 1 tsp and the total amount of thyme is also 1 tsp. I like to season a little bit at different stages of cooking – it helps with seasoning. But you can add the spices only at the end, or only in the beginning, as you prefer.
You can cover the skillet when you saute the carrots & onion. Hope this helps! And enjoy your meal! 🙂
Hi Neli, thank you so much for getting back to me regarding amount of chicken broth. I look forward to making this delicious dish again….my husband loved it too!
Great! I am so glad you love it! It’s a favorite dish in our house as well! 🙂
I made this for supper tonight; and while the flavor was great I found 3 cups of chicken broth way too much. The chicken and rice were cooked but there was still about a cup of liquid in the pan (I used a casserole dish). Baked it for 40 min; then put on highest rack for another 10 min. Still liquidy so just drained it.
Doesn’t one cup of rice usually only need 1 1/2 cups of water?
Betty, I corrected the chicken broth amount. It should be 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Thanks for pointing this out!