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🍗 Chicken & poultry

One-pot chicken and rice with caramelized lemon

Golden chicken, glossy rice, salty lemony magic

⏱️ Time estimate: about 1 hour 15 minutes

Chicken thighs roast over rice with caramelized lemon slices, olives, garlic, shallot, broth, oregano, and parsley for a very smug one-pot dinner.

One-pot chicken and rice with caramelized lemon

Ingredients

  • 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 1 1/2 pounds
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • Crushed red pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 lemons
  • 1 cup pitted Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives, smashed and roughly chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 medium shallot or 1/2 medium onion, minced
  • 1.5 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Instructions

  1. Season the chicken. Heat the oven to 400°F. Pat the chicken dry and season with 1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and oregano, plus a pinch of crushed red pepper.
  2. Brown the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken skin-side down until browned and self-releasing, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  3. Caramelize the lemon. Slice 1 lemon into 1/4-inch rounds and cook in the pot until softened and caramelized, about 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  4. Build the rice base. Add the olives, garlic, shallot, and 1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and oregano to the pot. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping up browned bits. Turn the heat up, add the rice and broth, stir, and bring to a boil.
  5. Bake. Remove from the heat, arrange the chicken on top skin-side up, and cover with the caramelized lemon slices. Cover and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the rice and chicken are cooked through.
  6. Serve. Finish with parsley and a squeeze from the second lemon.