Easy prep, low-cost ingredients, virtually no washing up, delicious flavours – bliss! Whether I am camping, entertaining guests or want a quick delicious dinner with my family, this One-pan Chicken and Garlic Rice is the kind of stress-free yet satisfying meal I love to make. The chicken is cooked until perfectly tender and juicy, flavoured with thyme, garlic and sweet paprika, and cooks on a bed of fluffy, fragrant, garlicky rice that absorbs all the heavenly chicken juices.
It takes just over 30 minutes to get on the table and, best of all, it’s all made in one pan so it hardly takes up any space on the stove and there’s no after-dinner mountain of dishes! It’s super comforting and nourishing and – like most of my chicken recipes – economical and family-friendly. The recipe uses boneless chicken thighs but, because chicken skin adds so much extra flavour, I like to buy bone-in, skin-on chicken cutlets, then bone them myself and leave the skin on. If you’d like to try your hand at deboning, here’s a great video that shows you how it’s done. I freeze the bones and add them to my chicken soup for an extra hit of nutrients and flavour. Serve this chicken and rice with a simple green salad drizzled with your favourite dressing, or see below for other suggestions.
What else could I serve with One-pan Chicken and Garlic Rice
I think simple greens go best with this hearty dish, so try steamed green beans, snow peas (mangetout), zucchini (courgette), cauliflower, broccoli, broccolini (tenderstem broccoli), baby spinach or other greens of your choice.
Tips for cooking one-pot rice recipes
- Use a thick, heavy-based pan with a lid – This will allow the heat to distribute evenly and cook the rice without leaving pockets of rice uncooked.
- Make sure the heat is just right! – Too much heat and the liquid will evaporate too quickly; too little heat and the liquid will not evaporate enough. Ensure there is a gentle simmer (small bubbles appearing in the liquid) before covering and continuing to cook on low.
- Let the rice rest for 2–5 minutes with the lid on before stirring! – This allows any residual liquid to absorb and the steam continues the cooking process. If there is still residual liquid left in the pan, stir it vigorously for the remaining liquid to be absorbed. Liquid will continue to absorb the longer the rice sits.
- Rice still not cooked? – It’s likely the heat wasn’t high enough. Add 125 ml (½ cup) of boiling water from the kettle. Cover and continue cooking until the rice is cooked.
Watch how to make One-pan Chicken and Garlic Rice
How can I make this dish low-carb?
Instead of regular rice, you could serve the chicken with cauliflower rice, which is very easy to make at home. Use a box grater to grate the cauliflower, or a food processor to blitz the cauliflower until it resembles small grains of rice. You can also buy frozen cauliflower rice at the supermarket. Or you could make your own zucchini (courgette) noodles using a spiraliser or julienne peeler, or simply slice the zucchini as thinly as you can. You can also buy zoodles/courgetti (zucchini “spaghetti”) from the fresh fruit and vegetable section at the supermarket. These do come at an additional expense (it can be cheaper to make your own) and also don’t last as long in the fridge, but they are a great option when you need dinner on the table extra quickly.
If you enjoyed One-pan Chicken and Garlic Rice, I think you’ll love:
- Cheesy Chicken and Broccolini Rice Recipe
- One-pan Ginger Shallot Chicken and Rice Recipe
- Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
- Chicken and Chorizo Paella Recipe
- One-pot Greek Chicken and Rice Recipe
- Baked Chicken Risotto Recipe
One-pan Chicken and Garlic Rice
“This is genuinely one of the most delicious rice recipes I’ve ever cooked! A winner with the whole family which is rare!” Share PrintIngredients
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 boneless chicken thighs, skin on or off, skin-on pictured (see note 1)
- 60 ml (¼ cup) water
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 tsp freshly minced garlic
- 200 g (1 cup) jasmine rice
- 375 ml (1½ cups) chicken stock
- Fresh thyme sprigs, to garnish (optional)
- Mixed leaf salad
Equipment
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken – Combine the sea salt flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, pepper and olive oil in a shallow bowl. Add the chicken and use tongs or your hands to ensure it is evenly coated in the marinade.
- Cook the chicken – Heat a large, deep, heavy-based pan over medium–high heat. Cook the chicken for 6–8 minutes, turning once halfway through, until golden. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate. Spoon out any excess fat from the pan (especially if you used skin-on chicken), if desired – although this is not essential, as the fat = extra flavour!
- Add the water to deglaze the pan and use a spoon to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- To the same pan, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Cook the rice – Add the rice and stock to the pan, stir and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and return the chicken to the pan (skin-side up if using skin-on chicken thighs).
- Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Stand – Once the chicken and rice are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to stand for 10 minutes, covered.
- Serve – Serve sprinkled with fresh thyme, if using, and a side of mixed leaf salad.
Nutrition information
Disclaimer re gluten-free and dairy-free recipes
Lisa says:
I made this yesterday. Quite good! Only change I would make is to add some heat, like some crushed red pepper or Calabrian chili paste. FYI – I tried to share your recipe on facbook, but fb kept telling me I was sharing spam! I reported the issue and added coments that I was just sharing a recipe from a food blog.
Nicole says:
Thank you Lisa! Love the idea of some extra heat – sounds delicious! Nic x
Thelma says:
Fabulous meal
Donald Barck says:
I can’t wait to try this dish, One-pan Chicken and Garlic Rice