This one pot Mediterranean chicken and rice is layered with bold spices, tender rice and chickpeas that soak up every bit of flavor! Finished with fresh lemon slices and herbs, it’s an easy and deeply flavorful weeknight dinner.
Jump to:
About This Recipe
This one pot Mediterranean chicken and rice is layered with bold flavors and made entirely in one pan! Bone in chicken thighs are deeply seasoned with a blend of Mediterranean spices, and once seared, they finish cooking in the same pot with fragrant basmati rice and nutty chickpeas.
If you are looking to dive into Mediterranean cooking, this is the recipe to start with! It uses pantry staples, with layers of warm and bright flavors and doable for a weeknight.
Pair this one pot chicken dish with chopped salad or homemade tzatziki sauce for a true explosion of flavors!
🍋 Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Bold Mediterranean flavors! Cumin, paprika, bright sumac and fresh lemon zest season the chicken thighs and the flavor combination is delicious!
- Bone in and skin on chicken thighs ensure that the chicken stays juicy and tender!
- This one pot chicken and rice is done in nearly 40 minutes!
📋 Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs: Bone in and skin on chicken thighs have more fat and flavor than chicken breast. When baked in the oven with other grains, the chicken stays juicy and tender and won't dry out.
- Spices: A mixture of Mediterranean spices including paprika, turmeric, sumac, cumin and a touch of warm allspice bring big flavors to this simple one pot recipe.
- Fresh Lemon: Both the lemon zest and lemon slices are used in this recipe to offer a bit of brightness to the warmer flavors. Use a microplane to grate the lemon zest.
- Garlic and Shallot: Shallots are a little milder than onion and offer great flavor. If shallots aren't available, substitute with finely chopped red onion.
- Basmati Rice: The grains of basmati rice are long and fragrant. If you are looking for a truly delicious and airy basmati rice, my favorite is India Gate Basmati Rice.
- Chickpeas: A simple can of chickpeas is drained and rinsed and added to the one pot chicken recipe. The chickpeas stay tender and the outside gets ever so crunchy.
- Chicken Stock: I like using a chicken stock base, such as this one or use your favorite chicken or vegetable stock. If stock isn't available, use water.
🌶️ Substitutions and Variations
- Chicken Options: Boneless chicken thighs and drumsticks work well, just reduce the cooking time slightly. If using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, increase the liquid to about 2½–2¾ cups and consider slicing the breasts in half horizontally to prevent drying out.
- Beans: If chickpeas aren’t available, canned white beans (such as cannellini or great northern beans) are a great substitute.
- Spices: If you don’t have the full spice blend, cumin, paprika, and turmeric alone will still give you excellent flavor.
- Vegetable Additions: Stir in baby spinach at the end, or add cubed zucchini before baking.
- Heat: Add a teaspoon of harissa, Aleppo pepper, or chili flakes if you like a little spice.
⏲️ Instructions
Sear the Chicken: Season the chicken generously, then sear skin-side down until deeply golden. Flip and cook briefly on the other side, then remove from the pan.
Toast the Rice & Chickpeas: In the same pan, sauté the aromatics, then stir in the basmati rice and chickpeas.
Layer & Add Stock: Nestle the seared chicken on top of the rice and chickpeas. Pour the stock around the chicken and scatter lemon slices over the top.
Bake and Garnish:: Cover and transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking for 10 more minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with fresh parsley, and serve.
📍Recipe Tips
- Dry the Chicken First: Patting the chicken dry helps the spices stick and ensures a deeply golden, crispy skin when seared.
- Start Skin-Side Down: Searing the chicken skin-side down renders fat that becomes the flavor base for sautéing the aromatics and rice.
- Rinse the Rice: Rinsing the rice removes excess starch, making a lighter and airier result.
- Toast the Rice: Briefly sautéing the dry rice in the rendered chicken fat adds another layer of flavor before the liquid is added.
- Pour Stock Around the Chicken: Pouring the stock around (not over) the chicken helps keep the skin crisp.
- Extra Crispy Skin: For even crispier skin, place under the broiler for 2–3 minutes at the end, just keep a close eye on it.
Serving Suggestions
- Creamy tzatziki or lemony herb tahini sauce
- A spoonful of harissa or chili paste for heat
- Chopped Mediterranean salad or fattoush salad for crunch
- Simple roasted vegetables or steamed greens on the side
More Flavorful Chicken Recipes to Try
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
One Pot Lemon Chicken and Rice with Chickpeas
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs skin on and bone in
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 lemon zested and sliced thinly
- Olive oil for drizzling
- 1 small shallot diced
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 cup uncooked basmati rice rinsed
- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2-2 ½ cups chicken broth
- Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Season the Chicken: In a small bowl, mix together the spices, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels, then season generously on all sides.
- Sear the Chicken: Heat a wide Dutch oven or braiser over medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Sear the chicken skin-side down until deeply golden, about 3–4 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate.
- Build the Flavor Base: In the same pan, sauté the shallots until softened and lightly caramelized, about 2–3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Toast the Rice: Add the basmati rice and stir to coat the grains in the rendered chicken fat. Add the chickpeas and cook for 1 minute, stirring to combine.
- Assemble the Dish: Nestle the chicken thighs back into the rice mixture, skin-side up. Pour the chicken broth around the chicken (not over it) and scatter the lemon slices on top.
- Bake: Turn off the stovetop heat, cover the pot, and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking for 10 more minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through.
- Finish and Serve: Remove from the oven, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve warm.
Notes
- Pat the chicken dry before seasoning to help the spices stick and achieve crisp skin.
- Searing the chicken skin-side down renders flavorful fat that seasons the entire dish.
- Rinse basmati rice until the water runs clear for a lighter, fluffier result.
- Briefly toasting the rice in the pan adds depth and improves texture. Pour the broth around the chicken to help keep the skin crisp.
- For extra-crispy skin, place the uncovered pan under the broiler for 2–3 minutes, watching closely.
Lucy says
This looks and feels way fancier than the effort level involved! It will definitely become a staple for me. I was a bit worried it would be dry without a sauce, but the rice was the perfect consistency to not need one.
Give this a try even if you're not a chickpea fan! The spices and cooking everything together make a huge difference to them.
The only adjustments I made were to add a cinnamon stick and a couple of bay leaves to the rice mixture before it went into the oven. Stirred through some spinach at the end, and served with some tenderstem broccoli.
Immediately shared the recipe with a couple of friends who I know will love it too!
Samantha Ferraro says
Hi Lucy, Happy Sunday. Yup, Anything "One Pot" is always a Plus, in fact my second book, "One Pot Mediterranean" was easily agreed upon with my Publisher. Tenderstem Broccoli is on our "find it" list. So many great ways to tweek this recipe. Thank you for the feedback Lucy, Samantha.
Bujamama says
My family loved this! It was easy to make and very tasty. Given that the pan was almost overflowing, I withheld about a 1/2 c of broth, but it still came out moist and the chicken was deliciously tender. Thank you!
Samantha Ferraro says
Fantastic Bujamama, nothing better than the Family getting behind a wonderful meal. Have a great New Year, Samantha.
Esther says
Fab recipe it has become a go to recipe! Thank you
Samantha Ferraro says
Esther, Thank you so much for the compliment. We also make this quite often. The roast chicken with fennel and citrus is also on our rotation. We are so lucky to get the chicken from our local farmer. Have a GREAT Weekend, Samantha.
Elizabeth says
I love everything about this recipe...sounds so yummy!! My problem is that my oven is broken 🙁 Do you think that I could prepare it entirely on the Stove-top? Thanks for the recipe!
Samantha Ferraro says
Yes absolutely Elizabeth. Since I have not done it Stovetop, this is just me winging it here.Try this, bring everything to a boil then simmer low and slow for 30-35 Minutes and the rice is tender. Keep a close eye on it and Please let us know how it turns out. Samantha
Elizabeth says
Hi Samantha! Thanks for getting back to me so quickly, I really appreciate it 🙂 I'll be back to let you know how things worked out! Take care!
Amy S. says
Made this last night. It was super delicious. The spice mix was a keeper. And the rice/chickpea combo perfect. Only suggestion is to add some salt to spice rub for chicken and also to add salt to rice mixture (even with store bought broth that has some salt in it). You can salt after but more flavorful when incorporated during cooking process. Salt and pepper are on ingredient list but not noted when to add in instructions.
Samantha says
Thank you Amy! I can be light handed when it comes to salt so I appreciate your comments. Glad you enjoyed!!
Vicki Stieha says
Looks fabulous! Do you think this would work well if made the day before?
Samantha says
Hi Vicki! Sorry for the late reply. Yes you could certainly make this ahead of time, I may add a bit more stock/liquid so the dish doesn't dry out with reheating.
Siobhan says
I made this tonight for my lovely friend and we both enjoyed it! Adding it to my regular meal rotation.
Samantha says
Thank you so much!
Lindsay Myers says
Hello,
when you say "turn off the heat" in step #8, do you mean turn off the oven? Is the chicken really just cooking in the heat from the oven coming up to temp? Or did you mean turn off the heat on the stove top?
Best,
Lindsay
Samantha says
Hi Lindsay...I meant turn off the stove top and then you'll place the dish in the over to finish cooking. I'll change the word heat to "stove top". Thanks for asking!!
Chau says
These look amazing! I've never had a chicken with lemon before. Thanks for your recipe.
Samantha says
Thanks Chau!! Hope you try it...love adding lemon to everything!
Elissa says
Hello There!
Tried dish using chicken breasts. Flavor was there but too dry. My husband loved it. Thank you for the scrumptious dish!!
Samantha says
Thanks for the comment! I did use thighs which are much more moist and would probably add another 1/4-1/2 cup of liquid if using chicken beasts.
KalynsKitchen says
I love the idea of one pan meals in principle, but I do have a hard time not using extra pans. This sounds good! You had me at sumac, but really everything sounds perfect. Thanks for the shout out for my Lemon Chicken and Green Beans Sheet Pan Meal too!
Samantha says
Thank you Kalyn!! LOVE sumac as well..so bright and citrusy!
sue | theviewfromgreatisland says
I could literally eat this for a week, love the rich colors! Pinning and sharing <3
Samantha says
My favorite flavors too!! Thanks Sue...such a compliment because I LOVE your recipes!