Easy one-pan chicken and rice dinner with peas, potatoes, pearl red onions and olives. This family-style recipe is filling, complete and delicious, no leftovers guaranteed!
Table of Contents
There is something very special about chicken and rice together. Like rice and beans and peanut butter and jelly, it is the perfect marriage! This Ultra satisfying meal comes together easily in one-pan just under 45 minutes. It’s complete with chicken, rice, potatoes, peas, pearl onions and olives.
Lately I have been super enjoying chicken thighs recipes in every way possible. This cut is so flavorful, cooks well with vegetables and works with most cooking methods, like this Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs and Vegetables and this Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Broccoli.
This one-pot chicken thighs variation has a lot of interesting flavors that combined creates this very exciting meal. There is flavor and in every scoop!
But don’t let my suggestions limit you because you can literally add, remove or substitute any of the ingredients for something that sounds more delicious to you. Here are some substitution ideas;
- sweet potatoes or carrots in place of yellow potatoes
- Broccoli or asparagus in place of peas
- you can omit the pearl onions and/ or olives but they are truly delicious in this dish
- add scallions, mushrooms and squash
Made with simple ingredients
- Chicken thighs – skin can be on or off however you like. You can most certainly use chicken legs, wings, breasts or a mix of it.
- Shallot and garlic – to build a flavorful base
- Rice – I used white rice, other types will work but you might need to adjust cooking times.
- Broth – use chicken broth for ultimate flavor.
- Veggies – pearl onion, olives, potatoes and peas make up this dish. Other veggies can be used according to preference.
- Seasoning – salt, pepper, bay leaf and cilantro. Add more seasoning accordingly
How you can make chicken and rice in one pan
Making chicken and rice together in one pan is quite simple but it does require some hands on work. Have a read of the full instruction before you start cooking so you know what to expect next.
The full instructional steps are in the recipe card below 👇🏻
Heating and storing information
Store leftovers in air tight glass containers for best results. Keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to eat microwave leftover chicken and rice for a couple minutes.
NOTE:
If you have a lot of leftovers it’s best that you store in individual containers such as these meal prep containers, so you can re-heat one individual portion at a time.
Looking for more easy chicken dinner ideas?
There is nothing like an easy one-pan chicken dinner for a weeknight meal. Generally everyone loves chicken and you can adjust the veggies accordingly. One of our favorites lately that we cannot get over how delicious it is – is this Honey Mustard Chicken Recipe made with tomatoes and zucchini, and a simply honey and mustard sauce that is a game changer!
One-Pan Chicken and Rice
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, skin on or off
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup rice
- 3 cups chicken broth or water
- 1 cup red pearl onion, halved
- 1 cup pitted olives
- 2 cups yellow potatoes, cubed
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 bay leaf
- fresh cilantro
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Clean chicken thighs and dry them as much as you can with a paper towel.
- In a large skillet heat oil. Brown chicken thighs skin side down first for about 3-5 minutes then turn skin side up for another 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Chicken is not fully cooked at this point*
- To the skillet with remaing oil and fat from the chicken, add shallots and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add rice and broth or water**, stir well. Add chicken thighs back in, nestling them around the rice not on top.
- Nestle the potatoes around the chicken. They will need to be mostly submerged in order to cook properly.
- Also add bay leaf, pearl onions and olives but these can sit on top of the rice.
- Cover and let it simmer for about 25 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed, the rice is soft and chicken is cooked through.
- About five minutes before done, add in peas. When meal is cooked, garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am not much of a cooker, but this recipe is the BOMB! Oh so easy to make and tasty as all get out. I used the thighs which made it even more flavorfull. I will be making this on a regular basis.
This was absolutely delicious. I added sliced green zucchini and stuffed green olives as well as using left over rice and peas from the night before. I marinated my chicken with garlic powder and pepper. I also used herb and garlic spice in the mix. It was sooooooo YUMMMMMY
Delicious! Added corn and it reminded me of Chicken fricasse in a pan.
Awesome, happy to hear!