This healthy Lemon Chicken and Rice dish is an easy one pot meal that’s cooked in a single skillet. Perfectly cooked, juicy chicken thighs with flavorful and tender rice makes a great weeknight meal.
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Lemon Chicken and Rice
One-pot meals are a favorite of mine for busy weeknights because they come together quickly and there’s less dishes to wash.
Once the chicken is browned and the onion and garlic are quickly sautéed, the rest of the ingredients are mixed together in the pan and then it’s hands off for the remaining cooking time.
I’m also keeping it real and transparent with the time it takes to cook this dish. Nothing annoys me more as a busy mom trying to get dinner on the table when I find a “30 minute meal” that ends up taking twice as much time to cook.
I’m not about fudging cooking times for the sake of earning more clicks.
I think an hour is fairly reasonable amount of time to prepare a bone-in chicken dish since it takes longer to cook than boneless chicken. Cooked chicken needs to reach at least 165 degrees F for food safety reasons, but after cooking copious amounts of chicken legs in my lifetime, I’ve found that 175-180 degrees F for bone in chicken is better. The meat is still tender and juicy and it’s fully cooked all the way through to the bone without any worry.
This dish is also made with simple, real ingredients. No cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup here! There’s also no butter or heavy cream which makes this a dairy free skillet meal.
Enjoy!
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Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – This recipe calls for bone in, skin on chicken thighs. Trim any excess skin from the chicken thighs before cooking. This will reduce some extra fat and calories from the dish. You can also completely remove the skin if you prefer. I have not tried this recipe with boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Chicken Broth – I use low sodium chicken bone broth for this recipe. I prefer bone broth or chicken stock because they’re a little richer in flavor than chicken broth.
- Lemon – Both lemon juice and lemon zest are used to flavor this skillet meal. Be sure to zest the lemons before juicing them! You can also slice up and extra lemon to serve some slices of lemon with the finished dish.
- Rice – Long grain white rice, such as Basmati rice or Jasmine rice, is used in this recipe. This recipe has not been tested with brown rice.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic is preferred, but if you use prepared minced garlic from a jar, use 2 teaspoons.
- Herbs – I use Italian Seasoning because it’s accessible and something I always have on hand in my spice rack. You can use 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs in place of the dried seasoning. Fresh basil, fresh dill, or tarragon would be exceptional with the chicken and lemon.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
Tools / Equipment
- Oven-Safe Skillet or Braiser with Lid – you want to use a large skillet (12 inches or 2 – 2.5 quarts) so the chicken isn’t over crowded and the rice has room to expand as it cooks. My favorite dish to prepare this in is a Cast Iron Braiser.
- Microplane – this is THE BEST brand for zesters. No other zester I’ve tried works as well as this one!
- Garlic Press – optional but great for mincing garlic quickly! Pressed garlic is also crushed a little more fine than mincing and ensures there won’t be any large bits of garlic for anyone to bite into.
- Cooking Tongs – the easiest, most sanitary way to handle chicken when prepping and cooking.
How to Make Lemon Chicken and Rice in a Skillet (Visual Instructions)
What to Serve with Chicken and Rice
Chicken and rice is essentially a one pot meal so you don’t have to serve anything with it. But if you want to bulk up the meal to stretch it to feed a larger family or to get extra meal prep meals, you can serve this with some blanched green beans, air fryer green beans, broccoli, garden salad, roasted carrots, or your favorite vegetable!
Asparagus would also be excellent with this dish because it pairs so well with lemon.
Tips for preparing this recipe
- This recipe can be made in a casserole dish. Just brown the chicken in a skillet and cook the onion and garlic before transferring and assembling the rest of the dish in a casserole pan.
- Cook time will slightly depend on the size of your chicken thighs. You can add a little more liquid to the rice if all the liquid is absorbed and your chicken needs a little more time to cook.
- Scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan after cooking the onion and garlic so nothing sticks and burns while the rice cooks.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
If you tried and loved this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment below!
Healthy Lemon Chicken and Rice: One Pot Skillet Meal
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken Thighs, bone in/skin on
- 1 tablespoon Dried Parsley
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Pure Olive Oil
- 2 Lemons, Juiced and Zested
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 medium Onion, diced
- 1 cup Long Grain Rice
- 1 ½ cups Low Sodium Chicken Bone Broth
- ¾ cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Dried Italian Seasoning
- Fresh Parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the chicken thighs on a plate and season with the salt, pepper and dried parsley on both sides.
![raw chicken thighs covered in seasonings on a white plate to make a One Pot Healthy Lemon Chicken and Rice Skillet Meal]()
- Place a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- When the skillet is hot, add the seasoned chicken skin side down.
![chicken thighs skin side down in a cast iron skillet to make a One Pot Healthy Lemon Chicken and Rice Skillet Meal]()
- Brown the chicken on both sides then remove the chicken and set aside.
![chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet to make a One Pot Healthy Lemon Chicken and Rice Skillet Meal]()
- Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes to soften slightly.
![onion and garlic in a cast iron skillet to make a One Pot Healthy Lemon Chicken and Rice Skillet Meal]()
- Then add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
![onion and garlic in a cast iron skillet to make a One Pot Healthy Lemon Chicken and Rice Skillet Meal]()
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
![ingredients in a cast iron skillet to make a One Pot Healthy Lemon Chicken and Rice Skillet Meal]()
- Transfer the chicken back to the skillet and cover with an oven-safe lid.
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- Bake in the oven at 350ºF for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes.
![cooked One Pot Healthy Lemon Chicken and Rice Skillet Meal in a cast iron skillet]()
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with fresh lemons and parsley.
![cooked One Pot Healthy Lemon Chicken and Rice Skillet Meal in a cast iron skillet]()
Notes
- Please read the post for helpful tips and information to help you make this recipe with success.
- If you made and loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star review and comment!
Nutrition
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