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One-pan Chicken and Garlic Rice

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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.

One-pan Chicken & Garlic Rice
In this quick and easy one-pan meal, tender, juicy chicken is flavoured with thyme, garlic and sweet paprika, and is cooked on a bed of fluffy, fragrant, garlicky rice. We recently enjoyed it on a family camping trip.

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.

Chicken and rice one pot recipe
All you need for a complete meal is a simple green salad, but you could serve any steamed green vegetables you like with this hearty, delicious chicken and rice.

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.
Nic
We made this recipe on a recent camping trip, it came together so quickly. I marinated the chicken prior to leaving and it meant that dinner was ready in less than 20 minutes!

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:

One-pan Chicken & Garlic Rice

One-pan Chicken and Garlic Rice

Author: Nicole
4.9 from 39 votes
“This is genuinely one of the most delicious rice recipes I’ve ever cooked! A winner with the whole family which is rare!”
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One-pan Chicken and Garlic Rice is the perfect nourishing, family-friendly meal for stress-free weeknights. It’s quick and easy and made with simple ingredients and the flavour is amazing!
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Total 25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 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
TO SERVE

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

Nutrition Facts
One-pan Chicken and Garlic Rice
Amount per Serving
Calories
525
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
21
g
32
%
Saturated Fat
 
4
g
25
%
Trans Fat
 
0.03
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
3
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
13
g
Cholesterol
 
137
mg
46
%
Sodium
 
858
mg
37
%
Potassium
 
578
mg
17
%
Carbohydrates
 
48
g
16
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
3
g
3
%
Protein
 
34
g
68
%
Vitamin A
 
298
IU
6
%
Vitamin C
 
3
mg
4
%
Calcium
 
48
mg
5
%
Iron
 
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Disclaimer re gluten-free and dairy-free recipes

Watch how to make it

Recipe notes

Note 1 – If you want to use chicken thighs with the skin on, I buy bone-in, skin-on chicken cutlets from the supermarket and bone them myself. Here’s a great video that shows you how it’s done.

Make Ahead

Chicken – Marinate the chicken up to 48 hours prior to cooking. Store refrigerated in an airtight container or reusable sandwich bag. This recipe is not suitable to freeze.

Leftovers

Leftovers taste even better the next day! Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container. For best results, reheat in the microwave.

Equipment

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!
Course entrée, Main Course
Cuisine European

  1. 4 stars
    Absolutely love your recipes but for some reason every single time I do a 1 pan rice dish, some of the rice cooks perfectly and some doesn’t cook at all. I’m making this currently and have just added an extra cup of stock and turned the heat back on in the hopes that the rest of the rice cooks…. Please tell me what I’m doing wrong. ( I followed the recipe exactly but the rice wasnt cooked and all liquid was gone so only added extra stock after the fact)

    • Hi Bronte, thank you for your kind words 🥹 and I promise you’re not alone – this is such a common one! A big factor here (that often gets overlooked) is the type of pan. Thinner pans can have hot spots and cool spots, which means some of the rice cooks perfectly while other parts don’t cook at all. For best results, a heavy-based pan works best – something like a cast-iron or enamelled (glazed) cast-iron pan will give you much more even heat. Non-stick pans can work, but they don’t always distribute heat as evenly for this kind of dish.
      A few other things that really help:
      – Make sure the rice is evenly spread and fully covered with liquid
      – Keep the heat low once it’s covered (a high heat will evaporate the liquid too quickly and will result in some of the rice not cooking)
      – Use a tight-fitting lid
      You did exactly the right thing adding more stock – that’s how I’d fix it too! Once the heat and pan are working in your favour, it should cook much more evenly 😊 Nic x

  2. Hi,
    The function to change the yield does not work anymore. I loved this option. Could you possibly restore the functionality, please?
    I have made this so many times, everyone is always surprised at how amazing it tastes.

    • Hi Bronwyn, I’m so sorry but we found that the yield function wasn’t working perfectly, so we removed it temporarily. However, we are replacing this feature with a much better one in a few weeks’ time, which I think you’ll love. So happy that you enjoyed this recipe. ❤️ Nic x

  3. What were you cutting up with the chicken in the beginning? Is that how you made your chicken stock?

    • Hi Mary, at the beginning of the video I’m cutting up the chicken and the marinade ingredients, then storing the marinated chicken in a reusable bag, ready to pack to go camping. ❤️ Nic x

  4. 5 stars
    Could you make this with chicken legs/drumsticks? Thigh version is delicious!

    • Hi Carla, I prefer to oven-bake chicken and rice if using chicken on the bone, to ensure the chicken is cooked through and the rice is cooked perfectly. You might like to take a look at One-pan Greek Chicken and Risoni (Orzo), which you can use with drumsticks, but you’d need to increase the initial roasting time to 40–45 minutes, then continue as per the recipe. Hope this helps! ❤️ Nic x

  5. Absolutely delicious! My girls loved it. We will be adding it to our dinner rotation.

    • Love to hear this, Samantha! ❤️ Nic x

  6. 5 stars
    This was an absolute winner in my house. It was so easy to make and the chicken was so tasty. My very fussy teenage son loved it, and has asked for it to be added to the regular meal rotation.

    • This is so great to hear, Wendy! 🙌🏻 Thanks for the rating. Nic x

  7. 5 stars
    Wowwww another one for the books. So delicious!!! I topped mine with fresh cilantro, and some Sriracha.

    • Thrilled that this was a winner for you, Alanna! 🙌🏻 Those extras sound awesome. Thanks for the rating too. Nic x

  8. Can you use cauliflower rice instead to lower the carbs

    • Hi Maureen! I wouldn’t recommend swapping the rice for cauliflower rice in this recipe. The cooking method and liquid ratios are designed specifically for rice, and cauliflower rice would release too much moisture and turn mushy. I would recommend my Baked Garlic Chicken Breast with a side of cauliflower rice – delicious! ❤️ Nic x

  9. If I use chicken breast is the cooking the same?

  10. 5 stars
    Whole family loved loved this one, I did it a bit different i only had chicken breasts so cute them up into stir fry strip’s added some baking soda and then did the same recipe after that and the chicken bits were soooo tender fried up and mixed them all through the rice and it was absolutely yummy!!!

    • Hi Bev, thanks so much for sharing! I loved hearing how you cooked the dish … sounds amazing! 👏🏻 Glad it was a hit and thanks for the rating. Nic x

  11. Can I do this in an instant pot? Saute the chicken first then pressure cook with the rice? Just wondering about cooking time with this method

    • Hi Sandra! I haven’t personally tested this recipe in an instant pot, so I can’t say for sure, but in theory it should work with a few adjustments. You could cook the chicken first using the sauté function, then add the rice and liquid and pressure cook. As a general guide, white rice usually cooks in 4–6 minutes on high pressure with a natural release of 5 minutes, but the exact timing can vary depending on the model and how much liquid is used. Just be mindful that instant pots/pressure cookers don’t allow evaporation, so you may need slightly less liquid than the stovetop version to avoid it becoming too wet. I hope that helps. ❤️ Nic x

  12. 5 stars
    Sorry I forgot to rate it. Definitely 5/5. 👍🏻

    • Thanks so much, Polly … I appreciate that! 🥰 Nic x

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Disclaimer re gluten-free and dairy-free recipes 

For recipes labelled ‘gluten-free’ or ‘dairy-free’, the ingredients included in the recipe are typically gluten- or dairy-free. However, it is the user’s responsibility to carefully check the ingredient panels on the specific brands of products purchased and used. Simple Home Edit cannot be held responsible for any adverse reactions.