Description
A flavorful one pot Greek chicken and lemon rice dish featuring tender chicken thighs marinated in lemon, garlic, and oregano, cooked together with long grain rice in a savory broth. This easy oven-baked recipe results in juicy chicken with perfectly cooked, fragrant rice, finished with fresh herbs and lemon zest for a vibrant meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Marinade
- 5 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in (about 1 kg / 2 lb)
- 1–2 lemons, zest plus 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
Rice
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, separated
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 cup (180g) long grain rice, uncooked
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) chicken broth / stock
- 3/4 cup (185 ml) water
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp salt
- Black pepper, to taste
Garnish
- Finely chopped parsley or oregano (optional)
- Fresh lemon zest (highly recommended)
Instructions
- Marinate Chicken: Combine chicken thighs, lemon zest, lemon juice, dried oregano, minced garlic, and salt in a ziplock bag. Seal and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, preferably overnight, to develop flavor.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) preparing for baking.
- Sear Chicken: Remove chicken from marinade, reserving the marinade. Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a deep, heavy-based skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin-side down; sear until golden brown, then flip and sear the other side until browned. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Prepare Skillet for Rice: Pour off excess fat from the skillet and wipe clean with a scrunched paper towel to remove burnt bits. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Sauté finely diced onion until translucent.
- Add Rice and Liquids: Stir in the uncooked long grain rice, chicken broth, water, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 3/4 tsp salt, black pepper, and the reserved marinade. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer for about 30 seconds.
- Combine and Bake: Place the seared chicken pieces on top of the rice mixture. Cover the skillet with a lid or foil and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 35 minutes covered.
- Uncover and Finish Baking: Remove the lid and continue baking uncovered for an additional 10 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, totaling 45 minutes of baking.
- Rest and Garnish: Remove skillet from oven and let the dish rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley or oregano and fresh lemon zest before serving.
Notes
- Use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs for best flavor and juiciness; skinless boneless thighs can be substituted but add them 20 minutes into baking as they cook faster.
- For drumsticks, sear briefly and bake full time; for breasts, expect less juicy results.
- The ideal skillet size is about 26cm (10″) diameter and 6cm (2.4″) deep.
- If you don’t have a lid for your skillet, use foil or a baking tray to cover during baking.
- Optional garnish includes slices of lemon seared in the pan after cooking chicken for extra flavor.
- To make entirely on stove top, you can either cook chicken fully first then cook rice separately with reduced liquid, or sear chicken then cook it on top of rice to finish.
- This recipe works best with long grain white rice but can be adapted for jasmine and some brown rice varieties (adjust cooking time accordingly).
- Avoid brown basmati, risotto, and paella rice as their liquid absorption differs greatly from long grain rice.
- This recipe has never included marjoram; only oregano is used.
- Nutrition info assumes trimmed bone-in, skin-on thighs and does not count fat discarded after searing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
