One Pan Italian Chicken and Rice

One Pan Italian Chicken and Rice is the perfect weeknight meal that is packed with flavor, budget friendly and also very easy to make.

We love making easy and delicious chicken meals for the family to enjoy. Among our most popular chicken dishes are Instant Pot Orange Chicken,  Slow Cooker Garlic Sesame Chicken and One Pan Garlic Chicken and Rice.

One Pan Italian Chicken and Rice

One Pan Italian Chicken and Rice is one of the easiest dishes you can make! Full of flavor and just with a few ingredients, this meal won’t break the bank and will be a time saver during crazy weeknights. I love a good chicken and rice meal, and believe me, you don’t want to miss out on this one!

You can totally cook the rice separately, but why would you, if you can easily cook everything in one pan and infuse it with flavors. After you brown the chicken, sear the rice with some onions, you add the chicken back to the pan, cover with foil and bake everything. You end up with amazing buttery rice and super juicy chicken.  

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One Pan Italian Chicken And Rice Recipe Tips:

• I like making this dish with chicken thighs, but it works great with chicken breasts too.
• For the best flavors, it’s better to marinate the chicken for a few hours or overnight.
• Brown chicken before adding it to the pan, so it gets that crisp texture.
• You can add less garlic if you want I personally love garlicky meals, so the more the merrier!
• For a spicier kick, add 1-2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes.
• Don’t skip the fresh lemon zest. It adds a nice punch of freshness.

Can I make this meal using Boneless Chicken Breast?

Yes you can, sear the chicken to brown it, set the aside, cover with foil. Add the rice to the pan, and do NOT add the chicken. Follow the directions for the sauce. Transfer the rice to the oven and cook the rice covered for 25 minutes. After that add the chicken breast on top and cook for another 20 minutes. Add the sauce on top of the chicken and enjoy.

This is such an easy recipe, that you can also adjust based on your preference. You can skip the sauce part and just cook the chicken with a garlic rub, some oil, salt, pepper, fresh lemon zest and juice. It will taste delicious and it will make up for a very easy and quick dinner.

What wines pair well with Italian Chicken and Rice?

• A nice, fruity red wine such as Zinfandel or Syrah will pair nicely with the flavors in this chicken dish.
• If you’re looking for a white option, Riesling or Pinot Grigio are always great matches for sweet and savory, somewhat spicy dishes.

How to make lemon zest?

Follow the easy steps below:

• Rinse the lemon.
• Set your tool over a cutting board. A microplane produces a very fine zest, perfect for baking and cooking. If you don’t have a microplane, use the smallest holes on an ordinary grater.
• Grate the yellow skin of the lemon only. Grate just enough to get through the yellow skin, this way you can avoid the bitter white pith underneath.
• Rotate the lemon and repeat. Once the white pith is exposed, rotate the lemon and zest the next strip of peel. Repeat until most of the peel is removed, or until you have enough zest for your recipe.

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5 from 2 votes

Servings: 4 servings

One Pan Italian Chicken and Rice

Prep Time:

15 mins

Cook Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

45 mins

One Pan Italian Chicken and Rice is the perfect weeknight meal, that is packed with flavor, budget friendly and also very easy to make.

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs bone-in / skin-on
• 2  tablespoons Vigo Olive Oil

Marinade:

• 1  lemon zested and juiced
• 3  tablespoons  honey
• 3  tablespoons  soy sauce
• 3  tablespoons  olive oil

Rice:

• 1  medium sweet onion diced
• 6  garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup rice
• 1  tablespoon  Italian seasoning
• 1  teaspoon  lemon zest
• 2  cup s chicken broth

Garnish:

• lemon zest
• parsley chopped

Instructions

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken thighs to a ziplock bag and pour the marinade over them. Shake, close and marinate for 1 to 6 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375F.
3. Place a 9 or 10 inch cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the chicken nicely on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Add onion to the pan, cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

5. Add the uncooked rice and stir for 1 minute.

6. Add the Italian seasoning, lemon zest and chicken broth. Stir to combine.

7. Add the chicken back to the pan, skin side up. Garnish with halved lemons.

8. Cover with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes in the preheated oven.

9. When 5 minutes are left, uncover the pan and broil for 5 minutes.

10. Garnish with lemon zest, parsley and serve.

Recipe Notes

You can cook the rice in the microwave per the bag instructions. After that, add the rice to the pan of cooked onion and garlic. Mix in the Italian seasoning and lemon zest. Add 1/2 cup of the broth, add the chicken, cover with foil and cook for about 10 minutes. Broil at the end.

Calories: 433, Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 83mg, Sodium: 910mg, Potassium: 407mg, Carbohydrates: 20g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 13g, Protein: 16g, Vitamin A: 2.6%, Vitamin C: 15.8%, Calcium: 9.4%, Iron: 15.1%

Author: Catalina Castravet

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: One Pan Italian Chicken and Rice

All images and text © for Peas and Peonies, LLC.

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