One-Pan Lemon Chicken and Rice

It’s Thursday. You have gotten over the hump of the week. Congratulations! Now it is time for dinner, you’ve poured your glass of wine and you are mentally and physically prepared to cook dinner. However, the last thing you want to do is make a huge mess and spend an hour cleaning it up when you are finished. Well don’t worry, It’s Delizious to the rescue! This one-pan lemon chicken skillet and rice is the answer to your dishwashing blues.

Start by putting together the marinade for the chicken. I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. The bone keeps the chicken “m-word” and adds so much flavor, and what is better than crispy chicken skin? This recipe can be done with boneless chicken breasts but it will be very difficult to keep them from drying out.

I love to marinade inside large ziplock bags. Holds everything, doesn’t leak and easy clean up! Place all the chicken inside the zip lock bag and add in the marinade ingredients – lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano. Close the bag and start to massage. You want to combine the marinade and make sure that all the chicken is coated and soaking in that flavor. Also, the lemon juice will help tenderize the chicken, so go for it. Don’t be shy. Give the chicken a good massage, then set it aside. I didn’t have much time so I let the chicken marinade for only about 30 minutes. I know that ideally you would let it sit for a few hours but unfortunately we all don’t have that sort of prep time, so give it whatever amount of time you have. Don’t worry, it will be delicious.

Next step is to sear the chicken and this step is crucial. It creates the crispy skin and gives the sauce flavor through the caramelized bits at the bottom of the pan. You want to heat the olive oil over high heat, and then add in the chicken skin side down. One key to successful searing – DO NOT crowd the pan. The chicken needs space to sear properly and get that nice brown crispy skin. If you put too much in the pan, the heat level will drop and the chicken will steam, resulting in sad soggy chicken skin. No one wants that. So if you have to sear it in batches like I did, go for it. Once you put the chicken in the hot pan, leave it alone. Let it sizzle and pop for 4-5 minutes until the chicken easily pulls away from the pan. Then flip it over and cook for another 4-5 minutes until golden on the bottom as well. Then remove and set aside — repeat with the second batch if necessary. NOTE – save the marinade. It has so much flavor that you can add to your pan later.

Into the rendered chicken fat (what is left over in the pan), add in your diced onions. You want to let them cook for about 2 minutes so they begin to soften before you add in your rice.

Add in the rice and allow it to toast for a minute or so. COOK’S NOTE: You may notice that I switched pans. Yes, this is still a one-pan meal. It only becomes a 2-pan meal when you remove the chicken from the pan and are all ready to add in the onions, and your son starts to call that he wants to say goodnight to you again – insert “awww” moment here. Well, instead of turning off the heat and going to see him, you accidentally leave it on and come back to a totally burnt pan. Not a good moment for me but accidents happen. So on to pan #2.

Next, add in your liquids – chicken stock, white wine, water and the reserved marinade – along with oregano, salt and pepper. Bring this to a simmer.

Place the chicken, skin side up, in an even layer nestled in with the rice. Then cover the pan and place into the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Then remove the lid, add some lemon slices around the top of the chicken and bake for another 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve. The chicken is juicy and the rice has absorbed all the delicious lemon flavor and gotten some crisp edges – the best part. Sit down, pour another glass of wine and enjoy your meal, knowing you only have this one pan to clean – or better yet, get the hubby to do it :). Enjoy!