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Home One Pot

One Pot Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice – best chicken and rice ever!

By:Nagi
Published:27 Apr '15Updated:11 Oct '22
1,392 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

I want to say the star of this dish is the chicken. But that would be lying. Because this, my friends, is all about the RICE! People have said this One Pot Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice is the best chicken and rice recipe they’ve ever had (their words not mine!). I hope you feel the same when you try it!

This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!

Overhead photo of One Pot Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice - the BEST chicken and rice recipe in the world!

Chicken and rice – elevated!

What makes this lemon rice so special, you might ask? Well, it’s like cooking the rice in triple strength chicken stock because the chicken is cooked ON TOP of the rice. So it gets the full benefit of all the juices from the chicken seeping into it while it cooks. Add the fresh flavours of lemon and boom! You will knock the socks off anyone you serve this too!

Big promises I know….but I have third party validation of this. Someone who always tells me the truth about my dishes. Especially “inventions” which I often pass on because I know I’ll get truthful feedback. I do love my friends dearly, but honestly, not everything I make them can be “OMG, this is so delicious!!” (Seriously, I love my friends, love them to bits!)

So in this particular case, her family raved about the rice so I’m just passing on that message. 🙂 (PS She was quick to point out that the chicken was lovely too, she just said that the STAR of the dish was the rice! I’m totally cool with that! 🙂 )

This Greek Chicken Recipe is made with an incredible lemon rice which is all made in ONE POT! recipetineats.com
This Greek Chicken Recipe is made with an incredible lemon rice which is all made in ONE POT! recipetineats.com

This is not an authentic Greek Chicken recipe (as far as I know!) but it is made using classic Greek ingredients. It uses the same technique I use for my One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice. There’s nothing tricky or ground breaking, it’s just about getting the liquid to rice ratio right. Rice baked in the oven requires a lot more water than when it’s cooked on the stove. And when you plop chicken on top of the rice, it drops liquid so you need to take that into account.

To make this Greek Chicken recipe in one pot (well, pan – why do I keep writing “pot”??!), the chicken is seared in the pan first, then the rice is added, the chicken placed back on top then it’s popped in the oven. The magic happens while it’s baking. As the chicken cooks, all the juices seep into the rice which are soaked up by the rice and add incredible flavour. INCREDIBLE flavour. It honestly is like triple strength chicken stock.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I can’t hold back any longer. I need some lunch! – Nagi

More dinner in one pot!

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This Greek Chicken Recipe is made with an incredible lemon rice which is all made in ONE POT! recipetineats.com

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

One Pot Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice

One Pot Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 50 minutes mins
Total: 1 hour hr
Chicken, One Pot
Greek
4.89 from 378 votes
Servings5
Tap or hover to scale
Print
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Recipe video above. The best chicken and rice recipe in the world!! This is not an authentic Greek dish (as far as I know!) but it is made using classic Greek ingredients. The beauty of this is that it is all made in one pot / pan. Cooking the rice with the chicken on top adds extra flavour to the rice because the chicken juices get soaked up by the rice. MARINATING TIME: 20 minutes to overnight. {Recipe video above} SCALE RECIPE using servings slider – hover mouse over Servings.

Ingredients

Chicken and Marinade

  • 5 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in (about 1 kg / 2 lb) (Note 1)
  • 1 – 2 lemons, use the zest + 4 tbsp lemon juice (Note 7)
  • 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 (Note 6)
  • 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

Garnish

  • Finely chopped parsley or oregano (optional)
  • Fresh lemon zest (highly recommended)

Instructions

  • Combine the Chicken and Marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag and set aside for at least 20 minutes but preferably overnight.

To Cook

  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
  • Remove chicken from marinade, but reserve the Marinade.
  • Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a deep, heavy based skillet (Note 2) over medium high heat.
  • Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, then turn and cook the other side until golden brown. Remove the chicken and set aside.
  • Pour off fat and wipe the pan with a scrunched up ball of paper towel (to remove black bits), then return to the stove.
  • Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Then add the remaining Rice ingredients and reserved Marinade.
  • Let the liquid come to a simmer and let it simmer for 30 seconds. Place the chicken on top then place a lid on the skillet (Note 3). Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender (so 45 minutes in total).
  • Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, garnished with parsley or oregano and fresh lemon zest, if desired.

Recipe Notes:

1. I use bone in, skin on chicken thighs because there’s more flavour. But you can use skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets if you prefer. If you do that, place the chicken in the pan 20 minutes into the baking time because the chicken won’t need as long.
For drumsticks, you won’t be able to sear them as successfully, but that’s ok, just sear briefly and bake for the full time (45 minutes).
This can be made with breast as well but it won’t be as juicy because the meat isn’t as juicy. 🙂
2. The fry pan I used was 26cm / 10″ in diameter and 6cm/2.4″ deep. It’s the perfect size for this.
3. I don’t have a lid for the fry pan I used but I have a lid for a larger pot which I just placed on top. Otherwise, foil works just fine, or even a baking tray.
4. I garnished this with slices of lemon which I seared in the pan after cooking the chicken.
5. How to make this entirely on stove top (readers’ request): Though the result isn’t quite the same as baking because you sacrifice either the chicken juices mixing in with the rice OR the crispy skin, it can be made entirely on the stove. There are two options:
a) Cook the chicken completely on the stove, set aside and cook the rice on the stove (reduce the liquid by 1/2 cup). To cook the rice, just follow the recipe directions up to the point just before putting it in the oven. Instead of doing that, put the lid on and cook on medium low until the liquid is absorbed (about 12 – 15 minutes). When the rice is almost ready, pop the chicken back in on top of the rice and put the lid on to warm up, and finish cooking the rice. This will yield a chicken with crispier skin than the second method.
b) The 2nd method is to sear the chicken but not cook it through, then pop it on to of the rice to finish cooking while the rice cooks. This method is easier and you will get the benefit of the chicken juices mixing in with the rice while it cooks but you will lose the crispiness of the skin.
What I would suggest is using skinless, boneless thigh fillets instead, that way you don’t have to worry about the skin crispiness but you get all the flavour!
6. This recipe will work with white long grain, medium and short grain rice but I recommend long grain because it is the least sticky of the three types. It will also work with jasmine, normal brown rice, wild rice and normal basmati rice. Brown rice will take around 1 hr 15 minutes covered, 10 minutes uncovered, so the chicken will be super tender. I do not recommend brown basmati rice because takes even longer to cook. Risotto and paella rice are also not recommended – liquid absorption level too different, changes recipe too much.
7. You need enough lemon to get 4 tbsp of lemon juice which will be 1 large or 2 small lemons. Use all the zest from the lemon(s) that you use.
8. NO MARJORAM: Quite a few readers have inquired about this. If you found this recipe via Pinterest, you may notice that there is a discrepancy in the ingredients with some lists showing Marjoram in the ingredients. This recipe has NEVER had Marjoram in it! Please use the recipe as it is written.
9. Nutrition per serving (5 servings) assumes this is made using trimmed bone in, skin on chicken thigh fillets. It does not take into account the fat that is poured out of the pan after searing the chicken, which means the calories per serving are higher than they actually are.
One Pot Greek Chicken with Lemon Rice Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 431gCalories: 667cal (33%)Carbohydrates: 34.2g (11%)Protein: 75.9g (152%)Fat: 23.4g (36%)Saturated Fat: 5.8g (36%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 17.6gCholesterol: 224mg (75%)Sodium: 1408mg (61%)Fiber: 1.9g (8%)Sugar: 1.3g (1%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.
 
 

If you like this one pot Greek Chicken recipe, you may also enjoy my ONE POT BAKED GREEK CHICKEN ORZO (RISONI)!

One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo (Risoni) - Al made in one pot, a saucy tomato sauce loaded with Greek flavors!

And if you’re after another Greek Chicken recipe (because let’s face it, the Greeks know how to make GOOD CHICKEN!), I think you’ll enjoy my GREEK CHICKEN GYROS.
The yoghurt lemon marinade for this chicken is incredible!

Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki - the marinade for the chicken is so good, I use it even when I'm not making gyros! recipetineats.com


LIFE OF DOZER

His chest hair bursting out of his sweater…. SO CUTE!!!

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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1,392 Comments

  1. Jenn Chee says

    December 11, 2023 at 12:32 am

    5 stars
    OMG!!!!!! This dish is ABSOLUTELY delicious… Cant get enough of it.. Flavorful, unique and mouthwatering good!!

    Reply
  2. Louise Garner says

    December 8, 2023 at 6:51 pm

    5 stars
    I have cooked this twice now, delicious! So simple and easy but full of flavour.

    Reply
  3. Jazzy says

    December 8, 2023 at 9:26 am

    This has become a favourite. I even grew Greek oregano this year specifically for this dish. It adds a lot of punch if you can find it.

    Homemade stock truly elevates this dish also.

    Reply
  4. Sue says

    December 6, 2023 at 8:16 am

    5 stars
    Cooked this dish twice now, amazing!
    Easy to do, delicious, filling and also great the next day

    Reply
  5. sandy williams says

    November 29, 2023 at 11:29 pm

    This recipe is my new obsession! Everyone visiting gets it. So simple, incredibly tasty. I add some grilled veg. It’s a one pot wonder!!

    Reply
    • sandy williams says

      November 29, 2023 at 11:30 pm

      5 stars
      5 stars!

      Reply
  6. Leanne says

    November 29, 2023 at 6:56 pm

    5 stars
    So simple yet so incredibly delicious! Will be making again.

    Reply
  7. Angie says

    November 18, 2023 at 9:07 am

    Hi Nagi, can I use instant pot for this recipe? Thanks.

    Reply
  8. Debi says

    November 16, 2023 at 11:25 am

    5 stars
    Wonderful recipe. But PLEASE add to step 1 of the written instructions to marinate “in the refrigerator” (not just “set aside”). If you’re an experienced cook, you know this, but a novice may not.
    😘

    Reply
    • Lora says

      November 23, 2023 at 9:57 am

      You can leave chicken (and other proteins) outside of the refrigerator if you’re going to cook it within two hours.

      Reply
  9. Debbie says

    October 23, 2023 at 5:18 am

    4 stars
    Tasty and fresh recipe! I love the simple flavours and I love anything including lemon. I halved this recipe and everything balanced out perfectly. Would definitely make again!

    Reply
  10. Lea says

    September 19, 2023 at 1:07 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely fantastic! Everything turned out perfectly and the house smells amazing!!

    I did marinate the chicken overnight and used jasmine rice. Very happy with this and will be making again!

    Reply
  11. Anne says

    September 10, 2023 at 7:40 pm

    5 stars
    5 stars for this one!

    Reply
  12. Anne says

    September 10, 2023 at 7:39 pm

    I made this today (halved the recipe) after marinating the chicken overnight. The chicken had the skin removed but it still worked very well and was scrumptious! Thank you Nagi. I bought the book and found the recipe there. Easy to make and without too many ingredients. 😊

    Reply
  13. Zee says

    September 10, 2023 at 12:15 pm

    Hi Nagi, I am going to try the full stove top option for this recipe. When you say reduce liquid by 1/2 cup, are you referring to the chicken stock or the water? Thanks!

    Reply
  14. Jen says

    August 26, 2023 at 1:18 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, I just made your fried noodles with cabbage and bacon from your cook book. It is so delicious and easy. I love cooking and eating your recipes. Thank you so much!

    Reply
  15. Jessica says

    August 24, 2023 at 10:57 am

    Can I transfer rice and chicken to glass baking dish, and bake that way? I don’t have a skillet that is oven-safe.

    Reply
  16. T_Mullen says

    August 16, 2023 at 6:10 pm

    Hi – I have a question before I make this dish. The chicken marinade is just lemon juice+zest+oregano+garlic+salt? No olive oil or broth? Thanks

    Reply
  17. Jessica says

    August 15, 2023 at 11:26 am

    5 stars
    This is so so good. Really easy to make. I followed the recipe as is, and finished with a little feta. Thank you! Will definitely make again.

    Reply
  18. Nancy says

    August 13, 2023 at 11:20 am

    5 stars
    Delicious and greatly enjoyed by all! Used short grain brown rice and loved the ease of this recipe. Thank you again and again Nagi.

    Reply
  19. Amanda says

    August 13, 2023 at 9:53 am

    5 stars
    I make this recipe about once a week. I am obsessed with it! Tonight I made it with boneless, skinless thighs and it was good, but not quite the same. Definitely recommend sticking with bone in, skin on!

    Reply
  20. Amelia Metcalf says

    August 10, 2023 at 3:58 pm

    It is a good recipe but don’t understand why you add the garlic at the beginning and let it burn. Why not add it later after the onions?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      November 13, 2023 at 7:38 pm

      2 stars
      The garlic is only in the marinade

      Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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