One Pan Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice

This Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice recipe is an easy meal that’s fresh & full of flavour! An easy Greek chicken recipe with lemon rice, made in one pan – turn it into Greek Chicken bowls and serve it with feta cheese and Greek salad!

 

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

One of the toughest challenges in life is feeding a family and if you’ve ever struggled with putting dinner on the table every single night, we feel you! Coming up with delicious meals your family will actually eat is hard enough, but add the planning, grocery shopping, and slaving over a hot stove for hours… it can feel impossible. That’s why we LOVE recipes like this easy peasy One Pan Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice. It comes together in just over 30 minutes, it takes only about 10 minutes of active prep, and it is SO amazingly delicious. It’s fresh, it’s flavourful, and if you’re looking for a dinner that practically makes itself, THIS is the recipe for you!

This is a one pan recipe that includes searing seasoned chicken thighs for a few minutes and then adding the rest of the ingredients to a cast iron pan to cook the chicken and rice in the oven. Fresh lemon and chicken stock is what gives the rice its flavour and when it’s cooked together with the chicken, it creates the perfect fluffy texture with some crispiness on top. The chicken and rice is the perfect base for adding fresh tomatoes on top, along with some more diced onion, feta cheese, fresh herbs, AND it’s delicious served as a rice bowl along with some Greek salad.

There are SO many reasons why we love this Easy Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice recipe. Here are just a few!

1. It’s made in ONE PAN: A one pan meal is ideal to get a meal on the table quickly and makes for easy clean up afterwards.
2. It’s QUICK to MAKE: It’s such an easy weeknight meal. With just a few ingredients, this delicious recipe can be ready on your table in under 30 minutes.
3. It’s HEALTHY: A well-rounded meal with protein, carbs, and veggies, it’s super filling and a total kid-pleaser!
4. It’s FRESH: There’s nothing quite like fresh veggies served alongside flavourful rice and crispy chicken. There’s so much fresh flavour in this dish, thanks to the added lemon and herbs, and the brightness of the feta cheese.
5. It’s VERSATILE: Serve it as it is, straight from the pan, with some chopped tomatoes, onions, and feta on top, or turn it into Greek chicken bowls and serve it with Greek salad!

Here at The Busy Baker we have shared so many of our favourite mealtime tips, tricks and secrets with you over the years. If you haven’t already signed up, we offer a FREE email course where we share our BEST weeknight meal tips, tricks and recipes to help you feed your hungry family without losing your sanity. Sign up for our FREE course below:

And if you’ve already taken the course, we offer 11 weeks of family meal plans for sale in The Busy Baker shop, complete with a week’s worth of meals planned for you, a grocery list ready to go, all our best mealtime tips and tricks, and an optional meal prep guide to help you get ahead of the dinnertime game. We hope you’ll check them out!!

If you want to make this one pan meal the BEST it can be, here’s all our favourite PRO tips and tricks to take it to the next level!

Ensure your cast iron skillet is properly preheated over medium heat before adding ingredients. This promotes even cooking and helps prevent sticking.

Season the chicken and sear it in the skillet until both sides are golden brown. This step locks in juices and enhances flavour. After searing, remove the chicken and set it aside.

In the same skillet, sauté onions and garlic until softened and fragrant. This forms a flavourful base for the rice.

The lemon zest adds SO much flavour to the rice, so definitely be sure to add both the juice and zest to the rice.

Add the rice to the skillet and stir it with the aromatics for a couple of minutes. Toasting the rice slightly enhances its texture and flavour.

Once cooked, let the dish rest for a few minutes before serving. This allows the flavours to meld and the rice to set properly.

We love making this One Pan Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice in this tried and true Cast Iron Pan (paid link)! It sears the chicken just perfectly and has such even heat distribution, which cooks the rice in the oven evenly. And it’s easy on the budget too, which any family would love. It’s one of our most loved kitchen tools!!

Cooking rice in the oven, especially in a cast iron pan, can seem intimidating. It’s truly so easy – just build some flavour by frying some onions, bell peppers, or other veggies until slightly softened, add a bit of butter or oil (for flavour!), some spices or herbs, toast the rice just a bit on the stovetop, add the liquid, and throw it in the oven! It’s that’s simple and you can prepare it in minutes!

If you are having trouble with this chicken and rice recipe, follow the solutions we recommend below.

Overcrowding the pan with additional vegetables or too many chicken thighs immersed in the rice can trap in the steam and lead to soggy food and will prevent browning. For even cooking and crisp texture, cook in batches if necessary.

First, preheat the pan on medium heat. Once it is heated, add the chicken and other ingredients. This allows the ingredients to cook evenly and not stick to the pan.

Follow the recipe for proper cooking temperature. If the cast iron pan is used with heat that’s too high, the chicken and rice in the oven will stick and burn to the pan.

The chicken skin won’t brown very well when the pan is covered, so be sure to brown the chicken uncovered.

Avoid using chicken stock or broth that has a high sodium content – opt for low sodium so you can control the amount of salt in the dish.

You won’t need many kitchen tools to make this easy one pan dinner recipe! Here’s what you’ll need (paid links):

• cast iron skillet
• chef’s knife
• Cutting Board
• liquid measuring cups
• measuring cups and spoons
• Tongs

Here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice recipe (paid links):

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 6 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on) use boneless, skinless if desired
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 large red onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 lemons zest and juice
• 1 1/4 cups long grain white rice
• 4 cups chicken stock we use low fat, low sodium

For serving:

• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• chopped fresh red onion, chopped parsley for garnish optional
• 2 tomatoes chopped
• 1 cucumber chopped

Try one of these tasty variations on this Greek Chicken with Lemon Rice recipe!

1. Spicy Indian – Add garam masala and ground cardamom and some turmeric. Toss in carrots and green peas, then garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and a drizzle of fresh lime juice instead of lemon.
2. Spanish Inspired – Substitute the chicken thighs with chopped chicken breasts. Add sliced sausages, and some sautéed peppers and onions. Substitute some of the chicken stock with a can of diced tomatoes.
3. Lemon Herb Chicken– Add in green beans or asparagus and lemon slices. Add garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Garnish with fresh thyme or fresh dill.
4. Mexican – Use spices such as chili powder, turmeric, cumin, and smoked paprika. Add in black beans, chopped bell peppers, corn, and diced tomatoes. Garnish with green onions or fresh cilantro.

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your family’s favourite easy meal idea? We’d love to know!

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• Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner
• Pineapple Chicken Rice Bowls
• One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Easy Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
• Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
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• One Pan Chicken Alfredo Pasta