Chicken and rice does NOT have to be boring! This beautifully fragrant, golden chicken and rice is made in one pot and loaded with fresh flavors and textures to make a brilliant, easy 30 minute meal, perfect for busy weeknights. Drizzle with fresh basil pesto, pickled chili and crispy cheese to serve.
There is simply nothing better than a speedy, easy one-pot recipe on a busy weeknight. And this one is truly LOVELY. Chicken and rice often gets a bad rap for being bland and boring, but that is SO not the case here. The rice takes on all that gorgeous chicken flavor, and is so incredibly moreish.
It’s made on the stovetop too for ease – just brown your chicken, soften your aromatics and spices, add the rice, chicken stock and spinach, then add the chicken back in, cover and leave to cook.
While the recipe is delicious enough just like that, the whole thing is lifted by a few fresh additions at the end. We’ve got super herby fresh basil pesto, sharp pickled red chili and crispy, salty cheese. It gives texture, color and takes the whole thing to another level.
Ingredients
- Rice. Any long-grain rice will work here – I’m using basmati. Brown rice or short grain rice will need different cooking times and a different amount of liquid, so just keep that in mind.
- Chicken thighs. I’m using boneless and skinless, free-range chicken thighs. You could use chicken breasts or tenders if you prefer, but I recommend slicing them into smaller pieces.
- Spices. You’ll need ground turmeric and ground cumin.
- Chicken stock. You could use vegetable stock or water if you like. If you use water, you’ll need to add a little more salt.
- Pesto. I HIGHLY recommend either making your own fresh basil pesto (it’s truly so easy!) OR picking up a good-quality, fresh pesto from the store. Stay away from the shelf-stable versions – they just aren’t the same and don’t have that lovely freshness.
- Parmesan. To keep things simple, you can scatter freshly grated parmesan cheese on top of the rice after cooking. Or, to add a fun crispy element, I love to make crunchy parmesan crisps. It’s as simple as baking piles of parmesan cheese until golden. If you’re a fan of halloumi cheese, you can swap the parmesan for a crispy halloumi crumb (this is as easy as pan-frying grated halloumi for a few minutes). So you can choose whichever option you prefer!
How to make it
Start by browning your chicken on both sides, then remove it from the pan and cook your onion, garlic, ginger and spices. Add the rice, stock and spinach, and stir them through the aromatics.
Nestle the browned chicken into the pan, then pop the lid on and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fluffy.
While the rice cooks, make your pesto. (if you’re not using store-bought), mix the sliced chilies with the vinegar and make the crispy parmesan or halloumi crumbs. Remove the lid from the pan, then drizzle with the pesto and the crispy cheese. Scatter with pickled chili (and the pickling liquid) and divide between plates.
Got a question?
Once cooked, it will keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and tastes just as delicious. Reheat until piping hot in the microwave.
You can if you like. If you do, I recommend slicing the chicken breasts into smaller pieces, before browning as per the recipe.
You can easily add more vegetables here. Throw in frozen peas, edamame beans or green beans, or broccoli or asparagus.
Like this recipe? Try these easy chicken ideas next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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One Pot Golden Chicken and Rice with Herby Pesto
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Chicken and rice does NOT have to be boring! This beautifully fragrant, golden chicken and rice is made in one pot and loaded with fresh flavors and textures to make a brilliant, easy 30 minute meal, perfect for busy weeknights. Drizzle with fresh basil pesto, pickled chili and crispy cheese to serve.
Ingredients
For the golden chicken and rice –
- 1lb/500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1.5 cups long-grain rice
- 2.5 cups hot chicken stock
- 3.5oz/100g baby spinach leaves, chopped (if you’re making your own you’ll need 2 cups of basil leaves,
To serve –
- 1/3 cup basil pesto
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated ( or 3.5oz/100g halloumi cheese, grated, for the halloumi crumb)
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
To make your own pesto (optional) –
- 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (or cashews, almonds or pumpkin seeds)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Brown the chicken. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over each piece of chicken. Set a large, high-sided skillet or pan you have a lid for over medium-high heat. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the chicken for 4 minutes on each side, until lovely and golden brown. Don’t worry about cooking it all the way through at this point as it will continue to cook in the rice later. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate for now.
- Cook the onion, garlic and ginger. Remove any burnt bits from the pan, then set it back over medium-high heat and add the diced onion, crushed garlic, grated ginger and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion starts to soften, about five minutes.
- Add the spices and rice. At this point, add 1 teaspoon each of dried thyme, ground turmeric, ground cumin and chili flakes. Stir through the onions for a couple of minutes, then add the rice and stir so that all the grains are coated.
- Add the stock and simmer. Scatter the spinach leaves into the pan and stir them through the rice, then pour over the hot stock. Stir again, then nestle the browned chicken thighs back into the pan and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and pop the lid on. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the liquid has absorbed, then remove from the heat and let sit for another five minutes.
- Make the pesto (optional): If you’re making the pesto, add the basil leaves to the bowl of a food processor, then add the garlic cloves, parmesan, lemon juice, pine nuts (or cashews/almonds/pumpkin seeds) and salt. Blitz into a chunky paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until a lovely thick green sauce forms. Set aside.
- Make your garnishes. In a small bowl, mix the sliced red chili with 1 tablespoon each of rice vinegar and lime juice. If you’re making the crispy halloumi crumbs, grate your halloumi, then add to a small pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set over medium-high heat. Cook for five or so minutes, stirring occasionally, until the halloumi is golden and crispy, then remove from the heat.
- Garnish and serve. Remove the lid from the pot with your chicken and rice. Drizzle with the pesto, then scatter over the grated parmesan, or the crispy halloumi crumbs if you’ve made them. Spoon over the picked red chili and their pickling liquid, then divide between plates and serve. PRO TIP: If there is still a little liquid in the pot when you remove the lid, just pop it uncovered over medium heat for five or so minutes.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can use 1 teaspoon of ginger paste or 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger. I’ve included the ingredients and instructions for making your own pesto here, and I HIGHLY recommend it for the best flavor. If not, make sure you use a good-quality, fresh basil pesto from the store rather than a shelf-stable version. If you don’t want to make the pickled chilies, you could drizzle the rice with chili oil or sambal oelek. Or skip it entirely if you’re not a fan of spice.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Any leftovers will keep well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat until piping hot in the microwave.
OPTIONAL ADDITIONS: You can easily add more vegetables to this recipe. Add frozen edamame beans or peas with the spinach, or sliced broccoli, green beans or asparagus.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: one pot
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 250g
- Calories: 676
- Sugar: 5.4g
- Sodium: 1271mg
- Fat: 22.8g
- Saturated Fat: 5.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14.4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 70.2g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 44.7g
- Cholesterol: 104.8mg
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