Easy Mediterranean Chicken and Rice One-Pan Recipe

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Mediterranean Chicken with Rice in One Pan

Introduction

This Mediterranean chicken and rice dish is quick and easy to make for dinner. This easy chicken and rice dish is full of delicious Mediterranean flavors and only takes 30 minutes to make. Chicken breast, rice, onion, garlic, lemon, herbs, and spices are all in it. This is how to make it, with step-by-step pictures and a video recipe.

This simple Mediterranean chicken rice recipe combines pan-seared chicken with fragrant rice that has been cooked in a tasty broth with homemade Mediterranean seasoning.A supper that you and your family will really enjoy. The chicken from the Mediterranean stays delicate and juicy, the rice is delightfully fluffy, and the addition of veggies like green peas makes it a healthy and tasty one-pan supper.

This Mediterranean chicken and rice is simple to prepare and tastes so good that your family will enjoy it. There might not be any leftovers because it’s so excellent.

This simple chicken and rice dish may be used in so many ways. You can add any extra vegetable you choose, like broccoli or bell peppers. You can use any other protein, like beans or chickpeas, to make it. You can prepare it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge in a container that won’t let air in. Lasts for 2 days. Heat it up and serve.

Every bite will taste great because of the Mediterranean flavors. A lot of my readers have liked this dish and the flavors. You can look at the comments here. This is one of the best chicken and rice recipes I’ve ever presented on this site. Give it a shot and let us know how it went in the comments.

Course and Preparation Details

Course: Main
Food: Mediterranean
Time to get ready: 5 minutes
Time to cook: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Number of servings: 4
Calories: 450 kcal

Tools

1 small bowl for mixing
1 Heavy skillet or pan

Ingredients and Things You Can Use Instead

This Mediterranean dish gets its flavor from simple herbs and spices that are easy to find in the kitchen. It has olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper, fresh garlic, cumin, thyme, and oregano in it. To create this Mediterranean chicken rice recipe, you will need the following:

Mediterranean Seasoning Made at Home
I produced my own Mediterranean spice by mixing together dried thyme, dried oregano, ground black pepper, powdered cumin, garlic powder, salt, paprika, and turmeric powder. You can use Italian seasoning instead of thyme and oregano. The recipe is written down on the recipe card.

Chicken: For this recipe, I used chicken breasts that had no bones or skin. You can also use thighs of chicken.

Rice: I’ve used long-grain basmati rice. For this chicken and rice, you can use any long- or medium-grain rice you choose, such as Jasmine rice or any brand of white rice.

Olive Oil: I used refined olive oil. You can use any oil with a neutral flavor, like vegetable oil, canola oil, or sunflower oil, instead.

I used peas, red onions, and fresh garlic as vegetables. You can use yellow onions instead of red onions. I have used peas that were frozen. You can use any vegetables you choose instead, such as bell peppers, carrots, or broccoli.

Fresh lemon juice makes the tastes brighter. You can use vinegar instead.

Whole spices: This Mediterranean recipe calls for just two whole spices: cinnamon and bay leaf. This chicken rice recipe tastes really good with it. Don’t skip them.

Turmeric powder makes the Mediterranean chicken and rice dish a vibrant yellow color. If you can’t find it, don’t worry about it. But you will miss the yellow color.

Chicken broth: I used low-sodium chicken broth in this dish. You can use water instead. For the greatest flavors, add 2 chicken stock cubes or bouillon cubes and 1 cup of water.

If you don’t like cilantro, you can use parsley instead.

Please see the recipe card below for a full list of the ingredients and how much of each you need.

For the flavoring

½ teaspoon of dried thyme
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of black pepper ground
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of paprika
½ teaspoon of turmeric powder

To soak the chicken in marinade

2 chicken breasts cut into 4 pieces
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of olive oil
4 teaspoons of the seasoning

To cook rice and chicken

2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of coarsely chopped garlic
1 cup of rice that has been rinsed and soaked in water for 30 minutes
2 and 1/4 cups of chicken broth (low sodium is best)
1 bay leaf
1 inch of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 cup of frozen peas
coriander leaves, for garnish
salad, for serving

How to cook Mediterranean Chicken and Rice in one pan

How to do it

Getting ready

To make the seasoning, mix thyme, oregano, black pepper, cumin, garlic powder, salt, paprika, and turmeric powder in a small bowl. Put it away.
Get the chicken ready by cutting the chicken breast in half or pounding it.
To marinade the chicken, mix 2 teaspoons of the spice, lemon juice, and oil into the chicken breast. Gently rub it on both sides. Let it sit in the marinade for 30 minutes.
Wash the rice well in water two to three times. Put it in water for 30 minutes. Let it drain and set it aside.
Cut up the onions and garlic and set them aside.

To prepare chicken and rice in the Mediterranean style

Put 2 teaspoons of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and heat it over medium heat.
Put the chicken that has been marinated on the hot pan. Fry it for two to three minutes on each side. The chicken doesn’t have to be fully cooked. Put it on a plate and take it away.
Add the onion to the same pan and cook until it is clear.
Then, add the garlic. Stir and heat for half a minute.
Add the rice and 4 teaspoons of the spice. Sauté it for a minute.
Put in the chicken broth, bay leaf, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Gently scrape off the little fragments that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Taste and change the seasoning as needed. If you need to, add extra seasoning.
Bring the broth to a boil.
You can add peas if you want.
Put the chicken back in the pan. Turn the heat down to low. For 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rice has soaked up all the water, cook it.
After cooking, cover it for 10 minutes. Use a fork to fluff the rice.
Add coriander leaves as a garnish. Serve with a side salad.

How to Make the Best Mediterranean Chicken and Rice

By marinating the chicken, you may make it very tender and moist and also improve its taste.
The amount of water to rice is very crucial when cooking rice. The package has directions for how much rice to add to the liquid. Add water according to the type of rice you are using. I used 2 and ¼ cups of water to cook 1 cup of basmati rice.
When cooking rice, make sure the cover fits tightly on the pan. You could also put aluminum foil over it.
Take the rice off the fire and cover it for 10 minutes after it’s done cooking.
You can change the amount of seasoning to make the dish more or less spicy.

Different types

Make it good for you— You can use fresh spinach or other greens to this dish.
Add Feta cheese on top for a heartier supper, then serve.

How to Store and Reheat

Storing leftovers: You should put the leftovers away within two hours of cooking them. Before you put it away, let it cool all the way down.
Put the leftovers in a container that won’t let air in and put them in the fridge. Lasts for two days. Put the date on the container.
Look for symptoms of decomposition, including a terrible smell, taste, or dark patches, all the time. If there are any indicators, throw them away right away.
To warm it up again, add some water and heat it on the stove over medium-low heat. Or put it in the microwave to warm it up.

Notes

Marinating the chicken can make it very soft and juicy and also improve the taste.
The amount of water to rice is very crucial when cooking rice. The package has directions for how much rice to add to the liquid. Add water according to the type of rice you are using. I used 2 and ¼ cups of water to cook 1 cup of basmati rice.
When cooking rice, make sure the cover fits tightly on the pan. You could also put aluminum foil over it.
Take the rice off the fire and cover it for 10 minutes after it’s done cooking.
You can change the spicy level by adding or taking away seasoning.

Nutrition Information

It is best to simply use the automatically computed nutrition information as a rough guide.

Feedback

Please leave a comment and rating below if you make this dish. We’d love to hear what you think.

If you have any queries or concerns when creating this dish, please email me directly at nayakprety@gmail.com. I’ll do my best to get back to you as soon as possible.