This Yellow Rice Chicken Skillet combines one of my favorite foods in the world, Yellow Jasmine Rice, with a couple of items that I found in the back of my freezer. I found some chicken thighs in my freezer (leftover from Lemon Pepper Chicken with Orzo) and I added some peas for extra color, flavor, and texture (another “back of the freezer” find). Everything cooks in the same skillet for more flavor and less cleanup. I love it when you can cook the main dish (chicken) and the two sides (rice and peas) all in one vessel. Hello, Yellow Rice Chicken Skillet!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Can I Use Boneless Chicken?
Yes, but keep in mind that boneless cuts of chicken cook much faster than bone-in chicken, so you run the risk of overcooking the meat. With chicken thighs this isn’t as big of an issue since the meat is fattier and does not dry out as quickly, but if you’re using boneless chicken breast it may become slightly dry.
Tips for One Pot Rice Dishes
Cooking rice can be a little tricky for some, and the same is true for one pot rice dishes where you are cooking rice in the same pot with meat and vegetables. Here are a few tips to help your one pot rice dish a success:
- Use thick, heavy cookware. If you are using thin cook ware you are more likely to have hot and cold spots in the pot which will lead to pockets burned and/or undercooked rice. Thicker cookware heats and cooks more evenly.
- Use a pot or deep skillet that is close in size to the burner. If the burner is too small for the bottom of the pot, you again run the risk of it heating unevenly and the rice in the edges of the pot undercooking.
- Make sure the liquid maintains a simmer. You may need to adjust the heat slightly up or down to keep the liquid simmering, depending on the characteristics of your range top and cookware. If the liquid isn’t simmering the rice will not cook through.
What Kind of Skillet Should I Use?
I’m using a 4 quart stainless steel deep skillet for this recipe, but this recipe also works great with a Dutch oven. The two most important things you need in a piece of cookware for this recipe are: that it is thick and heavy so it heats evenly and it has a lid. And you’ll probably want something that at least 3 quarts in volume.
Can I Use Plain White Rice?
You can substitute plain long grain white rice in place of the jasmine rice, but you will lose out on some of the fantastic flavor that jasmine rice has. To find the best price on jasmine rice, check the bottom shelf of the rice aisle for the larger 5 lb. bags of jasmine rice. Avoid the small specialty packages, which are usually found on higher shelves.
Yellow Rice Chicken Skillet
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.02)
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs ($3.48)
- 1 pinch salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 tsp turmeric ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon ($0.03)
- 1.5 cups long grain jasmine rice ($0.78)
- 1.5 cups frozen peas ($0.72)
- 2.5 cups chicken broth* ($0.33)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro (optional) ($0.32)
Instructions
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, then season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, then tilt the skillet to spread the oil over the surface. Place the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin side down, and allow to brown before flipping (about five minutes). Flip the thighs and let brown on the second side (another five minutes). Remove the browned thighs to a clean plate.
- If there is excess oil in the skillet, pour it off into a bowl to cool, leaving about 1 tablespoon of oil and fat in the skillet. Add the minced garlic, turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon to the skillet. Sauté for about one minute, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
- Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and use a wooden spoon to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Once the browned bits are dissolved, add the frozen peas and rice, and give it a quick stir to distribute the broth and spices. Nestle the browned chicken thighs into the rice and peas.
- Place a lid on the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high. allow it to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low (or just above low) and let the skillet simmer for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit undisturbed for an additional 10 minutes. Finally, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork, mixing the peas in as you go. Top with fresh cilantro, if desired.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Deep Stainless Steel Skillet
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Chicken and Yellow Rice – Step by Step Photos
Start with four bone-in chicken thighs, with skin. Pat them dry with a paper towel, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Drying the surface helps them brown better in the skillet.
Heat a large deep skillet over medium flame. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil. Tilt the skillet to spread the oil over the surface. Add the chicken thighs, skin side down, and allow them to brown before moving them (they will actually kind of stick to the surface until they are brown, at which point they usually “release”). Flip the thighs and brown on the other side. Once both sides are browned, remove the chicken to a clean plate.
If a lot of fat rendered off of the chicken thighs, pour some out until there is about a tablespoon or so left in the skillet. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Sauté the garlic and spices for about a minute, or just until the garlic is soft and fragrant (but has not browned).
Deglaze the skillet with 2.5 cups of chicken broth. “Deglaze” just means to use the chicken broth to dissolve any browned bits (called fond) off the bottom of the skillet. The browned stuff is the good stuff.
Finally, add 1.5 cups of frozen peas and 1.5 cups long grain jasmine rice. Give the skillet a quick stir to distribute the spices among the peas and rice.
Return the browned chicken to the skillet, nestling it into the rice and peas.
Place a lid on the skillet and turn the heat up to medium high. Allow it to come to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low (or just above low – so that it doesn’t stop simmering) and let the skillet simmer for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit undisturbed, with the lid on, for ten more minutes. The photo above is what it looks like after simmering and resting.
Use a fork to fluff the rice and stir it up a bit. All the peas and many of the spices float to the top while it simmers, so use the fluff time as a way to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
Top with fresh cilantro, if desired. YUM!
Of course, I divided my Yellow Rice Chicken Skillet up into individual containers so I could just grab one at a time and microwave it to reheat. These also freeze decently well.
This was so easy to prepare! I used thin chicken breasts because that’s what I had. I cooked them separately because I didn’t want them to dry out. The flavor was amazing! I love this website!
Yum! Thank you Beth this was delicious. My family particularly loved the rice. I threw in baby spinach at the end for even more green. 💚💚💚💚
This is called biryani! Thanks for making it easy to cook. Husband loves biryani and he says it’s spot on!
This is not biryani. You are clearly not Indian if you think this is biryani. Every culture has a rice and chicken dish that is similar to this. Indian biryani is a lot more complex and has way more spices involved.
Hello.This chicken n rice dish can also be prepared in the oven! After browning the chicken on both sides and saute vegetable seasonings, then toast powdered seasonings put remaining ingredients in dutch oven with chicken on top. Cover dutch oven and place it in preheated 375 degree oven for 90 minutes.l like this set it and forget it method whereby the oven does all the work!
This was so easy, and so delicious! I’m a huge fan of less cleanup and less dishes, so I felt like a genius watching a whole meal come together like this. I also liked how the skin on the chicken thighs stayed nice and crispy, while absorbing all of the flavor from the spices and aromatics.
It was a coincidence that everyone in my family ended up eating something else the night I made this, but I wasn’t mad because I got to eat all of it by myself. Not in one sitting, just to be clear!
This is SO SO good. I added some ginger and onions because I had them on hand. Next time I’ll replace part of the water with coconut milk. YUM.
I feel like an experienced home cook and still learn all kinds of techniques from you. Thank you for spelling out the “whys” like this:
(they will actually kind of stick to the surface until they are brown, at which point they usually “release”).
So easy and delicious. I used drumsticks instead of thighs because that’s what I had on hand. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
I made this and it was excellent with a few modifications. I added an inch of chopped up ginger, some cardamom pods, and I used a whole chicken which I cut into 2-legs, thighs, breasts, and wings.
First I browned the chicken. I wanted a crispier skin so I browned it longer than the five minutes.
Next I added the rice to the oil after removing the chicken to coat and toast. Then I added the garlic ginger and spices, before I added the broth to deglaze. One other thing, I always add a tablespoon to a cup of broth to give it a more homemade stock texture.
I followed the recipe to a T and even tripled the seasoning, this recipe had no flavor and I am unsure why. The spices were all brand new. The food smelled excellent but the taste was just not there.
You may have just needed to increase the salt. Salt can help make flavors more pronounced and we all have different sensitivities when it comes to salt receptors on our taste buds. :)
Wow, so good!! And easy. This is going into the regular rotation. Thank you!
I had three huge chicken thighs with a lot of skin, so I removed that first but otherwise made as is. I took the chicken out after cooking and shredded the meat off first to make eating and portioning easier.
Absolutely love this recipe. It was honestly my go to recipe during college. Whenever I don’t know what to cook I make this or I browse your site for inspiration.
Your recipe looks delicious and easy enough to make as a great go to!
What kind of stainless steel skillet were you using? it seems the rice didnt stick to the bottom – which I love! I also have a large iron skillet. Do you recommend using that too?:)
If you have a cast iron with a lid, that should work fine. :) Mine are OXO brand stainless steel. The rice doesn’t stick to the bottom if the heat is not turned up too high, and if you let it rest after the heat is turned off at the end. That allows the steam to loosen everything up. :)
I have made this so many times for me and my husband that I nearly know the recipe by heart. It is perfect as is, but we like to add cashews on top if we have them on hand. The little bit of crunch sends it over the top! Thanks for all you do, Beth!
Really delicious and easy! I was pleasantly surprised how those three seasonings made the rice so good! I used boneless skinless chicken thighs instead, but still really good!
Yeah – wow. A dash of berbere would give this a bit of north african zing. next time, to see if perfection can be dialed up to 11.
I’ve made this recipe four or five times now, I love it because I can customize it and add frozen veggies if I feel like. Thanks for the consistently great recipes :)
Tried this last night and it came out really well! For something so tasty it was very simple and easy to make. I made a few slight errors when cooking, such as using too much stock/oil so it came out a little darker and oilier than I would have liked. The other half devoured it however and is already asking for it again. The cilantro garnish on top was such a game changer too!!!
I think I just found my new go to!
Any thoughts on converting this recipe for then instant pot? I love this meal and would love over to make it even easier by preparing it in the IP. Thanks!
I’m trying this tomorrow but with legs :) Because that’s what was in the back of the freezer! I’ll probably add the peas but do some steamed broccoli on the side too because it needs using up. I am without a stovetop or oven for the foreseeable future so these one pot wonders are really helpful for me!
Delicious! One of my new go-to’s
Really tasty and easy to make. A staple in my kitchen for sure!
This was so good and easy to make. I didn’t have chicken broth so I used water and bouillon cubes I had, I used basmati rice, used chicken breast, left out the peas and cilantro (just because I didn’t have any) and it was sooooooooo good. The 4 year old loved it too!!!!!
I’m pretty sure I left a review before about how good this was. I just wanted to add that I cooked this tonight in my instant pot with frozen solid chicken thighs, and it worked beatifully! I rinsed the skin a bit so the salt and pepper would stick and sautéed those frozen suckers right in the pot. I used brown rice, so I kept the liquid at 2.5 cups and cooked at high pressure for 25 minutes and released pressure after 10 minutes. I’ll reduce the liquid a quarter of a cup next time. Tasty! I live at high altitude btw.
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing! I want to try it in my IP now too!
Made this tonight, first time I’ve tried one of the Budget Bytes skillet dishes, and I am SOLD. So sold that I felt compelled to leave you a comment and let you know. It was so easy and so tasty and filling, and a nice variation on my usual plain meat and rice with no seasonings. Thank you!
Thank you! Glad you liked it! :)
Made this exactly as recommended last night, and it was A WINNER! We’ll be making this again, and also using this rice technique for side dishes in the future too. THANK YOU.
Any suggestion for doing this with brown rice? We’ve got a family member who’s not allowed to eat white foods (sugar content reasons).
You’ll definitely need more liquid and a longer cooking time, but it’s hard to say how much without testing it. Rice can be a bit tricky.
I’m behind in the commenting world, but I tried this a couple nights ago and its amazing. Used chicken quarters and frozen edamame instead because “its what was in the freezer.”
Love your stuff, keep it up and thank you!
Another fantastic, delicious and easy recipe. I even managed to make this while looking after my 7 month old.
I only had boneless, skinless chicken breasts on hand and not a ton of time, so I diced them up. The result was delicious! Thanks!
Beth, made this last night on a whim. I used drum sticks because that is all I had. I added raisins to the rice and it was a nice addition. I do that sometimes with the yellow jasmine rice depending on my mood. I am never not going to make this dish when i want chicken and rice. The entire thing came together in under 30 minutes and there were plenty of leftovers for my husband to take to work today and tomorrow. Winner. Thanks again for always providing us with easy, fun and affordable recipes.
i should add: i used a cast iron skillet which heats very quickly. Cook time was only around 22-24 minutes for the rice and drum sticks brown quickly on a heated cast iron skilled.
Delicious and easy! I might see how this works with chicken breast next time, just due to personal preference.
Made this last night, and even my kids liked it! Another winner, Beth!
Fabulous. Whole family loved it, will make this recipe part of our regular rounds.
I added red bell pepper and onion. Mushrooms sounds good, too. Enough vegies in there, and it’s a one-pot meal. <3
My 5 time making this and better everytime. I add some mushrooms just cause i can. Hasnt failed me and myguest yet.
I just made this and the rice turned out great! The chicken, on the other hand, was a bit overcooked and dry but I believe that was my error. I used boneless chicken breasts (without skin on them)…does that affect the cooking time to avoid overcooking the chicken? Thanks!
Ah yes, boneless chicken cooks much faster than bone-in. The skin also slows down the cooking of the meat in the browning step in the beginning and helps hold in moisture so it doesn’t dry out. So, if you use bone-less skin-less again, just cook it very briefly in the skillet in the beginning. You can’t really reduce the cooking time once the rice is in there or the rice will still be hard, but shortening the cook time during the browning step should help.
Looks really good – definitely on my list of dishes I have to make!
I had trouble with this recipe. The flavors turned out well, but I had to cook the dish for an hour longer than the recipe calls for and I *still* had crunchy rice in patches. It seemed as though the rice and liquid had trouble circulating around the chicken thighs, causing some areas of the rice to cook faster than others. Any suggestions as to how I might avoid this in the future?
That is usually a sign of cookware that doesn’t heat well. :( If you have nice thick pots and pans they radiate heat evenly and the rice should absorb the moisture evenly, instead of in patches. What kind of pots and pans are you using? I would also suggest using the largest burner for the skillet. If you do this over a small burner the heat will be concentrated in a small area on the bottom of the skillet instead of being diffuse. I hope that helps!
This recipe is my go-to when I need to cook dinner and don’t know what to make.. Great for using up whatever frozen veggies are left in the fridge. I like to sub onions and spinach for the peas. I pull off the chicken skins before cooking, then pull them out and shred them. Makes it easier for my husband to reheat at work.
I made this last night and it was fantastic. Tonight I used the leftover rice and made a pork sausage fried rice adding an onion, mushrooms, garlic, half a bell pepper, and some frozen mixed veggies with some sesame oil and soy sauce. I highly recommend it!!
This recipe took FOREVER and the end result was mush. I used a deep 12 inch pan (w/ lid) and it was a disaster. After the first 35 mins I went to fluff the rice and it was still crunchy. Added 1/8c more watered down broth and heated for another 10 mins cooking/cooling. STILL crunchy. Did the same thing again… came out like porridge. Your other recipes have been great but this one… nope. My husband was really happy with me after making this…..
Opening the pot will let out steam. Trust the rice cooking process and don’t touch it. I didn’t open my pot the entire time it simmered or during the 10min waiting period. The rice was perfect!
Kendra, I had the same issue as the OP. I too followed the “process” (which is 35 mins) and had the same problems with way underdone rice. But, unlike the OP, I gave up after that and ate just the chicken. Next time I’ll do the two items separately so I will avoid this issue.
I always use 3 cups of water, because Jasmine rice is very thirsty. Never have any problems with crunchy or gooey rice. The type of rice you use makes a big difference. Even the type of Jasmine rice. Always double check the package for the usual cooking directions and adjust the recipe accordingly.
I think New Zealand has a larger idea of what a chicken thigh is. Mine are large triangular hunks of chicken with the bone in. I’ve halved the recipe and two thighs still take up a heap of room in there. I think I’ll cook it for a little longer too, just in case o.O
In the USA we call those chicken quarters, not thighs. The thigh is literally just the thigh, not the entire leg. If that helps at all.
I made this for the second time today, with some changes the second time around. I used whole chicken legs, and I sauteed onions with the garlic and spices. I used saffron instead of turmeric, I had some left over from a special Valentine’s dinner I made (not budget friendly). Turned out amazing. Thanks so much Beth, you are a constant inspiration in my kitchen.
I’m going to try this recipe, I only use brown rice, what will I need to do to be able to use brown rice…ty for your help…
I’m sorry, I’d have to experiment with it first to say for sure.
I made this tonight and it was amazing! I had a bag of combined frozen peas and carrots I wanted to get rid of so I used that instead of plain frozen peas, it was really good. I used low-sodium broth and ended up needing to add some salt to my food after it was plated. I think next time I might add 1/4 tsp salt to the recipe to avoid that. I might even try increasing the spices next time too, they were so tasty but slightly on the mild side and I wouldn’t mind a more powerful flavor.
Great recipe. I made this exactly as written, with no changes.
I am so obsessed with this recipe!! It is so simple, but so delicious. Goes really well with some salsa on top (or ketchup when I am a little desperate :P haha).
I am so making this tomorrow!! :)
We’ve made this a few times now and I think it’s going to be on the menu for having people over tomorrow. Any suggestions for a side dish with this? (Open to anyone, not just Beth! :) Thanks!)
Maybe something green, like sautéed kale or spinach?
Replying late but this is currently simmering on my stove :) to make enough food to feed my family of four (actually five since I’m pregnant and eating like it ;)), I made a side dish of roasted potatoes. I diced up about two pounds of red and purple potatoes. Tossed them with 1 tsp each of salt, curry powder and garlic powder. Mixed with some olive oil and roasted for 40 mins.
My fiancé and I love this recipe and have made it several times. We substitute frozen edamame for the frozen peas though, which works great.
Saving for our wedding has got us cooking more from your site and eating out less. But its still great to be able to eat good food.
I have recently come across your site and am on recipe overload! Everything looks amazing!
This chicken looks delicious! I do have one question though. When you reheat the leftovers from the freezer, how do you heat them up (microwave, stove, etc.)? Do you defrost them in the fridge before reheating? I look forward to trying this recipe!
Because it’s bone in chicken, it does reheat a little better if it’s thawed first. So, if you remember, just pop one of the single serving containers (that’s how I freeze it–individual containers) into the refrigerator the day before. If not, just loosen the lid and reheat at one minute intervals, stirring between intervals when you can. Make sure the lid is loosely set on top of the dish to hold in some of the steam, but don’t seal it or the steam will make it explode open. :P
I made this tonight with 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a dutch oven and doubled all the other ingredients (plus 2 more tablespoons of oil) and it was DELICIOUS!
Also it made about 10 servings (forgot to say as much) when I made it this way!
Is it necessary for the chicken to be bone-in? I know it matters for some recipes, but I have a thing about bone-in meat.
Nope, you can use boneless. :)
We made it tonight with boneless skinless chicken, and it was fantastic. Thank you so much!!!
I made this last night and it came out perfect. I enjoyed how it was a simple meal with so much flavor. It costed me a lot more than $6.04 because I had to buy all the spices. I have a very sparse spice cabinet. It was worth it though. I love how all the spices melded together. I’m trying the Herb Roasted Pork Loin tonight. I love how all your recipes can be done on a budget and I’m really enjoying your site so far. Can’t wait to try more things!
Love this recipe. Easy to follow and turned out amazing!
I love everything about this recipe except for the cinnamon. The next time I make it, I will omit it. It took over too much for my families’ taste buds.
I also omitted the cinnamon, but replaced it with 2x smoked paprika. I imagine any paprika would do well here, this is just what I had on hand. :) Yum!
This is an awesome recipe! Made for my family tonight – everyone including my 3 yo and 6 yo ate seconds. I doubled the recipe and included both drumsticks and thighs. Everything was delicious. I will definitely be adding this to my dinner rotation. Thank you!!
Hi Beth! I love your recipes. They’re always a success for me. Question: I don’t have any rice and can’t make it to the store. I have an almost full 1 lb box of orzo and a couple boxes of the Near East couscous (5.8 oz). Any suggestions? Thanks so much!
I think both would work great. The ratio of broth to pasta will be different than the rice, though, but you can follow the directions for the Lemon Pepper Chicken with Orzo. Same technique, but orzo instead of rice. :)
Saw this and it’s been on my mind, finally making it today as part of my weekly meal prep and it smells fantastic! Needless to say, I’m very excited to get a taste when it’s all done.
This recipe is so great!! Made it tonight and everybody loves it!!
I came across this site a few months ago and I have made about 6 dishes. Each dish has been amazing! I love how easy and kid friendly they are. I am a single mom of 2 , so of course I’m always strapped for time and cash… I never ever leave comments but this was one worth leaving. Keep up the great work and Thank you so much for everything.
This looks amazing and it’s on my todo of things to cook.
This is slightly off topic but do you have a recommendation for a deep skillet for this recipe? I’m still trying to build up my kitchenwares.
Mine is OXO, 10″ diameter, 3qt capacity and I love it! :)
For the rice, is it already cooked before it goes in the pot?
Nope, it cooks in the broth as it simmers. :)
The recipe turned out awesome. I used curry powder instead of turmeric since I didn’t have any of that. Another great recipe. I will definitely make this again. The only thing hard was waiting for the food to finish cooking so I could try it. Yum.
I am making this for dinner tonight. It is almost done and smells amazing. Love your recipes. Thanks!
This dish was AMAZING! I couldn’t help but go back for a second serving. I do have a question, though. If I wanted to make just the jasmine rice mixture, would I need to make any changes to the measurements in the recipe? Thanks!
I’ve got ya covered! Here is the recipe for the Yellow Jasmine Rice by itself. :)
Any tips for making this work with brown rice?
Well, you’ll need more broth and a longer cooking time, but I’d really need to do some testing before giving any specifics.
I really don’t recommend brown rice! Tried it tonight and even with more liquid and slightly less rice, it took almost twice as long to cook. :( The flavor/texture isn’t quite as nice as my other batch, too. However, basic long grain white rice does work well if you happen to have that.
When you cook the chicken the first time to brown the sides, are you cooking it all the way through or just enough to brown? Does the chicken finish cooking when you simmer the rest of the ingredients with the chicken? thanks!
It cooks about half to 3/4 the way through when you brown it, but then finishes cooking while everything is simmering with the rice. :)
I made this tonight with skinless thighs and it was DELICIOUS! My teenagers loved it. Easy prep and easy cleanup. Thanks Beth (and thanks to Linda Holmes who directed her twitter feed to this treasure of a website)!
Awesome recipe! My wife and I just made this and it was amazing. Also, so easy to prep. I added some grape tomatoes and broccoli halfway through cooking to get some extra veggies, plus I used an onion along with the garlic and spices.
Could you use drumsticks instead of chicken thighs and follow the same basic instructions? We got some on sale this week.
Can’t wait to try this – looks amazing!
Yes, that should work fine! :)
Loved this recipe. Though for financial reasons I used chicken breasts but I guess that really doesn’t make much of a difference.
to reheat i added bell peppers, pan fried everything, and added soy sauce which was delicious as well.
I made this for dinner and it’s very good! I love one-dish meals, and this one is not only tasty but easy, too, with minimal to no chopping (I minced the garlic by hand but that’s it), and a good amount of hands-off time. The yellow rice has such a rich, silky mouthfeel, thanks to the chicken broth and oil – I can see why Beth loves it so much. I’m positive I will make this again; when I do, I think I’ll bump up the spices a little bit to my own tastes (perhaps another clove or two of garlic, and more turmeric and cumin). I love easy, delicious meals; thanks, Beth.
I made this using what I had on hand: already cooked white rice, some frozen chicken thighs, and broccoli. All I did was buy turmeric. It turned out excellent. Using frozen chicken thighs actually worked well since I cooked them on low heat on the stove, which created a lot of water that I used for my chicken broth base with the pre-cooked rice. The flavors in this are very addictive. Will definitely make again!
I used boneless skinless chicken thighs-since the grocery store didn’t have bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. I cooked the chicken in some butter for better browning. I added some tomatoes at the very end for color-and I LOVE tomatoes!! I served the chicken skillet with a side salad, because I wanted something fresh and crunchy. My whole entire apartment smelled so good!! Thank you for this fabulous recipe, Beth!! I’m always looking forward to your blog!!!! :-)
I have a rather odd problem. I have to gain weight and while looking for recipes to help me, I stumbled upon this. It looks fantastic and I will be making it during the next week. I really can’t eait!
I made this last night with two boneless skinless chicken breasts and I really liked it. Next time I will use three chicken breasts because I have a lot of extra rice. I am also going to try it with long grain and wild rice(personal preference). Otherwise, I followed this recipe to a T and it was delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi, a very rich and tasty recipe. Greetings from Spain.
Would basmati rice work for this recipe? Or would I have to change the amount of liquid or cooking time?
I think it should work the same without adjusting the liquid.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! Thank you :D
I place the chicken thighs skin down in a cold pan then bring them to a fry, if you will. That seems more successful in crisping the skin up more than adding them to a hot pan. Great recipe.
I made this last night for my kids and even my super-picky 7yo ate all of his. ALL OF IT! And then I read in an article this morning about the brain benefits of turmeric and cumin, so this may very well end up on our weekly rotation!
I have some brown jasmine rice in my cabinet- would it work in this recipe?
Brown rice requires more liquid and a longer cooking time, so I’d have to experiment with it to figure out the right ratios and cooking time.
Read this recipe today and realized I had most of the ingredients so decided to whip it up for dinner. I can’t decide what my favorite part of this meal is; no chopping (I used jarred minced garlic), a lot of down time (I was able to shower while it was on the stove!) or minimal clean up! And it tastes pretty good too!
I use jarred minced garlic as well for my cooking. Besides, it’s much faster!!! :-)
We love jarred mince garlic in our household and lovingly refer to it as “jarlic”
Do this all the time with Zataran’s Yellow Rice, dice up some onions too, maybe some red/green peppers. Saute the onions/peppers, brown boneless thighs down, put in broth, rice package, etc.. cook until almost done, throw in the frozen peas(yep I like peas in my rice!). Works nice with Spanish rice too except instead of peas I use diced tomatoes, — since it’s Spanish rice it’s sort of required.
You gave me an idea, Mike!! Thanks!!! :-)
I wish you were my personal chef! That looks very tasty!
I wish I could get my husband to eat dark meat poultry. Fortunately one of my local supermarkets here in NC always has boneless/skinless chicken breasts for $1.99. While bone in chicken will definitely have more flavor, the boneless cuts do cook faster and easier. I did this recipe, but skipped the browning step to avoid overcooking the chicken and added diced onion to the aromatics. And for the person who doesn’t like peas, you can add just about any veggie–some diced tomatoes or carrots would add color and flavor. Black beans and corn strike me as another fun variation
Do the skins stay crispy after cooking with the rice? I love crispy chicken and your rice recipe, but I can’t stand the skin if it’s not crispy.
Also, do you think corn would work well instead of peas? My fiance doesn’t like peas. Thanks!
Five minutes under a broiler on high will crisp the skin right up. (It will also revive skin that was once crispy but got soggy in the fridge overnight – 2 minutes in the microwave followed by 5 under the broiler = nearly instant crispy skin.)
The skin doesn’t stay crispy, but like Lemonsharks said, you can remove the chicken, place it on a baking sheet, then place it under the broiler for a couple minutes. Corn would be okay with this, but I think green vegetables make a better match. Maybe frozen green beans or broccoli (although the broccoli won’t stay bright green through all that simmering).
Great, thank you!
With all the talk recently about how good Turmeric is for us, I’m excited to try out this recipe with such a mix of delicious flavors. It’s always nice to have one-skillet meals, too, for less clean up. :)
Looks yummy, I love spicy rice, and such a great idea to make your own microwave meals! You can’t beat a homemade ready meal
Nice recipe! I made almost the same one this weekend with the addition of safran!
I would add the peas right before serving. Frozen peas don’t need much time to be ready. That way they would look more green and fresh and would probably contains more vitamins.
I’m not a huge fan of peas in my rice. You have any other suggestions for a vegetable to add?
Carrots might be a good substitute.
Frozen broccoli would work. Fresh would need less cooking time to stay crunchy-ish.
Frozen artichoke hearts would be lovely too, if you like those. How would you feel about canned beans? Navy, Great Northern, chickpea might work.
Thank you for the suggestions! I love broccoli so I’ll be trying that.
Have you ever tried pigeon peas? They are canned and in the Ethic isle (with Jamaican and/or Hispanic food items). The price is slightly higher (around $1.40 – $1.70/can), but this would be much cheaper at an international food market (if you have one near by). I would add the pigeon peas towards the very end of cooking, as they only need to heat through.
I like my rice with lentils, doesn’t taste much but it’s a lot less boring than just plain rice!
I would steam some asparagus but only !/2 way and add it at the last 5 min
This looks amazing! If I used chicken breast tenderloins, would I cook them first until completely done or do they keep cooking in the rice (I’m new to cooking!)?
They do keep cooking while the rice simmers. :)
Could we use boneless skinless chicken thighs and still make this work?
They won’t brown quite the same, but it will work.
Would this work with boneless skinless thighs, too. I know it won’t taste the same, but will the process still work?
They won’t brown quite the same, but it will still work.
This looks really good, but I don’t eat meat. Do you think it would be good with chickpeas?
Heather, do you eat tofu? I would replace it with tofu pressed and cubed then browned in the oil. Then I would remove it to a plate, cook the rest as directed and stir the tofu back in at the end. I have a vegetarian daughter and she (and we, too) will use tofu in place of the meat, very often. Other wise, I think garbanzos sound delicious too.
Yes, chickpeas would be good. It would be kind of similar to this Spanish Chickpeas and Rice recipe. :)
I have been meaning to buy some chicken thighs ever since your last recipe for them with the orzo but never did because I’m not the biggest fan of orzo. Now with this yellow jasmine rice I absolutely will, I looove jasmine rice as well.
Beth, your yellow jasmine rice is one of my absolute faves. Im happy to see this complete meal recipe. I’m trying this this week. I even have some chicken thighs in the freezer.
I’m a HUGE fan of one pot meals!! I do remember making the Lemon Pepper Chicken with Orzo, but I used rice as a substitute. Honestly, it was delicious!! Can’t wait to make this recipe!!! :-)