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!
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 (affiliate link). 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.
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Equipment
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.
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”