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.
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)!