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’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!