Gear up for cozy season with this yummy one-dish Lemon Garlic Chicken & Rice. I love the deep, rich flavors that are perfect this time of year. You can serve it as a meal as is, or add a side of Air Fryer Broccoli or Copycat Olive Garden Salad to get more greens.
I tested this recipe SIX times before getting it right, so I’ve eaten a lot of chicken and wild rice over the last month or so 😉 Getting the cook time for both the rice and chicken as well as the right amount of broth perfectly balanced was a huge challenge, but I’m happy to report that it turned into absolute perfection after all the work that went into this recipe! I’ve tried it with different kinds of chicken thighs, different kinds of onions, different broths, and varying levels of garlic before landing on the recipe you see here. I really hope you enjoy the final product as much as I have!
serve it with:
Copycat Olive Garden Salad
Pair something bright and fresh with the rich flavors of the chicken and rice for a balanced meal.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Lemon Garlic Chicken & Rice recipe:
- Chicken thighs – You probably won’t find skinless, bone-in chicken thighs ready to buy at the store. Instead you can buy bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and then you’ll take the skins off yourself. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just pull off the skin that comes off easily. Keeping the skin on makes the rice too greasy for my liking, but using bone-in thighs helps keep the chicken really juicy and delicious during cooking. If you want to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, I recommend boiling the rice on the stovetop for an extra 5 minutes and reduce baking time to about 35 minutes.
- Wild rice blend – The cooking times listed in this recipe are specific to Lundberg’s Wild Rice Blend, which I love. If you use a different type of rice, note the recommended cook time and adjust accordingly. If your rice calls for 35 minutes of simmering, use that for your bake time (but don’t skip the stovetop boiling to get the party started!). Be sure to use a rice that needs at least 30 minutes of cook time – some white rice varieties call for less.
- Vegetable stock – I found that chicken stock was too rich for this recipe and preferred the brighter flavors of vegetable stock instead.
- Red onion – I tried this with a sweet onion as well and preferred the extra zip of a red onion.
- Celery and carrots – Since these are the main veggies in this dish, feel free to add as much as you like!
- Garlic – 6 cloves for this whole skillet gives a moderate level of garlic flavor, but if you want to hammer it home, add more cloves or even garlic powder.
tips to
Meal Prep This Recipe
This recipe really doesn’t need any extra attention for meal prepping – just stick it all in an airtight container and you’re good to go. If you want to make sure it stays super juicy, you can always add a little extra veggie stock to each container.
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Lemon Garlic Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs, (about 1 1/2 lbs)
- 1 1/2 cups Lundberg Organic Wild Rice Blend, (270 grams)
- 2 1/2 cups Swanson Vegetable Stock, (20 fl oz)
- 1/2 large red onion, diced, (180 grams)
- 2 large carrots, chopped, (140 grams)
- 3 stalks celery, chopped, (98 grams)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced, (24 grams)
- 3 lemons, divided
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, (1 fl oz)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp Oh My Spice! Lemon Pepper Dill Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp each: black pepper, smoked paprika
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
- Combine 1 tsp of salt, Lemon Pepper Dill Seasoning, black pepper, and smoked paprika until mixed. In a medium bowl, season chicken with the spice mix and rub them in to distribute evenly. Set aside.
- Heat a large oven safe skillet (one that has an oven safe lid) over medium-high heat (8 out of 10). Add vegetable oil and heat until shimmery. Add chicken thighs, "smooth" side down, being careful not to overcrowd the skillet. Sear for 2-3 minutes until the chicken is browned on one side and releases from the skillet. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add onion, carrot, and celery to the hot skillet. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until fragrant, then add garlic and rice. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes to toast the rice.
- Add broth, juice of 1 lemon, and remaining 1/2 tsp of salt to the skillet. Stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat (7 out of 10) for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, then add sprigs of thyme and rosemary and nestle the chicken thighs and 3-4 lemon halves (cut side up) on top of the rice mixture.
- Cover the skillet and bake at 375°F for 40-45 minutes or until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid. Uncover and broil for about 5 minutes to brown the chicken and lemons. Remove from the oven and rest for 5-10 minutes. Top with flakey sea salt before serving, if desired.
Tips & Tricks
- Substitutions: The cooking time was developed for the specific type of wild rice listed in the ingredients – subbing it out may impact the cook time. Check out all my notes on substitutions here.
- Nutrition: The nutrition info for this recipe may vary significantly depending on how much skin or fat is left on the chicken thighs. Scan the barcode below or search for “Peanut Butter and Fitness Lemon Garlic Chicken & Rice” to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
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