Garlic Herb Chicken and Rice

Name: Garlic Herb Chicken and Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2.5 lbs total); 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; ½ teaspoon black pepper; ½ teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion, diced; 6 garlic cloves, minced; 1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed; 2¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (for serving); 1 lemon, cut into wedges (for serving)

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Quick Answer

Garlic herb chicken and rice is a one-pot dinner that starts with searing bone-in chicken thighs, then building the whole dish in their drippings with onion, garlic, herbs, and long-grain rice. The chicken stays tender, the rice gets infused with flavor from the broth and rendered fat, and everything comes together in about 50 minutes.

Jump to Recipe

There is a useful little trick hiding inside garlic herb chicken and rice: the chicken does most of the seasoning work before the rice ever hits the pot. Bone-in, skin-on thighs sear until the skin is deeply golden, leaving behind rendered fat and browned bits that become the base for onion, six cloves of garlic, thyme, oregano, and long-grain rice. Toasting the rinsed rice in those drippings for a minute or two gives it a head start on flavor instead of asking broth to perform a miracle later.

Once the chicken goes back in skin-side up, the pot mostly handles itself. The rice absorbs the broth underneath while the thighs finish gently above it, so you get tender chicken without surrendering all that work you put into the skin. A five-minute covered rest matters here: it lets the rice finish steaming and settle before butter gets folded through.

The whole thing takes about 50 minutes and leaves you with one pot, four servings, and a dinner that tastes considerably more organized than the person who remembered the lemon wedges only after everybody sat down.

Prep10 minutes

Cook40 minutes

Total50 minutes

Serves4 servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

Servings

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2.5 lbs total)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
2¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (for serving)
1 lemon, cut into wedges (for serving)

Instructions

1Pat the chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels. Season all over with the kosher salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika.
2Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and let it shimmer — about 1 minute.
3Place chicken thighs skin-side down in the hot oil. Do not move them. Sear for 5 to 6 minutes until the skin is deep golden and releases easily from the pan. Flip and sear the other side for 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
4Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion to the same pot with all the remaining fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes.
5Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
6Add the rinsed rice to the pot and stir to coat it in the fat and aromatics. Toast for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
7Pour in the chicken broth. Add the dried thyme, dried oregano, and garlic powder. Stir to combine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
8Nestle the seared chicken thighs back into the pot, skin-side up. Make sure they are sitting on top of the rice, not submerged.
9Bring the liquid to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low. Cover tightly with a lid and cook for 20 to 22 minutes, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and the chicken registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Cook poultry until the thickest piece reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
10Remove from heat. Let the pot rest, covered, for 5 minutes — do not skip this step, the rice finishes steaming in this time.
11Uncover, add the tablespoon of butter, and gently fluff the rice around the chicken with a fork. Taste for salt and adjust if needed.
12Serve directly from the pot, garnished with fresh parsley and lemon wedges on the side.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 4 servings.

960Calories

56 gProtein

63 gCarbohydrates

53 gTotal Fat

15 gSaturated Fat

2 gFiber

2 gTotal Sugars

1360 mgSodium

270 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Rinse your rice until the water runs mostly clear before adding it — this removes excess starch and prevents the rice from going gummy, which is the difference between dinner and paste.
The chicken has to go in skin-side up for the braise. If you flip it into the rice, the skin steams instead of staying crisp, and you will have done all that searing for nothing. The skin knows what it accomplished and deserves to keep it.
If your pot is running dry before the rice is fully cooked, add broth two tablespoons at a time — not a whole cup, or the rice will go waterlogged. Low and slow fixes most problems here.

Substitutions

bone-in chicken thighs → boneless skinless chicken thighs Reduce cook time after adding to pot to 15-18 minutes. You won't get the crispy skin, but the flavor is still solid.

long-grain white rice → basmati rice Works beautifully — same ratio, same cook time. Do not substitute brown rice without adjusting broth to 3½ cups and cook time to 40-45 minutes.

chicken broth → vegetable broth Works fine for flavor. If you swap the chicken for chickpeas (2 cans, drained), you have a vegetarian version that is genuinely good.

dried thyme and oregano → Italian seasoning blend Use 2 teaspoons total. Not quite the same profile but close enough for a weeknight when the pantry is doing its worst.

Storage Instructions

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions with a splash of water or broth (about 1-2 tablespoons) to loosen the rice, covered, in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. The chicken skin will not be crispy after storage — that is just the truth of leftovers and we accept it.

Make Ahead

You can season and sear the chicken thighs up to 24 hours ahead, then store them covered in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, let them come to room temperature for 15 minutes before adding back to the pot. The full dish can also be cooked ahead and reheated gently on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of broth, covered, for 10 minutes.

Freezing

Yes. Cool the cooked chicken and rice promptly and freeze in airtight portions. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat with a small splash of broth if the rice has tightened up; the chicken skin will be softer after freezing.

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