One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Creamy, Herby Rice
I have a confession to make: the last few months, Cole and I have been indulging in meal kit deliveries to help with busy weeknight cooking. A former version of myself would scoff at the idea of me cutting shortcuts and not making every single meal from scratch!
But I have to tell you, we kind of (unexpectedly) loved it. The way the ingredients were perfectly portioned, the step-by-step instructions to guide you through cooking when you’re brain dead after a long day of work and life, and, of course, cutting back on grocery shopping? It was truly a lifesaver and I’m now a meal kit convert.
That being said, your girl obviously missed some true homemade cooking. I adore the convenience of the meal kit, but after awhile I craved the autonomy and creativity of cooking from scratch. Even better, meal kits even taught me a few new tricks and sparked some new ideas!
So here we are, back to our regularly scheduled programming, friends. And boy do I have a banger of a recipe to share as I get back to my simple and easy homemade cooking routine. This one-pan chicken thighs with creamy, herby rice is everything weeknight cooking stands for, and then some.
I whipped this dinner up in my favorite fashion. I perused my fridge and pantry for ingredients and a recipe started to formulate just like that. The best part is that with a few simple, staple ingredients, this recipe comes together in just one pan making cleanup a breeze!
The recipe starts by generously seasoning some bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and searing them in a neutral oil to render the chicken skin and start building flavor. This is easily my favorite part of cooking the recipe! Remove those thighs once they’ve crisped and developed beautiful color then add some shallots and garlic to keep that flavor coming. De-glaze the pan with some white wine then add your rice and chicken thighs back to the party. Cover with stock and add a few more flavor boosters, butter, a splash of cream or half and half, and fresh herbs, then cover to finish cooking. Scatter with more herbs and a large spritz of lemon juice and it’s a perfect one-pan meal.
These savory chicken thighs with creamy, herby and lemony rice recipe is not only easy to follow but a fun one to cook at that. You’ll love throwing this one together and just how easily this will level up your weeknight cooking game!
One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Creamy, Herby Rice
Ingredients
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons avocado or canola oil
1 shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup white rice
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup half and half or cream
2 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet with sides over medium-high heat. Pat chicken thighs dry and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Lay skin side down in the hot skillet and sear for about 4-5 minutes a side until they are crisp and golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside on a plate. Remove all but about 1 tablespoon of oil/grease in skillet.
Add shallots to skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute. De-glaze pan for white wine and let cook for 2-3 minutes until alcohol has cooked off. Add rice and stir to coat, cooking for another 1-2 minutes. Add chicken thighs back to the skillet an cover with chicken stock. Add butter, half and half/cream and scatter half of herbs over the skillet and bring to a boil. Once the skillet has reached a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, until rice is golden and fluffy. Squeeze juice from lemon wedges and remaining herbs over the top and serve.
