# One-Pot Chicken & Rice

One-Pot Chicken & Rice — a medium recipe with 6 main ingredients, ready in about 50 min and serving 4. Check which of its ingredients are on sale at grocery stores near you.

- **Time:** 50 min
- **Serves:** 4
- **Difficulty:** medium
- **Tags:** dinner, chicken, gluten-free
- **Source:** https://savingrecipes.com/recipes/one-pot-chicken-rice

## Ingredients

- 6 chicken thighs
- 1.5 cups rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- Frozen peas
- Garlic & paprika _(pantry staple)_
- 2 tbsp olive oil _(pantry staple)_
- Salt & pepper _(pantry staple)_

## Instructions

1. Sear seasoned thighs skin-down until golden; remove.
2. Sauté onion and carrot; stir in rice, then broth.
3. Nestle chicken on top; cover and simmer 25 min. Fold in peas at the end.

## Tips

- Sear the thighs skin-down and render properly, 6 to 8 minutes. That rendered fat cooks the onion and flavours the rice, which is the entire point of doing this in one pot.
- Don't stir the rice once the broth is in. Stirring releases starch and turns it creamy rather than fluffy — this is pilaf, not risotto.
- Nestle the chicken on top rather than burying it. Skin above the liquid line stays crisp; submerged it goes flabby.

## Substitutions

- **Chicken thighs:** Bone-in skin-on is best for flavour and forgiveness. Drumsticks work. Breasts dry out over 25 minutes — add them for the last 15 only.
- **Rice:** Long-grain white is ideal; basmati works with slightly less liquid. Brown rice needs roughly double the time and liquid, so add the chicken later.
- **Frozen peas:** Any quick vegetable folded in at the end — sweetcorn, spinach, or green beans.
- **Paprika:** Smoked paprika, turmeric, or saffron for something closer to a paella-style dish.

## Storage & reheating

Keeps 3 days refrigerated. Rice dries out when reheated — add a splash of broth and cover. Cool quickly and refrigerate within an hour, as with any cooked rice. Freezing works but softens the rice.

## Common questions

### Why is my rice still hard on top?

Not enough liquid, or the lid wasn't tight. Rice above the liquid line cooks by steam alone, so a good seal matters — foil under the lid helps.

### Can I use a rice cooker?

Not well, since the chicken needs searing first. Sear in a pan, then transfer everything to the rice cooker if you prefer.

### What ratio of rice to liquid?

2:1 liquid to rice here, slightly generous because the chicken absorbs some and the dish shouldn't be dry.


_Photo: Kobako — CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arroz-con-Pollo.jpg)_