Single Pan Chicken and Rice
When I am searching online or thinking about quick and healthy recipes, there is one key question that determines if I will even try to make a dish and that question is “How many dishes is this going to leave dirty??” If you feel the same way about cooking and want to keep things simple and easy, this might be up your alley! Everything in this recipe is cooked using a single pan (either cast iron skillet or oven safe skillet as it will need to bake). Now, onto the good stuff, the ingredients and directions! (You can also find the original recipe as I did on “downshiftology.com”)
Ingredients for Chicken/Marinade:
Chicken Thighs (5 or 6)
Lemons (2)
Dijon Mustard (2-3 teaspoons)
Oregano (1 teaspoon)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Garlic (2-3 cloves minced)
Thyme (1 teaspoon)
Olive Oil (1 tablespoon)
Instructions for marinade:
Add all of the marinade ingredients into a bowl or Ziploc bag, stir it up and then add the chicken thighs. Coat and cover each piece and let it marinate in the fridge either overnight or as long as you can. We only did about 30 minutes before making it and it turned out great!
Ingredients for Rice:
Jasmine Rice (1 cup)
Chicken Stock (2 cups)
Spinach (2 cups chopped)
Yellow Onion (1)
Oregano (1 teaspoon)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Cooking Instructions (after chicken has marinated)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and while preheating, heat some olive oil on medium high heat in your oven proof skillet and begin to cook the chicken thighs for a few minutes on each side. (4-5 minutes on each side should do).
Once the chicken has been cooked and browned on both sides, remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. (It is ok if the chicken isn’t fully cooked here, just browned. The rest of the cooking will be done later in the oven)
With the skillet still hot, add your diced yellow onion and stir, then add the spinach, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir for about 30 seconds or until the spinach is wilted.
Add the rice to the skillet and stir so it is coated with the oils and juices produced by the chicken, marinade and vegetables in the pan. That should be enough but you could add a tiny amount of olive oil on this step if needed.
Pour the chicken stock into the skillet, stir and bring to a simmer on the stove.
Place the chicken thighs back into the skillet, on top of the rice, then cover the skillet and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the lid and place the skillet back in the oven for another 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the rice looks good! (Times might vary so after 30-35 minutes just check, see how the chicken and rice looks and you may only need 2-3 minutes back in with no lid)
Take out of the oven, let sit for a few minutes and enjoy!
Made by Chris Alfano - Share your pictures and let us know if you tried this one @ballardhealthclub on instagram!