I must have been hungry very early this morning because a picture of Greek chicken with lemon Rice on Facebook stopped me in my tracks. At that moment, dinner plans were made. A big thank you to Recipe Tin Eats for the recipe and to Spend With Pennies for sharing it on Facebook.
A quick trip to the market for fresh lemons and long grain rice and I was ready to go. I got the marinade together and let the chicken sit in the fridge until time to cook dinner. The dish went together easily, and in one pot as promised. I followed the recipe except I omitted the second tablespoon of dried oregano as some commenters suggested. The spice level was perfect and I think toning down the oregano may have allowed the lemon to shine. Michael and I both enjoyed this and I will be making it again.
You can find the original recipe HERE or my slightly adapted version below.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs with skin
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- For the marinade:
- 2 lemons (zest plus juice)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- ½ tsp salt
- For the rice:
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 small onion (finely diced)
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1½ cups chicken stock
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ tsp salt
- Black pepper to taste
- Lemon slices (optional)
- Finely chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Mix all the marinade ingredients and add to a medium zipper bag with chicken pieces. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to overnight.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed, oven-safe skillet. When oil is hot remove the chicken pieces from the bag and place skin-side down in the hot skillet. Set the marinade aside. Allow chicken to brown nicely on the skin side, then flip and brown the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan and wipe with a paper towel to remove any burned bits. Add the second tablespoon of oil and the diced onions and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the rice, chicken stock, water, salt, pepper, and the saved marinade to the skillet. Simmer together for one minute then place the chicken breasts on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the lid, add a few sliced lemons if you like, and bake an additional ten minutes. Taste the rice for doneness. If still too firm, return the skillet to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes. I needed to add an extra splash of chicken stock at this point. When the rice is cooked to your liking, remove the pot and let rest for ten minutes.
