One Pot Lemon Herb Chicken and Rice
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Tonight, all eyes will be on this buttery, One Pot Lemon Herb Chicken and Rice with lemon herb spices, all cooked and ready to devour in 30 minutes in just one pot!
Loving one-pot wonders for busy nights? You’ve gotta try One Pot Cashew Chicken Ramen, One Pot Enchilada Orzo, and One Pan Mediterranean Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
This is one of those where-have-you-been-all-my-life moments…kinda like the first time I put on ankle socks.
Ankle socks? What does that have to do with chicken, you ask? Well, I grew up in the 90s so if you can remember back that far you might recall those long socks we used to wear all the time reaching anywhere from 2 to 5 inches above your shoes. I was fairly young and easily influenced when the ankle sock movement began, so when I finally gave into peer pressure and tried on my first pair of ankle socks, let’s just say it felt…revolutionary. I had that, “where have you been all my life?“ feeling.
That all is to say, why has everyone else in the world known how wonderful one-pot dishes were while I avoided them? Although I may not have all the answers, I do know one thing: One pot dishes are here to stay on this blog.
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe for lemon herb chicken and rice is about as easy as it gets. And so tasty too!
One pot — I have to say it again. I might even shout it from the rooftops. One-pot meals are LIFE. So easy to cook in, so easy to clean up, I wish every meal could be made in one pot.
Easy pantry staples — Doesn’t get any easier than thawing some chicken, cooking in butter, adding boxed or canned broth, rice, lemon, and some spices.
Leftovers — This recipe makes a decent amount of food and makes for great leftovers. Or, if you’re into meal prepping, this would make four excellent to-go lunches or dinners and reheats easily.
Easy to customize — If you prefer different flavors, you could do some cumin and chili powder and limes instead of lemon, or whatever is your favorite flavor.
Here’s How You Make It
Get out that one pot and that’s all you need to make this delicious lemon herb chicken and rice.
- First, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet or pan with a lid. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add the Italian seasonings to the chicken, too. Put the chicken in the butter and brown it for 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Take the chicken off and put it on a plate (it won’t be cooked all the way through).
- Now, to the same pot, add in the rice, chicken broth, lemon juice, and the rest of the Italian seasoning. Put the chicken back in on top of this mixture and put the lid on. Simmer over medium-low heat till the liquid is dissolved and rice is cooked, about 20-25 minutes.
- Serve with fresh parsley or cilantro as a garnish and with extra lemon wedges if you prefer. Serve while hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although you brown the chicken before adding the rice into this dish, the chicken is basically still raw inside. So, yes, you can cook raw chicken and rice together. If you are worried about cross-contamination, remember that you’ll be cooking both the chicken and the rice so there’s no need to worry that you’ll get sick from eating undercooked chicken/contaminated rice.
For an average size bone-in breast, you should get about 1 ½ cups of chicken. For a skinless, boneless chicken breast, you’ll get about 1 ½ cups as well. Of course, it all depends on the size of your chicken breasts to begin with.
Expert Tips
- If you are cooking with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, up the browning time to about 3-4 minutes per side before removing to add the rice and broth. Be sure to check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees before eating.
- If you are using brown rice, you’ll need to up the cooking time to about 30-35 minutes. Check around the 30-minute mark for doneness.
- Some great add-ins to this recipe include one can of fire-roasted tomatoes, half a cup of frozen peas or carrots, one teaspoon of red pepper flakes, or add half a finely chopped onion to the butter to caramelize a bit before adding chicken.
- This chicken and rice recipe will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container.
More Recipes You’ve Gotta Try
- Baked Honey Lemon Garlic Salmon in Foil
- Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry
- One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice
- Lemon Herb Shrimp and Rice Skillet
Did you make this One Pot Lemon Herb Chicken and Rice recipe? YAY! Please rate the recipe below!
One Pot Lemon Herb Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Rice
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
- 2 ¼ cups chicken broth , (I used low sodium)
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet or pan (one that has a lid). Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste, and Italian seasoning. Brown chicken in the butter for 1-2 minutes on each side. (Chicken shouldn’t be cooked through at this point) Transfer chicken to a plate.
- Add rice, chicken broth, lemon juice, and remaining Italian seasoning to the pan (no need to clean it first). Place chicken on top, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes until liquid is dissolved.
- Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro if desired and lemon wedges for squeezing. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you are cooking with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, up the browning time to about 3-4 minutes per side before removing to add the rice and broth. Be sure to check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees before eating.
- If you are using brown rice, you’ll need to up the cooking time to about 30-35 minutes. Check around the 30-minute mark for doneness.
- Some great add-ins to this recipe include one can of fire-roasted tomatoes, half a cup of frozen peas or carrots, one teaspoon of red pepper flakes, or add half a finely chopped onion to the butter to caramelize a bit before adding chicken.
- This chicken and rice recipe will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was DELICIOUS! And the kids loved it too! Super easy to make, so a winner all round and it will go on the menu plan in the future. Thank you!
You’re so kind! Thank you! 🙂
If I want more rice but still want just pieces of chicken how’s the best way to do this?
I would doubled the rice ingredients. Another reader who doubled the rice said this, “I find with regular rice I have to bring it to a boil and then stir it before I put a lid on it for it to not seem “crunchy.” After I stirred it, I added the chicken on top.” Hope this helps! 🙂
Easy and delicious! I will try it in my Instant Pot next time. But this was quick and easy, my husband said it tasted gourmet.
Delicious and easy! Do you have the serving size in grams?
Thank you 🙂 and I do not at the moment, sorry!
Hello! I have a small question, is there like a salad I can make on the side that would compliment this?
Yes, there is 🙂 There is an entire section on this website for salads that you can choose from!
I made this dish today for a couple at church for a meal train. It came out perfectly-rice was moist and I butterflied the chicken so it would cook better. I had to use low sodium/ unsalted butter and chicken stock but it was great even with that alteration. I will make again for my own family. Great recipe-timing and instructions perfect!
Absolutely amazing!! I added a can of fire roasted tomatoes, half of an onion and some spinach at the end. So so good. Will be adding to my dinner rotation.
About how many ounces or pounds total were your chicken breasts?
The average size of a chicken breast is about 6 ounces so for this recipe, you’ll need about 24 ounces or a pound and a half 🙂
Yo! I HATE cooking but this recipe is so much bang for your buck! Cheap ingredients. Unfussy instructions. Simple. I’ve been having trouble finding quick and tasty without having to buy a bunch of new pantry items. This is in my rotation now. You’re a life saver.
I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
It was tasty and simple to make. My only issue was, and I’m not sure why, but the rice was very mushy by the time the liquid disappeared. I did everything the instructions said.