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A serving of One Pot Rice with Chicken Thighs topped with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge.

One Pot Rice with Chicken Thighs

This recipe makes a simple, one-pot meal using chicken thighs and rice. It cooks quickly and requires minimal cleanup.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total Time 43 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons neutral or olive oil
  • 1 piece fresh ginger peeled and cut into thin slices
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
  • to taste Kosher salt
  • 3 large garlic cloves minced or grated
  • 2 cups jasmine rice rinsed with cold water
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water at room temperature
  • 0.75 pound quick-cooking greens such as chard, kale or spinach, leaves removed from thick stems, if needed, and cut or torn into bite-size pieces (about 4 packed cups)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce plus more as needed
  • 2 optional scallions sliced
  • 0.25 packed cup cilantro leaves and tender stems optional, roughly torn or chopped

Equipment

  • Large Dutch oven or pot with a lid

Method
 

  1. In a large Dutch oven or pot with a lid, heat the oil and ginger slices over medium-high until the oil around the ginger starts to sizzle, 1 to 2 minutes. Season the chicken with salt, then push the ginger to the side.
  2. Add the chicken to the pan and let cook, undisturbed, until the chicken starts to brown and easily releases from the pan, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and rice, flipping over the chicken, and cook until the rice is coated with oil and starts to sizzle, about 1 minute.
  3. Add the stock or water, then raise the heat to high to bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up anything on the bottom of the pot. Cover and immediately lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until most of the water has been absorbed and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
  4. During the last 8 minutes of cooking, stir to make sure nothing is sticking on the bottom, then layer the greens on top, cover and finish cooking.
  5. Remove from the heat, stir in the soy sauce and juice of 1 lime. Fluff the rice and let sit for 5 minutes, covered. Serve as is, or pull the chicken apart into bite-size pieces. Season to taste with salt, the lime wedges and more soy as needed or serve at the table. Top with the scallions and cilantro, if using.

Notes

You can use chicken breasts instead of thighs, but cooking times may vary slightly. If you prefer a stronger ginger flavor, you can leave the ginger slices in the pot during the simmering stage.