Lemon Chicken and Spinach Rice Pilaf
Golden pan-cooked chicken over rice cooked in a lemony pan sauce, with wilted spinach and crumbled feta stirred through at the end. A bright, comforting one-pan dinner.
- Total
- 47 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 32 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Absorption rice
- Savory
- Mediterranean
- Stovetop
- One pan
Instructions
-
Pat the chicken breast dry and season both sides with half the salt and the black pepper. Zest the lemon into a small pile and squeeze 2 tbsp juice. Chop the dill. Crumble the feta.
~10 min
Drying the chicken promotes browning; seasoning early allows salt to penetrate and season the meat.
-
Heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Lay in the chicken and cook undisturbed until deeply golden underneath, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook 3 minutes more, until just cooked through but still juicy. Move to a plate.
~8 min
Cooking undisturbed builds a golden crust via Maillard browning, while moving the chicken would prevent it.
Searing Ensure the pan is hot and the chicken is dry; cook undisturbed to develop a deep golden crust without steaming.
-
Lower the heat to medium. Add the rice to the chicken fond in the skillet and stir for 1 minute, until the grains turn glossy and smell nutty.
~1 min
Toasting rice in the chicken fond coats grains in fat, keeping them separate and adding a nutty flavor.
-
Pour in 160 ml water and the lemon juice, scrape up the browned bits, and stir in the remaining salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, 15 to 18 minutes. If the grains are still firm, add 2 tbsp hot water, cover, and steam 3 minutes off the heat.
~21 min
The rice absorbs the lemony water, and covering traps steam to cook the grains evenly without drying out.
Let the rice sit covered off the heat for the last few minutes; the trapped steam finishes the grains so they stay separate instead of sticky.
Absorption rice Use the right water ratio and keep the pan covered; avoid stirring to prevent sticky rice, and let it steam off heat if needed.
-
Scatter the spinach over the rice, cover, and let it steam until fully wilted, about 2 minutes. Fold it through the rice with the wooden spoon.
~2 min
Covering traps steam that quickly wilts the spinach without overcooking it.
-
Slice the chicken and return it to the pan with any juices. Scatter over the feta, dill and lemon zest, then rest off the heat for 5 minutes before serving.
~5 min
Resting allows the chicken juices to redistribute and the flavors to meld before serving.
Add the lemon zest only at the end: heat dulls its oils, so it stays perfumed and bright on the finished plate.