Baked Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs with Rice
Chicken thighs roast over seasoned rice in one pan, soaking up lemon, garlic and oregano until the rice is tender and the edges turn golden. A hands-off Mediterranean dinner.
- Total
- 80 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 55 · Rest 10
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Absorption rice · Roasting
- Savory
- Mediterranean
- Oven
- One pan
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towel. In a small bowl mix 1 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp oregano, the zest of the lemon and 1 tbsp olive oil. Rub this all over the chicken thighs, including under the skin. Set aside.
~10 min
Drying the skin and rubbing fat and salt on now helps it crisp and season through during roasting.
-
Put the oven-safe skillet over the oven's heat source only if it is oven-safe; otherwise place the skillet in the oven for 5 minutes to heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and the sliced garlic cloves, then the rice. Stir so every grain is coated and the garlic smells sweet, about 2 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown.
~7 min
Coating each grain in hot oil keeps rice grains separate so they absorb stock evenly instead of turning gluey.
Absorption rice Toast the rice in oil until glossy, then add hot stock and keep it at a bare simmer; if it still tastes firm, add a splash of hot water and steam off heat.
-
Pour in 600 ml chicken stock and the juice of the lemon. Stir in the remaining 1 tsp oregano and 0.5 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer, then lay the seasoned chicken thighs skin-side up on top of the rice in a single layer.
~5 min
Simmering before baking starts absorption evenly, and skin-side up lets rendered fat baste the rice below.
Absorption rice Toast the rice in oil until glossy, then add hot stock and keep it at a bare simmer; if it still tastes firm, add a splash of hot water and steam off heat.
-
Cover the skillet with its lid and transfer to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid and the chicken is nearly cooked through.
~25 min
Covering traps steam so the rice cooks through while the chicken stays moist on top.
Absorption rice Toast the rice in oil until glossy, then add hot stock and keep it at a bare simmer; if it still tastes firm, add a splash of hot water and steam off heat.
Roasting Roast covered first so the rice hydrates, then uncovered so the skin and edges brown; watch for golden skin and crisp rice, not a dry pan.
-
Remove the lid and bake another 20 minutes, until the chicken skin is golden and the rice edges are crisp. The chicken should reach 74°C in the thickest part.
~20 min
Uncovering drives off moisture so the skin browns and the rice edges crisp through Maillard browning.
If the rice still tastes firm when the chicken is done, add 3 tbsp hot water, cover and let it steam off the heat for 5 minutes.
Browning the chicken skin-side up in the last 20 minutes gives crisp edges without drying the meat underneath.
Roasting Roast covered first so the rice hydrates, then uncovered so the skin and edges brown; watch for golden skin and crisp rice, not a dry pan.
-
Take the skillet from the oven and let it rest 10 minutes so the rice settles and the chicken juices redistribute. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve straight from the pan.
~10 min
Resting lets the rice settle and juices redistribute so the chicken stays juicy when cut.