One Pot Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice

Recipe video above. The best chicken and rice recipe in the world!! This is not an authentic Greek dish (as far as I know!) but it is made using classic Greek ingredients. The beauty of this is that it is all made in one pot / pan. Cooking the rice with the chicken on top adds extra flavour to the rice because the chicken juices get soaked up by the rice. MARINATING TIME: 20 minutes to overnight. {Recipe video above} SCALE RECIPE using servings slider - hover mouse over Servings.

Recipe by Nagi | RecipeTin Eats on April 27, 2015

Prep time: PT10M

Cook time: PT50M

Total time: PT60M

Rating

4.89 stars (442 reviews)

Ingredients

5 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in ((about 1 kg / 2 lb) (Note 1))
1 - 2 lemons, use the zest + 4 tbsp lemon juice ((Note 7))
1 tbsp dried oregano
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, separated
1 small onion, finely diced
1 cup (180g) long grain rice (, uncooked (Note 6))
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) chicken broth / stock
3/4 cup (185 ml) water
1 tbsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp salt
Black pepper
Finely chopped parsley or oregano (optional)
Fresh lemon zest (highly recommended)

Cuisine

Greek

Steps

Combine the Chicken and Marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag and set aside for at least 20 minutes but preferably overnight.
To Cook
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Remove chicken from marinade, but reserve the Marinade.
- Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a deep, heavy based skillet (Note 2) over medium high heat.
- Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, then turn and cook the other side until golden brown. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Pour off fat and wipe the pan with a scrunched up ball of paper towel (to remove black bits), then return to the stove.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Then add the remaining Rice ingredients and reserved Marinade.
- Let the liquid come to a simmer and let it simmer for 30 seconds. Place the chicken on top then place a lid on the skillet (Note 3). Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender (so 45 minutes in total).
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, garnished with parsley or oregano and fresh lemon zest, if desired.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 431 g
Calories: 667 kcal
Carbohydrates: 34.2 g
Protein: 75.9 g
Fat: 23.4 g
Saturated Fat: 5.8 g
Cholesterol: 224 mg
Sodium: 1408 mg
Sugar: 1.3 g
Unsaturated Fat: 17.6 g

Reviews

S on 2026-06-09 (5 stars):
I've made this so many times now I can do it in my sleep. Generally I use Marylands and always add chopped red capsicum and chopped Kalamata olives just before it goes in the oven. I don't however, believe that fresh oregano and grated lemon as garnishes are optional, they are both an absolute must! It's hands-on quick, dead easy and quite spesh.
Susan on 2026-04-09 (5 stars):
Hello I have made this recipe several times and it is always fabulous! I always increase the recipe to 10 servings. The rice tastes delicious but it is always mushy. I use Basmati long grain white rice and rinse the rice before using. I follow the liquid amounts in the 10 servings recipe. Am I adding too much liquid or is the rice in the mushy side? Thanks
Dani on 2026-04-01 (5 stars):
Delicious! I added halved cherry tomatoes when I cooked the onions, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and it was a huge hit in my house :) It’s going in the weeknight rotation for sure!
Sunita on 2026-03-25 (5 stars):
Genius recipe. I substituted the greek marinade/spices with souvlaki spices (I used Gewurzhaus Souvlaki Spice Rub) and it was heavenly!
Mel on 2026-03-11 (5 stars):
Yes it’ll work if you cook in two pans, you’re just making the same recipe twice, but at the same time.
LB on 2026-02-22 (5 stars):
So good. I used 7/8 cups of rice and added some diced carrots to absorb the extra water. Not because I'm clever; just because I ran short of long rice.
Kiara on 2026-02-13 (5 stars):
This was delicious! I didn't read the steps in advance so had to get two pans out to saute the onion at the same time and speed things up, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Delicious, and I will make this again but prep the night before
Phaidra on 2026-02-02 (5 stars):
Very good! I added some turmeric and additional spices and also green olives and topped it off with goat cheese. Paired with a salad! And yum yum yum!!!
Denise on 2025-12-17 (5 stars):
We absolutely love this dish! We usually make it a few times a month. I actually do a couple things differently. I use bottled lemon juice, but I do still use rind of a lemon in the marinade. Also, I like jasmine rice. I also sprinkle feta cheese on it when I pull it from the oven. I usually will add a veggie on the side, preferably Lesseur baby peas. The other day I made a side of carrots with it.
Mariana on 2025-12-04 (4 stars):
This is delicious. Not sure if it is my skillet but 5 pieces of chicken thighs overcrowded the pan. 4 is perfect for me. I served with hummus on the side and garlic yoghurt sauce.
Kaela on 2025-11-11 (5 stars):
Hands down my favorite comfort food recipe! I always double the rice portion because it makes the best leftovers.
Katie on 2025-11-05 (5 stars):
LOL no one is forcing you to do anything. This is NAGI'S website and HER recipe without Marjoram. If she didn't say 'please use the recipe as written' then there would be comments saying the recipe is not good and tastes weird with the Marjoram. She seriously cannot win. Sorry Lard, but your comment is ungrateful and rude considering there is no payment and all the wonderful recipes are free. Unbelievable.