One of my all-time favorite dishes, Chicken Thighs, and Brown Rice, is not only delicious but perfect for a nice, comforting, home-cooked meal without a lot of fuss. With tender, seasoned chicken thighs and brown rice cooked to delicious perfection it’s a simple dish that makes me want to go back for more every time.
And the best part? It’s all made in one pot. So after a busy day this meal won’t leave you with a pile of dishes to clean. I love that part of this recipe too!
This recipe originally appeared as an Instant Pot recipe and we’ve made some adjustments to make it on the stovetop. It’s so good I wanted everyone to be able to enjoy it!
Ingredients and Equipment
This recipe comes together using common ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your kitchen.
The stars of the show are chicken thighs and brown rice. Make sure that the chicken thighs have the skin on – the skin is essential for getting perfectly crispy pieces of chicken. I prefer to use long-grain brown rice, but short-grain rice will work in a pinch. You may want to rinse your rice before using it in this recipe to clean it and remove some starchiness.
Now onto the seasonings. This dish is flavored with a combination of fresh thyme, lemon juice, garlic powder, paprika, garlic, onion, salt, and black pepper. If you can’t find fresh thyme, you can use ½ a teaspoon of dried thyme in its place.
We’re going to use butter and oil (vegetable and olive oil both work) to sear and sauté the ingredients in the pan. We’ll also use chicken broth to hydrate the rice and add an extra boost of flavor.
The recipe requires minimal equipment, which means you’ll have a super quick and painless clean-up! All you need is a cutting board, a sharp knife, and a large pot or sauté pan with a lid.
It’s About Fresh Thyme
This dish gets much of its flavor profile from the fresh thyme. Fresh thyme has a very bright, vibrant flavor that is more subtle than its dried counterpart. Dried thyme can easily overwhelm, whereas fresh thyme better compliments the flavor of this chicken.
Preparation
Now that we’ve got everything, it’s time to prep. Chop up the onion and garlic and set them aside for later. Then mix together the dry seasonings and lemon juice to make the chicken marinade. Toss the chicken with the marinade, making sure that all four pieces are fully coated. And that’s it, you’re ready to start cooking!
Cooking
I love one-pot recipes because the cooking process is so simple and straightforward.
We’re going to start by searing the chicken. Melt the butter in the pot, then place the chicken inside. Sear for about three minutes on each side. Try not to move it around or flip it over to check on it, this will prevent it from getting nice and brown. When the chicken is seared, take it out of the pot and set it aside. Don’t worry if it isn’t cooked through at this stage, it’s going to go back in the pot later!
Now onto the rice. Add the oil to the pot and sauté the onion and garlic. Then pour in just a little bit of chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Make sure that you scrape up any brown bits that are sticking to the pot, they add so much flavor! Now add the rice, the rest of the chicken broth, and the seared chicken. Bring the broth to a simmer, cover the pot, and your work is almost done!
All you have to do now is wait for the rice and chicken to cook through. This should take about 45 minutes, but the time may vary depending on what rice you use. The exact cook time for your rice should be written on its packaging. When it is done, it should be fluffy and tender and the chicken broth should almost all be soaked up.
Final Steps and Serving
If you like your chicken extra crispy, remove it from the pot and pop it under the broiler for 5 minutes before serving. This is optional, but highly recommended. The last step is to garnish the dish with some chopped parsley, and you’re ready to eat!
Storage and Reheating
Pop any leftovers into an airtight container and store them in the fridge for a quick and tasty meal later. It will stay good for 3 days.
Reheating this dish is a breeze. Just toss it in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish, covering it to keep that moisture locked in. Microwave in 1-minute increments until heated through.
If you want to keep the chicken crispy, you can reheat it separately in the oven. Bake it at 350℉ for 10 minutes or until heated through.
PrintRecipe
Best Damn Chicken Thighs and Brown Rice
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
This wonderful one-pan dinner of juicy, tender chicken thighs with seasoned brown rice is sure to be a hit with everyone. An excellent addition to your dinner rotation.
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs with skin
- 1 cup long grain brown rice
- 2 ¼ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ½ chopped medium onion
- Chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Mix lemon juice, thyme, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Season the chicken thighs with the mixture, making sure they are coated on all sides.
- Heat the oil in a large pot or sauté pan over medium heat. Once oil is heated add chicken thighs, skin side down. Sear for 2-3 minutes then flip and sear the other side for 2-3 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside.
- Add the butter and onion to the same pot or pan that you used to sear the chicken. Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes or until translucent, then add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
- Pour ¼ cup of chicken broth into the pot. Scrape the bottom to get any browned bits that might be stuck. Add the rice to the pot. Pour in remaining broth and place the chicken thighs on top. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Bring the broth to a simmer at medium-low heat and cover with a lid. Cook on medium-low for 40 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and let rest. Let the rice continue to cook, another 5-10 minutes or until done.
- Optional Step: Place chicken under broiler for 5 minutes to crisp the skin.
- Transfer the chicken and rice to serving plates and garnish with parsley. Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
susan says
Your recipe sounded great but I was disappointed that you haven’t made a reply to the issue of the rice not being cooked. Because I like to use brown rice rather than white, this could be a game changer. Also, this is my first time to your site and one thing I really liked was you seemed to be very conscientious about answering questions unlike some cooking sites I have seen so, what do you think about the rice situation? (I was looking at your barley soup recipe and can’t wait to try it.)
RecipeTeacher says
Hey Susan. You’re absolutely right in that I try to answer every question and I definitely missed this. On our original recipe development we didn’t have any issues with the timings or cooking the rice but I’m going to double check everything and make any adjustments if necessary.
Desmond says
Giving a 4 star as I only prepared a half batch of the recipe. The chicken cooked nicely for the time allowed, however the brown rice did not. I feel that the amount of liquid, 5/8 cups, for a half batch is not enough for the rice. It was fun to prepare anyhow.
Jo Garza says
The brown rice took more than 20-22 minutes to cook.