This recipe for One-Pot Chicken and Rice is full of warming spices, chickpeas, spinach, dried cranberries, and a little orange. The result? A super easy dinner recipe that is filling, healthy, nutritious and full of flavour! Plus any leftovers are ideal heated up the next day! Win-win!
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If you’re looking for warming Winter food that is also healthy and nutritious, look no further, I got ya! This one-pot Chicken and Rice recipe is packed with good ingredients, flavoursome spices and requires minimal preparation, so not only is it tasty, but it’s also super easy too!
In addition to the aforementioned chicken (skin-on, bone-in thighs for depth of flavour and texture) and rice (brown rice, for additional fibre, flavour and texture) we also have chickpeas, red onion, spinach, dried cranberries and orange zest and juice. Altogether these ingredients pack a nutritional punch, with lots of fibre, slow-release carbs, both animal and plant-based protein and a combo of vitamins and minerals 🙌
As for the spice mixture, there’s ground coriander, ground cumin, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, turmeric and black pepper. This awesome combination echoes from the Middle East and provides wonderful warmth to the dish, perfect for cool, Wintery evenings! The addition of cranberries adds a little sweetness, while orange zest and a squeeze of orange juice lift the whole thing! It’s so good! And why I don’t mind eating all four portions for dinner over the course of four days…
I like to finish with a drizzle (or dollop) of natural yoghurt for a little coolness, and a good sprinkling of chopped parsley. You could also sprinkle over sliced almonds if you fancy some extra crunch! Leftovers are perfect when stored in Tupperware and reheated the next day for lunch (see my previous comment about eating all four portions for dinner🤷♀️).
Whatever you decide to do, crockpot chicken and rice is a great dish to pop into the middle of the table alongside the garnishes and leave people to dig in themselves!
How to Make Chicken and Rice
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In a lidded casserole pot brown the chicken thighs in a little oil until the skin is golden brown. You may need to do this in batches. Once browned, remove the chicken thighs to a plate and dispose of any excess fat – keeping a few tablespoons for the next step.
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Saute the diced onion in the leftover fat for five minutes until they begin to soften. Then add the spices and fry for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
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To the pot add the rice, chickpeas, cranberries, orange zest and chicken stock. Give it all a stir and then place the chicken thighs on top – skin side up. Put the lid on the pot and place it into an oven, pre-heated to 180 degrees Celcius for 30 minutes.
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Remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid. Place the pot back in the oven for five to ten minutes to allow the chicken thighs to crisp a little further.
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Remove the pot from the oven and transfer the chicken thighs to a plate. Add a squeeze of orange juice to the pot and then stir the spinach into the rice mixture until it has wilted. Taste and add salt and pepper and any more orange juice as desired.
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Place the chicken thighs back on top of the rice and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Alternatively, you could shred the chicken off the bone and stir it into the rice. Serve and enjoy!
One-Pot Chicken and Rice FAQ
Allow the chicken and rice to cool to room temperature for no more than 2 hours. Once cooled, I like to shred the chicken off the bone and mix it in with the rice and veggies. This makes it easier to heat up later.
Store the chicken and rice in Tupperware containers, pop into the fridge and use within 3-4 days.
Yes! Follow the storage instructions above, then store the Tupperware containers in the freezer and use within 3 months.
To defrost, transfer the Tupperware containers with the chicken and rice to the fridge and leave to thaw overnight. Alternatively, use the defrost setting on your microwave to thaw the food.
Add the chicken and rice to a saucepan with a few tablespoons of water. Heat on a medium heat for 7-10 minutes, until the food is piping hot all the way through.
Alternatively, transfer the food to a microwave-safe container or bowl and reheat in your microwave on full power, stirring halfway, until the food is piping hot throughout.
This chicken and rice dish is packed with veggies so it doesn’t necessarily need a side dish. However, it goes very well with a crunchy green salad or additional greens like broccoli or kale.
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One-Pot Chicken and Rice
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One-Pot Chicken and Rice
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Crock-pot
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Description
This healthy chicken and rice recipe is full of warming spices and veggies for a hearty, nutritious and flavoursome meal! Plus it’s all made in one pan, saving on the washing up too!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 kilogram chicken thighs, bone in and skin on (about six–eight thighs)
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 200 grams brown rice
- 1 tin chickpeas, liquid drained
- 4 tablespoons dried cranberries
- Zest of one orange, plus the juice from half
- 600 milliliters chicken stock
- 100 grams spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste.
To garnish
- Chopped parsley
- Natural yoghurt
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
- Place a lidded casserole pot on a medium heat and add the oil. Season the chicken thighs with a pinch of salt and add to the pan, skin side down. Brown for 5-7 minutes until they become golden. Turn oven and brown the second side for 2-3 minutes. You may need to brown the chicken thighs in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Once browned, remove the chicken thighs to a plate.
- The chicken thighs will have released a lot of fat in cooking. Dispose of most of the fat, reserving a few tablespoons to cook the onion.
- Saute the onion in the casserole pot over a medium heat for 5 minutes until it begins to soften. Add in the spices and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- To the pot add in the rice, chickpeas, dried cranberries, orange zest and chicken stock. Give everything a stir then place the chicken thighs on top in a single layer. Pop the lid on the pan and then place it in the oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the casserole pot from the oven. Remove the lid and place the pot back into the over for 5-10 minutes until the chicken thighs have crisped up a little more.
- Remove the pot from the oven and transfer the chicken thighs to a plate. Stir the orange juice and the spinach leaves into the rice until the spinach has wilted. Have a taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
- At this point you can trasfer the chicken thighs back into the pot and take it to the table to serve. Alternatively you can shred the chicken off the bone and stir the meat into the rice mixture.
- Serve the chicken and rice with garnishes of you choice. Enjoy!
Keywords: Chicken and Rice, One-Pot Chicken and Rice, Crockpot Chicken and Rice, Crock Pot Chicken and Rice, Healthy Dinner
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