Your family will be begging you to make this 30 minute lemon chicken and rice one pot dinner every single week! And you will happily agree because it's so quick, so easy and an effortless cleanup.
This recipe was first published August 2, 2021.
This one pot lemon chicken and rice is something that my family has on repeat, every week. With busy schedules (excessive sports and school events), most nights you just need those no fail dinners that everyone likes.
This is 100% that dinner. No complaints ever for lemon chicken and rice.
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Chicken and rice go with everything, so you could serve this with steamed broccoli, honey carrots or even a side salad. If you have a pack of frozen peas in your freezer, try throwing it into the pan at the very end!
I've been making this one pot lemon chicken rice for me and my husband for years and years. The touch of lemon zest gives the rice extra flavor - that's my favorite! Maybe you've got a chicken and rice recipe in your back pocket too?
While the chicken cooks, it absorbs all the yummy chicken flavored broth and I seriously cannot get enough of it!
Ingredients Needed
- olive oil - for searing the chicken
- chicken breast
- lemon pepper seasoning
- butter
- basmati rice - basmati is the best rice to use, jasmine rice gets too sticky
- chicken broth
- lemon - the juice and zest, opt for a fresh lemon not the pre-packaged container of lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Variations
Since this is such an easy dinner there are so many variations.
For the chicken you could use chicken thighs. And if you are really crunched for a time you could swap out the uncooked chicken for some premade rotisserie chicken. Just skip the step for cooking the chicken and go straight to making the rice.
If you want to switch up the rice you could try using risotto instead of basmati rice. You will need to add some extra cooking liquid though.
How To Make Lemon Chicken and Rice
Start by searing the chicken in an oiled pan. You want to get nice crisp sears on both sides, so leave it on for 2-3 minutes. Your heat should be hotter for this step, to get the golden skin.
The chicken comes out of the pan while you prepare the rice, off to the side on a plate is perfect. Add in the butter, rice, lemon zest and some salt and pepper. Cook just a few minutes then pour in the chicken broth.
Bring the chicken back to the pan with a few slices of lemon, cover and cook until the rice is al dente.
30 Minute Meals
- 20 Minute Pumpkin Ravioli
- Oven Sausage Peppers and Onions
- 30 Minute Instant Pot Ribs
- One Pan Buttermilk Chicken Risotto
- Sheet Pan Steak Totchos
- One Pot Mexican Beef and Rice
30 Minute Lemon Chicken and Rice (One Pot)
Your family will be begging you to make this 30 minute lemon chicken and rice one pot dinner every single week! And you will happily agree because it's so quick, so easy and an effortless cleanup.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast (or chicken thighs)
- 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning (more if you like)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 c basmati rice
- ½ lemon, zested, juiced and sliced
- 2 ½ c chicken broth
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat
- Season the chicken with lemon pepper seasoning
- Sear each side of the chicken in the pan for 2-3 minutes on each side then set aside
- Turn the heat down to medium/low and add the butter
- To the pan add the basmati, lemon zest, salt and pepper, cooking for 2 minutes
- Pour in the chicken broth, lemon juice and return the chicken to the pan
- Bring this to a boil, cover with a lid then turn heat down to low
- Cook for 20 minutes, or until rice is fluffy and cooked through
- Serve
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 978mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 30g
This information comes from online calculators. Although moderncrumb.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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