Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
One Pot Lemon Herb Chicken & Rice
Lemon brightens a familiar plate of chicken and rice, with butter and Italian herbs keeping it savory. The rice has plenty of flavor underneath the browned chicken. Spoon a little onto your plate with the meat, and add a squeeze from the lemon wedges if you'd like.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 8 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American · Italian
- Cooking method
- One pot · One pot & sheet pan
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Rice dishes
A few quick notes
1. Use a pan with a lid
The rice needs covered simmering, so choose a large skillet or pan that has a lid before you start. The chicken goes back on top of the rice, so give everything enough room.
2. Brown, then pause
The chicken only gets a brief browning at the start. Don’t wait for it to cook through in the butter, because it finishes later while the rice simmers.
3. Keep the browned bits
Don’t wipe out the pan after browning the chicken. The rice, broth, lemon juice, and seasoning go straight in, picking up the buttery flavor left behind.
Get to know the ingredients
Chicken breasts
Brown boneless, skinless chicken breasts briefly, then set them on the rice to finish cooking. Bone-in, skin-on breasts need a longer browning time; check that they reach 165 degrees.
Uncooked white rice
Add the rice uncooked, not cooked. It absorbs the chicken broth and lemon juice as it simmers, so starting with cooked rice would change the whole dish.
Lemon juice
The recipe uses the juice of 1 lemon in the pan with the broth. Lemon wedges are optional at the end if you want an extra squeeze when serving.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 3 steps completeMake room for One Pot Lemon Herb Chicken & Rice
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
The last little job
Once the liquid has dissolved, serve it right away. Add fresh parsley or cilantro if you like, and bring lemon wedges to the table for squeezing over the chicken and rice.
A little more help as you go
Watch the simmer
After the chicken goes back in, lower the heat to medium-low and keep the pan covered. The rice is done when the liquid has dissolved, which should take 20-25 minutes.
Season in two rounds
Some Italian seasoning goes on the chicken before browning, and the rest goes into the rice mixture. That way the chicken and the rice both get seasoned as they cook.
A few questions you might have
Should the chicken be fully cooked after browning?
No. It should only brown for 1-2 minutes on each side at the start. It finishes cooking after you place it on top of the rice and simmer everything covered.
Do I need to clean the pan before adding the rice?
No, leave it as is. The rice, broth, lemon juice, and remaining seasoning go into the same pan after the chicken comes out.
Can I use brown rice instead of white rice?
Brown rice needs about 30-35 minutes of cooking. Start checking for doneness around the 30-minute mark.
What if I’m using bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts?
Brown them for about 3-4 minutes per side before adding the rice and broth, then check that the chicken reaches 165 degrees before eating.
When do the lemon wedges come in?
The lemon juice cooks with the rice, while the wedges are for serving. Add them at the end so people can squeeze on more lemon if they want it.
Any more cooking tips?
If you are cooking with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, up the browning time to about 3-4 minutes per side before removing to add the rice and broth. Be sure to check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees before eating. If you are using brown rice, you’ll need to up the cooking time to about 30-35 minutes. Check around the 30-minute mark for doneness. Some great add-ins to this recipe include one can of fire-roasted tomatoes, half a cup of frozen peas or carrots, one teaspoon of red pepper flakes, or add half a finely chopped onion to the butter to caramelize a bit before adding chicken. This chicken and rice recipe will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: lecremedelacrumb.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
