One Pot Chicken and Rice with Tomatoes

Craving an easy comfort food meal? This easy chicken and rice recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight meal. 

This recipe has quickly become a go-to on our meal plan. It’s kid friendly, EASY and one pot. What more can you ask for during the week? I also love leftovers of this rice–the crispy ends are so delicious. 

What do you need?

• Bone-in chicken thighs: 2-3 pounds
• White rice
• Canned diced tomatoes 
• White onion
• Tomato boullion powder
• Large dutch oven (see quick tips below for an 9×13 pan)

Quick Tips

1. Browning the chicken skin is an essential first step. It adds a great flavor to the pan and extra oil to brown the rice. 
2. If you don’t have a dutch oven or a large pot, you can use a 9×13 pan. You’ll have to brown the chicken in a separate pan ahead of time, but otherwise it’s still essentially a one pot meal.
3. The tomato boullion can be found in the ethnic aisle of your grocery store. Once you try it, you’ll be hooked. Also great for Mexican rice. 

Yield: 4-6 servings

One Pot Chicken and Rice with Tomatoes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

This is an easy one pot comfort food meal...perfect for a weeknight! Chicken thighs, rice and tomatoes make this savory dish a favorite for the whole family.

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Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds of bone-in chicken thighs - about 6-8 thighs
• 1 Tablespoon Montreal Chicken Spice (or any grill seasoning)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 1/2 cups white rice
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 - 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Boullion powder
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 3 cups water
• Optional: parsley to garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375º.
2. Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, plus Montreal Chicken spice. (see notes below for a 9x13 pan)
3. Add chicken 2-3 pieces at a time and brown on all sides. It does not need to be cooked all of the way through. Repeat until all chicken is browned, placing chicken on a plate after.
4. After all chicken is removed, add onions and rice to the bottom of the pot. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pot with a spoon. It's okay if there are browned bits!
5. Add garlic, diced tomatoes and boullion powder. Stir until rice is a nice red color. Slowly pour in water, scraping the bottom again to get the brown bits. Season with salt.
6. Return the chicken thighs to the pot, nestling in the water and rice. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and bake for 25 minutes.
7. Uncover and return to oven for 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.
8. Sprinkle with parsley. There will be some extra liquid, but will thicken once rice is stirred.
9. To serve: remove chicken from pot, stir rice. Serve together with a veggie.

Notes

For a 9x13 pan: Brown chicken in a large pan. Remove chicken and add rice, onions and garlic. Follow step 4 and 5. Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Add rice mixture to the bottom. Place chicken on top and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover. Bake until fully cooked, about an additional 10 minutes.

If you want to kick this recipe up a notch, you can add green olives or green bell peppers with the onions. For more of a Mexican flare, add cilantro instead of parsley and sub Tajin for the Montreal Chicken. Once you get the base recipe perfected, it’s fun to experiment with!

What is your go-to easy comfort food chicken recipe? 
If you make this recipe, tag @DashOfEvans or use #DashOfEvans