I want to say the star of this dish is the chicken. But that would be lying to you. Because this, my friends, is all about the RICE! This is a fantastic Greek Chicken recipe for busy weeknights because it’s so fast to prepare and it’s all made in one pot. Seriously!
What makes this rice so special, you might ask? Well, it’s like cooking the rice in triple strength chicken stock because the chicken is cooked ON TOP of the rice. So it gets the full benefit of all the juices from the chicken seeping into it while it cooks. Add the fresh flavours of lemon and boom! You will knock the socks off anyone you serve this too!
Big promises I know….but I have third party validation of this. Someone who always tells me the truth about my dishes. Especially “inventions” which I often pass on because I know I’ll get truthful feedback. I do love my friends dearly, but honestly, not everything I make them can be “OMG, this is so delicious!!” (Seriously, I love my friends, love them to bits!)
So in this particular case, her family raved about the rice so I’m just passing on that message. 
(PS She was quick to point out that the chicken was lovely too, she just said that the STAR of the dish was the rice! I’m totally cool with that! )
My Mexican Chicken & Rice uses the same cooking technique.
This is not an authentic Greek Chicken recipe (as far as I know!) but it is made using classic Greek ingredients. It uses the same technique I use for my One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice. There’s nothing tricky or ground breaking, it’s just about getting the liquid to rice ratio right. Rice baked in the oven requires a lot more water than when it’s cooked on the stove. And when you plop chicken on top of the rice, it drops liquid so you need to take that into account.
To make this Greek Chicken recipe in one pot (well, pan – why do I keep writing “pot”??!), the chicken is seared in the pan first, then the rice is added, the chicken placed back on top then it’s popped in the oven. The magic happens while it’s baking. As the chicken cooks, all the juices seep into the rice which are soaked up by the rice and add incredible flavour. INCREDIBLE flavour. It honestly is like triple strength chicken stock.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I can’t hold back any longer. I need some lunch! – Nagi
Save this One Pot Greek Chicken recipe to your ONE POT Pinterest Board!
- 5 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in (Note 1)
- 1 - 2 lemons, zest + 4 tbsp lemon juice (Note 7)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp salt (normal salt, not kosher or sea salt flakes)
- 1½ tbsp olive oil, separated
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 cup long grain rice (Note 6)
- 1½ cups chicken broth / stock
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- ¾ tsp salt (normal table salt)
- Black pepper
- Finely chopped parsley or oregano (optional)
- Fresh lemon zest (highly recommended)
- Combine the Chicken and Marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag and set aside for at least 20 minutes but preferably overnight.
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Remove chicken from marinade, but reserve the Marinade.
- Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a deep, heavy based skillet (Note 2) over medium high heat.
- Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, then turn and cook the other side until golden brown. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Pour off fat and wipe the pan with a scrunched up ball of paper towel (to remove black bits), then return to the stove.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Then add the remaining Rice ingredients and reserved Marinade.
- Let the liquid come to a simmer and let it simmer for 30 seconds. Place the chicken on top then place a lid on the skillet (Note 3). Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender (so 45 minutes in total).
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, garnished with parsley or oregano and fresh lemon zest, if desired.
For drumsticks, you won't be able to sear them as successfully, but that's ok, just sear briefly and bake for the full time (45 minutes).
This can be made with breast as well but it won't be as juicy because the meat isn't as juicy. :)
2. The fry pan I used was 26cm / 10" in diameter and 6cm/2.4" deep. It's the perfect size for this.
3. I don't have a lid for the fry pan I used but I have a lid for a larger pot which I just placed on top. Otherwise, foil works just fine, or even a baking tray.
4. I garnished this with slices of lemon which I seared in the pan after cooking the chicken.
5. How to make this entirely on stove top (readers' request). Though the result isn't quite the same as baking because you sacrifice either the chicken juices mixing in with the rice OR the crispy skin, it can be made entirely on the stove. There are two options:
a) Cook the chicken completely on the stove, set aside and cook the rice on the stove (reduce the liquid by ½ cup). To cook the rice, just follow the recipe directions up to the point just before putting it in the oven. Instead of doing that, put the lid on and cook on medium low until the liquid is absorbed (about 12 - 15 minutes). When the rice is almost ready, pop the chicken back in on top of the rice and put the lid on to warm up, and finish cooking the rice. This will yield a chicken with crispier skin than the second method.
b) The 2nd method is to sear the chicken but not cook it through, then pop it on to of the rice to finish cooking while the rice cooks. This method is easier and you will get the benefit of the chicken juices mixing in with the rice while it cooks but you will lose the crispiness of the skin.
What I would suggest is using skinless, boneless thigh fillets instead, that way you don’t have to worry about the skin crispiness but you get all the flavour!
6. This recipe will work with long grain, medium and short grain rice but I recommend long grain because it is the least sticky of the three types. It will also work with jasmine, normal brown rice, wild rice and normal basmati rice. But NOT brown basmati rice (takes much longer to cook). Risotto and paella rice are also not recommended.
7. You need enough lemon to get 4 tbsp of lemon juice which will be 1 large or 2 small lemons. Use all the zest from the lemon(s) that you use.
8. Nutrition per serving (5 servings) assumes this is made using trimmed bone in, skin on chicken thigh fillets. It does not take into account the fat that is poured out of the pan after searing the chicken, which means the calories per serving are higher than they actually are.
9. NO MARJORAM: Quite a few readers have inquired about this. If you found this recipe via Pinterest, you may notice that there is a discrepancy in the ingredients with some lists showing Marjoram in the ingredients. This recipe has NEVER had Marjoram in it! Please use the recipe as it is written.
Greek Chicken recipe nutrition – for both the chicken and rice, assuming all the rice is consumed which it probably will not be.
If you like this one pot Greek Chicken recipe, you may also enjoy my ONE POT BAKED GREEK CHICKEN ORZO (RISONI)!
And if you’re after another Greek Chicken recipe (because let’s face it, the Greeks know how to make GOOD CHICKEN!), I think you’ll enjoy my GREEK CHICKEN GYROS.
The yoghurt lemon marinade for this chicken is incredible!
Nagi this is absolutely delicious! I’m not a great cook at all and this turned out great even for me!! Can’t wait to check out more of your recipes. This one was so easy and delicious 😀
That’s fantastic Tracy! So glad to hear you enjoyed this! N x
Made this last night for guests and everyone loved it. I’d never baked rice before, but now that I know how, I’ll definitely bake it rather than boil it. I riffed off this recipe for tonight’s chicken: used the same quantities for rice and liquids, but changed the marinade to a chili-lime one. (4 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp fish sauce, 2 tsp honey, 2 tsp chili paste, and 2 tsp lime juice.) It turned out perfect too. I’m excited about trying other marinade combinations. Thanks so much for the recipe and sharing your methods!
Oooh! I love your variations Jessica, YUM! Might inspire me to make a variation of this 😜 N x
Incredibly delicious! Made this tonight and the chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy. I garnished mine with parsley and lemon zest. The little bursts of lemon along with the Oregano flavor…mmmmm! It’s winter here and this was the perfect dish after a long day working outside to help warm up and unwind for the night. Thank you so much for this web site! Loving all the recipe choices.
Woo hoo! I’m so glad you enjoyed this Jeni, thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
Trying this out in my pressure cooker. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Smells great!
I’ll be very interested to hear what you think
I have a feeling there is too much liquid for a pressure cooker, it won’t evaporate like it does in the oven!
Another amazing recipe, Nagi! Thank you! We all loved it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Jamieanne! Thanks for letting me know!
N x
You just made this????? Cause I just made this and it’s mush. I know rice takes 20 mins normally, but I decided to follow this to a tee. Mush, mush and more mush. Do people actually cook this before rating? I am no newbie. Been cooking since a kid 30+ years. Joke. Sorry…. add the time up for the rice. Maybe if it was Brown rice. Not what was mentioned.
Hi Bryan! I wish I had been there to troubleshoot! I can assure you – being of Japanese background – I know good rice. Mushy rice is unacceptable, my mother would have a heart attack! If your rice came out mushy, I suspect you either mismeasured the rice or a liquid ingredient. Sorry to say!
Wonderful dish for Boxing Day. Everybody loved it and it didn’t keep me in the kitchen. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes
HIGH FIVE! So glad you enjoyed it Val, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Just made this for dinner! So yummy and easy! I was worried when I took the lid off at the amount of liquid, but sure enough in ten minutes the liquid had been absorbed and the rice was perfect! Thanks for an easy one pot meal! Will definitely be making this again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Hannah! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! N xx
Oooh my…WOW! I just made this for dinner. It was delicious! And so easy. My husband raved over it! I followed the recipe exactly, but I cooked it in a porcelain covered cast iron pot. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Thank You!
Hi Stacie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for letting me know! ❤️ N xx