Chicken and rice are great partners, and offer endless combinations. Change the spice rub or marinade on the chicken. Add seasonings and vegetables to the rice to complement the flavor of the chicken. This recipe uses turmeric and cardamom for the chicken for a Middle Eastern flavor. The rice is just seasoned with salt and pepper and a splash of lime juice to finish. The rice is cooked in the same pan as the chicken, so it picks up all the flavor from the spices!
I always use chicken thighs because they have more flavor, they're juicier, and it's hard to overcook them. My only exception is when I'm making stuffed chicken, breasts are the only way to go with that.
This recipe is on the table in about an hour, and almost half of that is waiting for the rice to cook!
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Ingredients
There are two sets of ingredients for this recipe. The chicken is cooked first, then the rice. Here's what you need for the chicken: chicken thighs, onion, garlic, turmeric, and cardamom. You'll also need olive oil, not shown
- olive oil
- boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- onion
- garlic
- turmeric
- cardamom
For the rice you'll need rice, carrots, peas, celery, lime juice, parsley, salt, and pepper. You'll also need chicken stock, not shown
- rice (basmati or jasmine work best, or regular long-grain rice)
- carrots
- celery
- peas
- salt and pepper
- lime juice (or lemon juice)
- parsley (for serving, optional)
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here we go!
Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the onion, and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and stir for about a minute.
Add the turmeric and cardamom and stir of about a minute.
Push the onion mixture to the sides of the skillet and add the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes without moving it.
Does it matter which side you cook first? Not for boneless, skinless thighs. If you're cooking bone-in thigs, especially skin-on, cook the skin side first, then flip and cook the other side. The same generally applies to breasts. But always do what the recipe says!
Flip the chicken and cook the other side for 3 to five minutes. Test for doneness with an instant-read thermometer at the thickest part of the thigh, or poke the thigh with the point of a knife and press down on the cut... if the juice runs clear, it's don.
Remove the chicken from the pan and add the rice, vegetables, and salt and pepper. The rice is going to pick up all the flavor from the chicken fat and spices!
Add the stock, mix well and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Check to make sure the rice is done, and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and let sit for about 5 minutes to let the rice absorb the steam. Pour the lime juice over it, fluff the rice, and serve with the chicken.
How to Serve
Here are a few ways to serve this dish.
- For an elegant presentation, put the rice in a bowl and put the chicken on top
- Instead of putting the whole thighs on the rice, slice them and arrange the slices on the rice
- Shred the chicken and mix it into the rice
- Cut the chicken into cubes and mix it into the rice
- And that's about all the ways you can serve the chicken with the rice
Equipment
You don't need anything special to make this dish. A sharp chef knife, a cutting board, a large skillet with a cover, a spatula to flip the chicken, and a stirring spoon.
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📖 Recipe Card
One-Pot Chicken and Turmeric Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 pounds chicken thighs boneless and skinless
For the Rice
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
- 1 cup celery thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- To Serve
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley optional
Instructions
Cook the Chicken
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until they turn translucent.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the turmeric and cardamom and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken to the pot and let it cook for 5 minutes without moving it.
- Flip the chicken over and reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue to cook until the chicken is done. (Using a meat thermometer, cook until the temperature at the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F. Or poke a sharp knife into the thickest part of the thigh and press down on the cut. If the juices run clear, it's done.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
Make the Rice
- Add the stock, rice, salt, pepper, carrots, peas, and celery to the pan. Bring the pot to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork
- Arrange the chicken over the rice, drizzle the lime juice over it, and serve. You could also shred the chicken or cut it into cubes and mix it into the rice.
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Elaine says
This is an amazing spice combination, and one that I hadn't tried before. The chicken comes out very moist and flavorful, and like Chef Grey's Indian Spiced Chicken Thighs with Coconut Rice, the turmeric rice pilaf would make a good stand-alone side dish. I haven't used boneless and skinless chicken thighs before, and didn't realize that they can be unrolled and laid out nearly flat, so my note to myself on this one is to use my larger Dutch oven next time, giving me more room to lay the thighs flat for faster cooking. I removed the chicken to a pan, covered it with foil and put in in my toaster oven at the lowest temperature setting to keep it warm while the rice cooked. With a vegetable or salad on the side, this makes a great meal!
Chef Grey says
Thanks for the review. It's amazing how just two spices can bring so much flavor to a dish. Frozen boneless and skinless (FBS) chicken thighs are one of our staple ingredients, we've always got a bag or two in the freezer. If a recipe calls for FBS breasts I always substitute thighs. They've got more flavor and it's almost impossible to overcook them. You can even cook them frozen in an oven or air fryer!