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The easiest One Pan Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken and Rice. Trust me, this is going to become your new go-to chicken and rice dinner. Chicken breasts or thighs marinated with olive oil, garlic, yogurt, lemon, pepper, oregano, thyme, and paprika. All tossed together with dry basmati rice and broccoli. This juicy marinated chicken and rice is all made in one pan without even having to cook the rice separately. Simply mix, bake, eat, and enjoy! You’re going to LOVE this.
I couldn’t think of a better Monday night dinner. I can’t even begin to express to you how simple this is, but even more importantly, how delicious!
We all know the story. When I grew up our dinners consisted of beef tacos, pasta with red sauce, maybe a takeout pizza here and there, or on very special nights, BW3s. And then, of course, there was chicken and rice. So much chicken and rice. Aside from tacos, chicken and rice was the staple meal. And it was on rotation once, twice, sometimes even three nights a week.
We ate a lot of chicken and rice growing up. It was either mom’s Sunday roasted chicken with boxed rice pilaf, dad’s grilled chicken (and rice), or my brother’s favorite, potato chip chicken (and rice). Again, so much chicken and rice.
You’d think it would be a dinner that I would not want to repeat as an adult. Shockingly, I’ll revert back to our staple family meal once or twice a month. I guess it’s just my comfort food.
For the longest time, I tried to recreate the Monday night dinner my mom would often make. Roasted chicken (whole chicken or just tenders) with a boxed rice or roni-style mix. I’ve never come close, but then I made this – and this is it.
You need just one baking dish with the most minimal ingredients and almost zero prep time.
The secret to this recipe, and all the flavor, is actually the reason the recipe is so SIMPLE – cooking the rice and chicken slowly together. This creates the most flavorful, juicy, pull-apart, tender chicken, and the tastiest rice.
Sounds too good to be true, but this is one of those recipes that just works so wonderfully well.
Details
Start with the chicken. Marinate it in olive oil and yogurt with lemon zest, pepper, and garlic. Then add dried oregano, thyme, paprika, and a nice helping of salt and chili flakes (if desired).
If time allows, you can marinate the chicken for 30 minutes or overnight. If you’re in a time crunch, just start cooking. I’ve now made this both ways and there’s not a huge difference.
Start off by grabbing a baking dish. Use something around the size of a 9×13-inch pan. Add the dry rice, I love to use basmati, and then add broccoli. Pour water overtop and then add a couple of salted pats of butter.
Place the chicken directly over the rice, then bake. I don’t even cover the pan or anything. This cooks up beautifully in just about 30 minutes. But the timing will depend on the size of your chicken and the size of your baking dish.
Top with any fresh herbs you enjoy most, then serve and enjoy.
As the chicken roasts, the juices drip down into the rice creating a REAL chicken-flavored rice situation. It’s so delicious!
And the chicken doesn’t dry out since it’s roasted over a bit of water. As the water cooks into the rice, the chicken slowly and beautifully roasts and gets perfectly crisp.
It’s honestly just the best. I might not go back to cooking chicken and rice any other way! Just add some 5 ingredient beer bread to really complete the Gerard family staple. A comfort meal at its best!
Looking for other easy chicken and rice dinners? Here are my favorites:
One Skillet Louisiana Style Chicken and Rice
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Spicy Sesame Chicken and Ginger Rice
Lastly, if you make this One Pan Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken and Rice, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pan Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken and Rice
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 593 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs or breasts (skin on or off)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1- teaspoons black pepper, using more to your taste
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- kosher salt and chili flakes
- 1 3/4 cups dry basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cups roughly chopped broccoli
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, toss together the chicken, olive oil, yogurt, lemon zest, garlic, pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika, onion powder, and a good pinch of salt and chili flakes (if desired). If time allows, marinate for 30 minutes or overnight.2. Preheat the oven to 400°. 3. Pour the rice and broccoli into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour over 2 cups of water. Add the butter. Arrange the chicken over the rice and broccoli. Add lemon wedges, if desired. Bake 30-40 minutes, until the rice is fluffy and the chicken is cooked through. If the rice is hard, add 1/3 cup water and cook for an additional 10 minutes. 4. Severe the chicken, rice, and broccoli topped with fresh basil and or thyme. And enjoy!
Underwhelming. The only comment I received after dinner was “thanks for cooking.” Used skin on thighs and marinated for several hours. Didn’t eat the skin so didn’t really eat much of the spices. The spices didn’t deep down into the rice either. The very least you should do is use chicken stock instead of water for the rice. Will not make again.
Hi Chris,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for sharing your feedback and giving it a try! xx
Loved this! After reading the comments, I modified a few things: in addition to the 2 cups water I added about 2 cups of chicken broth and cooked for 45 minutes (mixed the rice around a bit halfway). Came out so good! Will definitely make again. And less dishes to wash is a huge plus. 🙂
Hi Mar,
Wonderful!! I am so glad to hear this that dish turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it and sharing your feedback! xT
Delicious recipe! Perfect one pan meal for a busy weeknight.
Hi Danielle,
Fantastic!!🥗🌮 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
I wanted to love this but it just had no flavor. I even marinated the chicken overnight.
Hi Alison,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear it was lacking flavor! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
We loved it! Read all the other comments and made adjustments according to my rice and level of flavor we wanted. It was a little longer cooking time but so well worth it. I’ll definitely make again! Thanks Tieghan. 🙂
Hi Angela,
Amazing!! I love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for sharing what worked well for you! xT
Our family loved this. It was quick & easy. Love one pot meals! Only change I made was 1c rice & 2c chicken stock, squeezed fresh lemon over rice & broccoli before cooking & serving.
Hey Sarah,
Fantastic!!🥗🌮 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Followed the recipe exactly. Rice was still hard even after adding water and cooking longer. Very frustrating. Would not recommend.
Hi Lisa,
So sorry to hear that you had some issues with this recipe. What kind of rice did you use? Please let me know how I can help! xT
Oh dear yep a disaster for me too. Rice hard even after adding double the amount of water!!! Brocolli overdone, chicken overdone and rice underdone. Maybe up the water a LOT?
Okay with extra water (3 times the amount) and 15 mins more – delicious!!
Hi Camilla,
So sorry to hear you had issues with the rice. What kind did you use? Please let me know how I can help! xT
It looks so good and i wanted to love it! I made this exactly as described but my chicken never got brown, the broccoli never got browned and the rice was undercooked because it was all covered. I had to separate the chicken from the rice and broccoli to finish the cooking. I am so confused how this recipe is supposed to work.
I had the same problems, everything cooked up at different speeds and the textures were very strange.
I’m so sorry to hear this Tina!! I really don’t know why some people are having such issues, but this recipe is working well for others! Was there anything you possibly adjusted? Please let me know how I can help! xT
Haven’t made this yet, but looks great. Bone in chicken or filets for 40 min?
Hi Leigh,
You can use bone in chicken or boneless chicken breasts or thighs, I would not recommend using small filets for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi Jaimie,
I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear you had some issues with the cooking. I really just laid everything in the dish and let the oven do the work. What sized pan did you use? xx
I loved it. Only had brown rice so added more water and baked longer. Will definitely make again.
Thanks so much Cheryl!! So glad to hear that this dish turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! xT
Dry and flavorless. First bad recipe over had on this otherwise amazing website!
Hi Shays,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed! Please let me know how I can help for next time! xT
Loved this recipe! Definitely need to marinate it all day or overnight to get more flavors next time. Used white rice as it’s all I had available. 40 min and it was done!
Thanks so much Lauren!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this dish and I appreciate you giving it a try! xT
Delicious! Will definitely make this again! I reduced recipe by thirds for 2 servings, 2 chicken thighs. I baked in a ceramic 8×8 baking dish. I used a half bag of frozen brown rice, adding a half cup of water. (Next time making I will try broth with possibly a little white wine.) I roughly chopped fresh broccoli instead of having florets. I eyeballed the marinade ingredients so I may have had more which added a nice, creamy richness to the entire dish.
Served with homemade biscuits!
Hi Nanette,
Happy Monday!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT
Can you use brown rice? How much longer would we need to cook it for?
Hi Alanna,
Sure, you can use the brown rice, I just don’t know which adjustments should be made because I haven’t tested it! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xT
What if I don’t have yogurt? Can I substitute something else?
Hi Allison,
Sure, sour cream would also work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Can I do this on the stovetop?
Hi Katie,
So sorry, I have not tested that so I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe. Please let me know if there is anything else that I can help with! xT
Could you use orzo instead of rice?
Absolutely! I almost did, but remembered that I had a bag of frozen brown rice in my freezer!
Hi Grace,
You can, it’s just going to cook differently than the rice so you would need to make some adjustments:) Let me know if you give this dish a try! xT