This easy and flavorful Chicken and Yellow Rice Skillet makes a quick and delicious dinner for the whole family. This is a MUST TRY recipe.
This Chicken and Yellow Rice Skillet truly is a restaurant-quality dinner that’s so quick to make and in just one skillet. The rice is fluffy and flavorful, and the chicken is wonderfully tender. You definitely want this in your belly. 🙂
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS CHICKEN AND YELLOW RICE SKILLET
This Chicken and Yellow Rice Skillet is so amazing because it’s:
- SIMPLE. The ingredient list is short and simple.
- EASY. Almost no clean-up is required.
- FAST. Made in 35 minutes.
- VERY TASTY. The fluffy, lemon-infused rice, and perfectly seasoned, tender chicken… Yes! It’s delicious!
WHAT KIND OF RICE TO USE
I strongly suggest using Basmati rice in this recipe. It is a long-grain, white rice that has a slightly softer grain than Jasmine rice. It absorbs liquid really well and comes out evenly cooked and fluffy every time. Basmati can be found in pretty much all large supermarkets and online.
ABOUT THE CHICKEN
I love using chicken thighs in this Chicken and Yellow Rice recipe, but I have used drumsticks with great success before. I do not recommend chicken breast here because it’ll end up being dry, and we don’t want that.
You can keep or remove the skin from the thighs. I personally enjoy the flavor the skins add to the dish, so I keep them on. If you choose to remove the skins, which is perfectly OK, you may need to add a touch of butter or a bit more oil when frying the chicken, so the rice doesn’t come out too dry.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN AND YELLOW RICE
1.Mix the seasoning ingredients together, and generously rub them onto the chicken thighs.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the chicken and sear for about 4-5 minutes on each side.*
3. Remove the chicken from the skillet. Add the rice, turmeric, lemon juice, and chicken stock.**
4. Return the chicken to the skillet, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cover with a tight lid. Cook until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat, and let in rest with lid on, for another 5 minutes. Serve.
*If you are using large (very thick) chicken thighs, you may need to reduce the heat to medium, and cook them for 7-8 minutes per side, to make sure that the chicken will be fully cooked after being simmered for an additional 20 minutes with the rice.
**You may need to add salt if using low-sodium chicken stock.
Did you make this Chicken and Yellow Rice Skillet?
Please, let me know how you enjoyed it! Share your photos on Instagram with #cooktoria. I am always so happy to see your creations.
If you like this recipe, check out these other easy chicken dinner ideas:
- Creamy Chicken Thighs
- Quick Three-Cheese Chicken
- Easy Cabbage and Chicken
- Paprika Chicken Legs
- Easy Parmesan-Crusted Chicken
Chicken and Yellow Rice Recipe Video Tutorial
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Chicken and Yellow Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup white Basmati rice
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp. turmeric powder
- fresh parsley or scallion, to garnish
Seasoning Ingredients:
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
Instructions
- Mix the seasoning ingredients together, and generously rub them onto the chicken thighs.
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the chicken and sear for about 4-5 minutes on each side.*
- Remove the chicken from the skillet. Add the rice, turmeric, lemon juice, and chicken stock.**
- Return the chicken to the skillet, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cover with a tight lid. Cook until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, and let in rest with lid on, for another 5 minutes. Serve.
Made this tonight with boneless chicken thighs and it tasted terrific. Only problem I had was there was still a good amount of liquid left in the rice after the 20 minutes of cooking. So I cooked it for longer, but then it came out mushy. My boyfriend still loved it though. The flavors were still great. I think I will make it again with less stock this time. Thank you for the great recipe!
Thank you so much for the feedback, Dawn! Sometimes different brands of rice absorb water more or less water. I’ve tested this recipe about 5-6 times and the amount of liquid was always perfect. But I tested it only with one rice variety.
Thank you for the reply. I will try it again with a different rice. I had to settle for what I found in the grocery store, when usually I prefer cooking with rice from Trader Joe’s.
Thank you for explaining why you chose different ingredients like thigh near instead of breast meat. That truly helps us beginners understand more.
I am glad you found this helpful, Jennifer! Thanks for stopping by!
I made this with preseasoned yellow rice and boneless thighs but followed the instructions exactly and it turned out great. Super yummy. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Thank you for sharing, Kristen! I am glad you enjoyed it!