March is the month our apartment gets restless. The snowbanks outside our building have gone gray, the baseboard heaters are still clicking on every morning, and I've cooked every winter stew I know at least twice. What I want by early March is something that tastes bright but still feels warm. This lemon chicken and rice does exactly that, and it only dirties one pot, which in a galley kitchen with a small sink is not a minor detail.
Why one pot matters in a small kitchen
Our counter space is roughly the width of a cutting board and a half. Every extra pan means juggling things onto the stove top or the top of the microwave. Our sink fits one pot and a few plates before it's full. Recipes that use one vessel don't just save washing up; they make cooking in here feel a lot less like a puzzle.
This one also uses chicken thighs, which are cheaper than breasts and almost impossible to dry out, and long-grain rice that cooks in the same liquid that picks up all the browned bits.
Ingredients (serves 2 generously)
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about $5.00
- 1 cup long-grain white rice, $0.40
- 1 small onion, diced, $0.50
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, $0.25
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced, $0.60
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth, about $0.80
- 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp paprika (pantry, $0.15)
- 1 cup frozen peas or a handful of spinach, $0.60
- Salt, pepper, 1 tbsp oil or butter
Total: roughly $8.30, and there's usually one thigh left for lunch.
Steps
- Season. Pat the thighs dry. Rub with salt, pepper, paprika, oregano and half the lemon zest.
- Brown the chicken. Heat oil in a heavy pot or deep lidded pan over medium-high. Lay the thighs skin-side down and cook without moving for 6 to 7 minutes, until the skin is deep golden. Flip for 1 minute, then move them to a plate. They won't be cooked through yet.
- Soften the aromatics. Pour off all but about a tablespoon of fat. Lower the heat to medium and add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook 4 minutes, then add garlic for 30 seconds.
- Toast the rice. Add the rice and stir for a minute or two, until the edges look slightly translucent.
- Add liquid. Pour in the broth and half the lemon juice, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Bring to a simmer.
- Nestle the chicken back in, skin side up, so the skin stays above the liquid. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook 20 minutes.
- Add the greens. Scatter the peas or spinach over the top, cover again, and turn off the heat. Let it sit 5 to 10 minutes.
- Finish. Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice and zest, fluff the rice around the chicken, and taste for salt.
Notes
On the lid
The lid needs to fit well. If yours lets steam escape, add a few extra tablespoons of broth. The first time I made this, I used a pan with a warped lid and ended up with crunchy rice and very confident chicken.
Boneless works too
Use boneless thighs if that's what you have, but brown them only 3 to 4 minutes per side and expect them to finish a little quicker. Check that the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature either way.
Smoke management
Browning chicken skin makes some smoke. Our smoke detector is a few steps from the kitchen, so I crack the living room window for a few minutes even when it's cold out. The baseboard heater under that window gets switched off while it's open. Heating the street on purpose is not in our budget.
Leftovers
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container.
- Reheat with a splash of water and a lid so the rice doesn't dry out.
- Shredded leftover chicken plus rice makes a decent soup with an extra cup of broth and another squeeze of lemon.
A small sign of spring
Sam calls this the "almost spring" dinner, and he isn't wrong. It's warm enough for a cold night but tastes like it's leaning toward April. We usually eat it at the coffee table with the north windows going dark blue and Olive pretending she has never been fed in her life. One pot to wash afterward. That alone makes it a regular.
