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Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice (30 Minutes, One-Pot)

Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice is a 30-minute one-pot dinner packed with so much flavor! This Mediterranean recipe features spinach, grape tomatoes, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), feta cheese, paprika, and oregano. It's healthy, gluten-free, protein-rich, fiber-rich, and can be easily made dairy-free.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Greek
Servings 4 Servings

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Chicken:

  • 1.5 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Greek lemon rice:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 oz grape tomatoes sliced in half
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 5 oz fresh spinach chopped
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
  • 15 oz chickpeas canned

Feta cheese mixture:

  • 6 oz feta cheese diced into small cubes
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano optional
  • fresh oregano for garnish

Instructions
 

How to cook chicken:

  • Season the chicken thighs with dried oregano, paprika, salt, and red pepper flakes.
  • Heat an empty, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet (such as a cast-iron or stainless-steel pan) over medium heat for 2 minutes.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken thighs. Cook the chicken on medium heat for 5 minutes on one side, undisturbed. Important note: make sure the oil does not burn. If the skillet gets too hot (depending on your stovetop), reduce heat to low-medium. You don't want the juices from the chicken to be burnt, as you will use those juices to flavor the rice.
  • Flip the chicken thighs over, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes or longer on the other side, without moving it, until it's cooked through.
  • The meat thermometer should register 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

How to make Greek lemon rice:

  • Add half of the halved grape tomatoes, minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same, now empty, skillet. Cook the tomatoes on medium heat for about 2 minutes until they soften and release juices.
  • Stir in fresh spinach until it wilts.
  • Add cooked rice and drained chickpeas.
  • Add 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and the remaining uncooked halved grape tomatoes. Reheat on medium heat, stirring everything to combine. Add 1 extra tablespoon of olive oil if you like.

How to make a feta cheese mixture:

  • In a medium bowl, combine cubed Feta cheese with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of dried oregano (add more to taste), 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh oregano (if using).
  • Mix so that the herbs and olive oil coat the cubed Feta cheese.
  • Assembly:
  • Mix half of the feta cheese mixture into the skillet with lemon rice.
  • Add sliced cooked chicken to the skillet with rice and reheat on medium heat.
  • Top the Greek chicken and lemon rice with the remaining feta mixture. Sprinkle fresh oregano on top.
  • Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
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