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The easiest One Pan Chipotle Honey Chicken and Rice, our new weeknight staple. Chicken breasts or skinless chicken thighs seasoned with olive oil, parmesan cheese, chipotle, paprika, garlic, and salt. All tossed together with dry basmati rice and sliced zucchini. Top the chicken with a spicy honey sauce just as it comes out of the oven. This juicy spicy/smoky chicken and rice is all made in one pan – no cooking the rice separately. Simply mix, bake, eat, and enjoy. You’re going to LOVE this.
I think I’m in my “quick and easy” era. One of the things that I find so inspiring about Taylor Swift is her ability to continue to recreate herself. She never stops. And because she has the ability to always be evolving and changing, she never gets boring. We always want more from her!
I hope in a way I can be like this. I definitely am the type of person that has “eras”. Periods when life looks a little different than other times. And I’m always, changing and growing, literally by the day.
The point is, right now I’m in a quick and easy era.
Because of this, I get to be creative with recipes. How can I make this taste the yummiest but also be easy? What ingredients can I use that are multi-purpose?
I think about it all. And certainly, nothing is easier than a dinner that cooks up all in one pan. Especially a one-pan chicken and rice situation. We just love a one-pan recipe that’s also filled with yummy flavor!
Onto the details
Step 1: season up the chicken
I wanted to create a spicy, smoky chicken. So I decided on honey chipotle chicken! Such a delicious flavor profile that most people love.
Take chicken breasts or thighs (or do a mix) and mix them together with olive oil, grated parmesan cheese, chipotle in adobo sauce, paprika, onion powder, and fresh chopped-up garlic.
Step 2: the rice and zucchini
Next, get a 9×13 inch baking dish, add the dry rice and sliced rounds (or chopped chunks) of zucchini. Pour over the water, which will cook into the dry rice while baking.
Place the chicken directly over the rice and set the pan in the oven to cook. The rice will get fluffy and the chicken becomes crispy!
Step 3: the honey sauce
While the chicken bakes, work on the honey sauce. This is a very simple mix of honey, hot sauces, and spices all simmered together gently on the stove.
As the chicken comes out of the oven, spoon the sauce directly over each piece.
Step 4: add basil and enjoy
Finish the dish with fresh basil. Or use parsley, green onion, thyme, cilantro, or whatever you love or have on hand. I think basil and parsley work best.
Serve the fluffy rice under each piece of chicken, then extra honey sauce on top! Oh, and a little sea salt and some lemon juice are really nice too.
As the chicken roasts, the juices drip down into the rice creating flavorful rice and roasting up the zucchini too. It’s so delicious!
And the chicken doesn’t dry out since it’s roasted with a bit of water. As the water cooks into the rice, the chicken slowly and beautifully roasts and gets perfectly crisp.
I love to serve this with my favorite loaf of 5 ingredient beer bread. This is certainly a wonderful transitional dinner that will be nice heading into September!
Looking for other easy chicken and rice dinners? Here are my favorites:
One Pan Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken and Rice
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 Chipotle Honey 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 Chipotle Honey Chicken and Rice
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 687 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs or breasts (skin on or off)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped chipotle in adobo
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 3/4 cups dry basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cups sliced/chopped zucchini
Hot Honey
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2-3 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1-3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspon onion powder
- sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400°.2. In a bowl, toss together the chicken, olive oil, parmesan, chipotle, paprika, onion powder, garlic, lemon, salt, and pepper. 3. Pour the rice and zucchini into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour over 2 cups of water. Add the butter. Arrange the chicken over the rice and zucchini. Bake 30-40 minutes, until the rice is fluffy and the chicken is cooked through. If the rice is hard, add 1/3 cup more water and cook for an additional 10 minutes.4. To make the sauce. In a sauce pot, warm together the honey, hot sauce, cayenne, chili powder, onion powder, and a pinch of salt.5. When the chicken is done, spoon half the sauce over the chicken. Serve the chicken, rice, and zucchini topped with fresh basil and extra honey sauce. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on August 16, 2023
I made this last night and it was delicious. I didn’t have zucchini. I used broccoli. No issues , no problems, AND it presented well.
Thank you for another great recipe!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xT
I made this for dinner last night and it was absolutely incredible! It was so easy to make. We will be adding this to our week night meals!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xT
I followed the recipe from beginning to end. I used thighs. I used the lesser amount of heat when there was a range. I put fresh basil on the top when the dish came out of the oven. We loved the lemon zest flavor… it was surprising. The flavors made my mouth happy. Thank you for continuing to post these fresh recipes. Delicious❤️
Thank you so much Trudy! xT
Yum and easy. I’m going to bake up rice dishes like this a lot more. One note: the directions for the hot honey say there should be onion powder but it’s not in the ingredients for the sauce. I just added about a teaspoon.
Thanks for letting me know Kathleen! xT
Cooked this tonight. Tasty, but a few modifications needed. For us, there was way too much rice. Next time I would make just one cup. I agree with the others, the cayenne should be skipped. I added a spoonful of the leftover adobo sauce to the honey, and it was just right. Did not cook the sauce on the stove, just warmed in the microwave. Also about the parmesan cheese. I used it, could not taste it, and am unsure of its purpose.
Thanks for the feedback Gwen! xT
Saw this today and made it tonight for dinner. OMG! Delicious! Sweet, spicy just fantastic. Cut EVOO down to 2 tablespoons and used chicken bone broth instead of water for rice.
This is going into the rotation for good!
Great recipe!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xT
Quick and EASY and VERY delicious!! I omitted the cayenne pepper from the sauce and it was perfect!! I think it was spicy enough without it and my family would have been on fire if I had put it in!! Otherwise, it was just perfect!!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xT
I’m wondering is the chicken bone in or boneless?
I used skinless, boneless, thighs. It was DELICIOUS!!
Boneless! xT
Is the chipotle in adobo to be used during cooking or as part of the hot honey? It’s in the ingredients but not the directions.
I’m confused about the chipotle. The ingredient list is for canned chipotle but the instructions call for powder
Can u clarify?
Will this dish still be ok without the parmesan? We have a dairy allergy in the family. Thank you!
Hi Taylor!
I used the Parmesan, but didn’t really taste it at all!! I would venture to say it would come out just as awesome without it!! Good luck!! This is 100% YUMMY!!!
Yeah, that should be fine! xT
Could I sub Jasmine rice? Thanks!
Yeah that should be fine! xT
Hi Tieghan! Do you have any vegetarian substitutes for the chicken?
Thanks so much!
Tofu?
Hi! Maybe some cauliflower would be yummy! xT
Hi! I know the chipotle in adobo is the star of this meal, but I am just not a fan of that smoky flavor. I love everything else about this recipe. Is there some thing else you could recommend as a substitute?
Hi! You could use paprika instead! xT
I saw you said breast or thighs or both! Do you prefer this dish with skin on or off? Looks amazing
I prefer with skin off! xT
Do you use boneless or bone-in chicken pieces?
My question exactly!
What could I sub out the zucchini for? Would broccoli work?
Erin, I totally agree. I was wondering if broccoli, asparagus or even fresh spinach. I am going to try it with something other than zucchini!
Yeah broccoli would work! xT
Boneless! xT