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One skillet Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice—quick, easy, colorful, and delicious! Pan-seared chicken with oregano, paprika, cayenne, and garlicky lemon butter are cooked all together with rice pilaf and spinach for an all-in-one dinner. Top with salty green olives, crumbled feta cheese, and fresh basil for a dinner that everyone at the table will love.
As the days become longer and life gets a little busy, I find myself leaving dinner to the very last minute. That’s when simple skillet dinners come in handy.
As we enter late spring, once the sun begins to set, I constantly feel like I’m running late. After the long winters, I’m totally thrown off. It always takes me a few weeks to find the right dinner groove and time to start cooking for the night!
Thankfully I can rely on simple recipes like this chicken and rice. It’s so delicious, and the bonus is just how easy it is to prepare.
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- Dried oregano
- Paprika
- Cayenne pepper
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Salted butter
- Lemon (for fresh lemon juice and lemon zest)
- Dry orzo
- Dry rice
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Low sodium chicken broth
- Chopped spinach
- Pitted green olives
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
- Lemon juice
This is also the time of year when grocery stores, Whole Foods, and, of course, all the amazing farmers markets, begin to sell fresh herb plants again. When this happens, I get way too excited.
My favorite herb plants are basil and thyme. So when I get my hands on a few, you better believe I’ll use them in all of the recipes I can.
I love it when the in-season produce easily helps me create new recipes. It’s always so fun (and delicious)!
Here are the details
Step 1: Season and sear the chicken
Everything starts with the chicken, which is Greek-inspired and seasoned simply with dry oregano, paprika, cayenne, and fresh thyme. Pan-sear the chicken in an oven-safe skillet until it’s just barely browned.
Once you sear the chicken, pull it out of the pan.
Step 2: the orzo and the rice
Next, add some butter, then add dry orzo and dry rice. I love to use jasmine rice.
Using a combination of pasta and rice makes this more like a Rice-A-Roni or a rice pilaf bake. It’s such a nice addition. It’s perfect if you have an almost empty box of orzo just sitting in the pantry waiting to be used.
Allow the rice and orzo to toast a bit. Add the shallots, garlic, and another tablespoon of thyme, then let everything cook together. At this point, you want things to smell just a little nutty. Get excited, this is going to taste so good!
Step 3: add the lemon
OK. Now, toss in a bit more butter and then the lemon slices.
Let the lemons sizzle in the butter. Wow, yum!
Step 4: add the broth and finish in the oven
Add the chicken broth, then slide the chicken into the rice. Bring everything to a boil and allow the rice to simmer before transferring the entire skillet to the oven to finish cooking.
As the dish cooks in the oven, you’ll find that some of the rice and pasta on top get a nice little crisp. Which we think is pretty delicious!
Step 5: the olives
While the dish bakes, mix the green olives with crumbled feta cheese, fresh basil, lemon juice, and a drizzle of olive oil. Then a pinch of salt and maybe some chili flakes.
Step 6: serve
Serve the chicken topped with salty olives. I like to add bread or a big salad on the side (or both)—it’s delish!
What’s great about this one-skillet chicken rice bake is that it incorporates a variety of flavors and doesn’t feel basic. Sprinkle sea salt for an added crunch at the end!
This is already in my rotation of “back pocket” recipes. It’s simple and delicious, and my family gave it a double thumbs up!
Looking for other skillet dinners? Here are my favorites:
One Skillet Louisiana Style Chicken and Rice
One Skillet White Chicken Chili Bake
Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce.
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
Lastly, if you make this Skillet Greek Lemon 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 Skillet Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 668 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
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- salt and black pepper
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1/2 cup dry orzo
- 1 cup dry rice
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3-4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 1/2 cup pitted green olives, crushed
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. In a large oven-safe skillet, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, chicken, oregano, paprika, cayenne, 1 tablespoon thyme, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Set the skillet over high heat. Sear on both sides until golden, 3-5 minutes. Remove everything from the skillet.3. To the skillet, add 3 tablespoons butter, the orzo, rice, shallots, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of thyme. Cook until the rice is toasted. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add 1 more tablespoon of butter and the lemon slices. Allow the butter to brown around the lemons. 4. Pour in 3 cups broth. Mix in the spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Slide the chicken and any juices left on the plate back into the skillet. Bring to a boil. Cover the skillet and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook for 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked into the rice, but not all of it. If needed, add more broth. Bake, uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.5. Meanwhile, mix the olives, feta, basil, and lemon juice. Drizzle over olive oil and season with salt. 6. Serve the chicken and rice topped with feta, olives, and fresh basil. Sometimes I like to add avocado too!
This post was originally published on April 29, 2024
I made this last week for friends. I was looking for a gluten-friendly, one pot option that could be prepped ahead and pulled together with low effort. I made a couple modifications to make it gluten-friendly – I omitted the orzo, and added a little extra rice (my favorite rice is basmati) along with some pine nuts with the rice while browning in the butter. I also added some sliced sun-dried tomatoes and fully cooked this on the cooktop, as my big frying pan isn’t oven-safe and I didn’t want to dirty another casserole pan. It worked fine this way! I forgot to add the lemon slices – darn it! It still tasted fantastic, so for those of you who are unsure of the lemon slices, try the recipe without them! I got lots of complements from my friends. This is a keeper.
Hi Katherine,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! Thanks for sharing your notes:) xx
On my regular rotation, my family loves this recipe! I love that it’s super customizable. I make this so often that I now use this as my base recipe and substitute based on whatever I have on hand. LOVE this recipe.
Hi Paige,
Love to hear this recipe us always enjoyed by your family! Thanks for making it so often! xx
Absolutely delicious!! I cut the olives but added mushrooms and carrots. I used gluten free orzo and solely dried herbs, it turned out wonderfully. So good! Make sure you season as you go, I think that might have been the missing piece for the comments concerned about missing flavor. Our family loved this.
Hey Lauren,
So glad to hear this! Thank you so much for trying this dish and your comment! Have a nice November! xx
Hi,
I tried the recipe today and it end up looking like on the picture, but the flavor was incredibly bitter, I suppose from the lemon 🥲 is that normal or have I done something wrong ?
Hi Veselina,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear this dish was bitter. Were the lemons browned? That really helps to take the bitter taste out of them. I hope this helps! xT
I had the same bitterness issue. I understand this is supposed to be a one pan dish, but I think next time I make it I will brown the lemons in a separate pan, and then add them when the recipe calls for them. Other than this the dish had simple, clean flavors in an otherwise very warm and satisfying dish.
I really liked the flavor of the rice but my chicken wasn’t super flavorful. Maybe diving the chicken with the seasoning would be better! Love the addition of green olives!
Hi Karly,
Happy Thursday:) Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Thanks for your comment! Xx
Is there a way to make this ahead?
Hi Hollee,
Sure, you could fully make this in advance and then heat on low in the oven to warm through. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Can I rinse the rice before cooking?
Hi Lynette,
Yes, that’s just fine! I hope you love this recipe! xT
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Since time isn’t given for how long it takes the rice to brown, how do I know when there are 2 minutes of cooking time left?
Hi Karyn,
It’s just until the rice is browned….should be just a few minutes:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This one is a keeper and is going to be added to my regular rotation! Fantastic recipe!!
Hey Steven,
So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it and your feedback! xx
This was AMAZING! The flavors were incredible, and we loved that it was a one pot meal aka fewer dishes! We will definitely be adding this to our recipe rotation.
Hey Sarah,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it! Happy Monday! xx
Hey everyone, do I use frozen chopped spinach or fresh baby spinach?
Hi Christopher,
I used fresh spinach for this recipe, but frozen would totally work as well. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Can I remove the orzo entirely? Should I add extra rice if doing so?
Hi Nessa,
Yes, you can skip the orzo and add 1/4 cup more rice. I hope you love this dish! xT
Can I sub the rice and do all orzo? What would the adjustments be? Thanks!
Hi Jaimee,
Sure, that should work for you! I would keep the recipe as written:) I hope you love this dish! xT
Have made this multiple times now, always delicious! I’m wondering how it would turn out with quinoa instead of the orzo and rice?
Hey Rachel,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, love to hear that you have been enjoying it! I’ve never tried this dish with quinoa, I’m sure it would work, you may need to make some adjustments with the liquid and cook time. xx
Anyway to modify to make in crockpot ?
Hey there,
So sorry, I have never tested this dish in the crockpot, so I don’t have those exact instructions. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
ok this was DELICIOUS! I’m just not a fan of olives so i skipped that part and instead added 1/2 cup feta and some chopped basil to the rice when it came out of the oven, and squeezed a little more lemon over the whole thing. Serviced this with garlic broccoli and it was HIT and made tons of leftovers. Totally adding this to the weeknight rotation!
Hey Alexa,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it:) Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT