One-Pot Mediterranean Chicken & Rice
Juicy paprika-seasoned chicken, savory pancetta, and fluffy garlicky rice cook together in one skillet with white wine and chicken stock, then finish with fresh lemon and parsley. It’s a flavorful, satisfying one-pot dinner with layers of flavor in every bite.
Servings 6
Calories 595
Ingredients
- 4 oz pancetta diced
- 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into small bite-sized pieces
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, or more to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil as needed
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups parboiled long-grain rice
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus more to taste
Instructions
- Season the chicken with the 2 teaspoons sweet paprika, oregano, lemon zest, optional cayenne, a light amount of salt, and black pepper. Set it aside while you prep everything else.
- Place the pancetta in a cold, deep 12-inch skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Set over medium heat and cook until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is browned. Transfer the pancetta to a plate.
- Taste the cooked pancetta for saltiness so you know how cautiously to season the rest of the dish.
- Pour off the excess rendered fat, leaving 2 tablespoons in the skillet. If the pancetta hasn't rendered quite enough, make up the difference with olive oil.
- Increase the heat to medium-high. Brown the chicken in batches, allowing the pieces to get deeply golden rather than simply cooked on the outside. Transfer to a plate. Don't cook the chicken through at this point.
- Add a little olive oil if the skillet looks dry. Add the onion and cook until softened and just beginning to turn golden, scraping up the browned chicken bits as it cooks.
- Add the garlic and cook briefly at the end of the onion's cooking time, just until fragrant. Don't let it brown.
- Add the parboiled rice, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika and ½ teaspoon sweet paprika. Cook for about a minute, stirring to coat and lightly toast the grains.
- Pour in the white wine. Cook, stirring, until the wine has fully absorbed into the rice.
- Add the chicken stock and browned pancetta. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, cover and do not stir.
- Cook for 8 minutes.
- Quickly lift the lid and nestle the browned chicken into the rice, pouring in all the accumulated juices from the plate. Cover immediately and continue cooking for approximately 7–10 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the chicken reaches 165°F/74°C.
- Add the frozen peas during the final 3–5 minutes so they're heated through without becoming soft and mushy.
- Once the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, remove from the heat. Add the parsley and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Gently fluff everything together.
- Taste and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
Erren's Top Tips
Start pancetta in a cold skillet. Gentle rendering gives you more flavorful fat to use for browning the chicken. Keep only 2 tablespoons of pancetta fat. It's fantastic for flavor, but keeping all of it can leave the finished rice greasy. Brown in batches. With small pieces of chicken, good browning happens quickly—as long as there's enough room in the skillet. Don't waste the fond. The browned bits left behind by the pancetta and chicken aren't something to clean away. Cooking the onion over them pulls that flavor into the rice. Add garlic late. Minced garlic burns much faster than onion cooks, so wait until the onion is almost ready. Don't stir once the rice is covered. Let it simmer undisturbed so the grains remain separate rather than becoming overly starchy. Taste before adding more salt. Pancetta and chicken stock can both be salty. Taste a piece of the cooked pancetta, season lightly at the beginning, and make your final adjustment after the rice is cooked. Save the lemon juice for the end. Lemon zest can handle the heat and perfumes the chicken as it cooks. Fresh juice added off the heat gives you brighter flavor and avoids the bitterness citrus juice can develop when cooked too aggressively.Variations & Add-Ins
Make it spicier: Increase the cayenne beyond the optional ¼ teaspoon if you want more noticeable heat. Skip the peas: They're useful here for a little sweetness and color, but the chicken and rice don't depend on them. Leave them out if you're cooking for someone who, like me, would generally prefer peas didn't exist. 😏 Add more vegetables: I'd serve vegetables alongside this rather than loading the skillet with peppers or tomatoes. Those additions change the character of the rice and take the recipe in a different direction. Without wine: Replace the wine with additional chicken stock. You won't get quite the same depth, but the recipe will still work.Storage & Freezing
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently until the chicken and rice are piping hot. Rice dries as it sits, so add a small splash of chicken stock or water before reheating if needed. You can freeze the chicken and rice in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.Nutrition
Calories: 595 | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 161mg | Sodium: 497mg | Potassium: 804mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 977IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 3mg