🍋 Easy Mediterranean Chicken & Rice | No-Stress, Full-Flavour Dinner

Golden, crispy chicken thighs. Tangy lemon slices. Briny olives. And a bed of fluffy rice that soaks up every drop of flavour. This one-pot wonder brings Mediterranean warmth to your kitchen — no stress, no endless cleanup, just bold, bright comfort food at its best.

Cooked in a single Dutch oven and kissed with garlic, shallot, and citrus, it’s a dish that practically makes itself… but tastes like you toiled for hours.

Perfect for weeknights, lazy Sundays, or whenever you need a little sunshine on a plate. Dinner, sorted.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 907 / 2 lb)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• Pinch of crushed red pepper

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

For the pot:

• 1 lemon, sliced into ¼-inch (6mm) rounds

• 1 cup (about 150g) Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives, smashed and roughly chopped

• 6 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 medium shallot or ½ small onion, minced

• 2 cups (400g) long-grain white rice, rinsed

• 4 cups (950ml) chicken broth

• Fresh parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish

• Extra lemon wedges, for serving

Method

1. Heat your oven to 200°C (400°F).Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels — moisture is the enemy of crisp skin. Season all over with salt, pepper, oregano, and a pinch of crushed red pepper.

2. Brown the chicken.

Place a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and let it warm for a few minutes.

Lay the chicken thighs in, skin-side down, and don’t touch them — give them about 5 minutes to naturally release from the pot. Once they’re golden and confident, remove and set aside.

3. Caramelize the lemon. Add your lemon slices to the same pot and cook for about 2 minutes until softened and golden. Set those aside too — they’re going back in later for maximum flavour.

4. Build the base.

Drop the heat to medium-low. Add the chopped olives, garlic, shallot (or onion), and another pinch of salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook for 2–3 minutes, scraping up the tasty bits stuck to the bottom — that’s flavour gold.

Turn the heat back to high, add in the rinsed rice and chicken broth. Stir everything together and cover the pot until it comes to a boil — about 5 minutes.

5. Bake it.

Take the pot off the heat. Nestle the browned chicken thighs back into the rice, skin-side up. Layer the lemon slices over the top.

Cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender and fluffy.

6. Finish & serve.

Scatter fresh parsley over the top and give it all a bright squeeze of lemon. Serve hot — straight from the pot if you're feeling rustic (and efficient).

A pot of gold sunkissed lemony chicken

Please watch the video below. Enjoy your adventure time in the kitchen.

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