One-Pan Mediterranean Chicken and Rice Bake
Tender boneless chicken thighs, lemony herb-seasoned rice, sweet bell peppers, spinach, cherry tomatoes and feta — all baked together in one casserole dish. A complete, flavour-packed dinner with barely any cleanup.
Prep time
15 min
Cook time
50–60 min
Serves
Ingredients
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Chicken
- 6boneless, skinless chicken thighs (approximately 1½ lbs)
- 1 tbspolive oil
- ½ tspsalt
- ½ tspfreshly ground black pepper
- ½ tspdried oregano
- 1 tsppaprika
Rice & Vegetables
- 1 cupjasmine or long-grain white rice, rinsed well and thoroughly drained
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 1red bell pepper, diced
- 1yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
- ½ mediumred onion, finely diced
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced
- 1¾ cupshot chicken broth
- zest of 1lemon
- 1 tbspfreshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more for serving
- 1 tspdried oregano
- ½ tspdried thyme
- ½ tspsalt, or to taste
To Finish
- 2 packed cupsfresh spinach, roughly chopped
- ½–1 cupcherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cupcrumbled feta cheese, plus more for serving if desired
- 1 tbspchopped fresh dill
- 1 tbspchopped fresh parsley
- ⅓ cupKalamata olives, optional
- for servinglemon wedges
Ingredients
Chicken
- 6boneless, skinless chicken thighs (approximately 1½ lbs)
- 1 tbspolive oil
- ½ tspsalt
- ½ tspfreshly ground black pepper
- ½ tspdried oregano
- 1 tsppaprika
Rice & Vegetables
- 1 cupjasmine or long-grain white rice, rinsed well and thoroughly drained
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 1red bell pepper, diced
- 1yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
- ½ mediumred onion, finely diced
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced
- 1¾ cupshot chicken broth
- zest of 1lemon
- 1 tbspfreshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more for serving
- 1 tspdried oregano
- ½ tspdried thyme
- ½ tspsalt, or to taste
To Finish
- 2 packed cupsfresh spinach, roughly chopped
- ½–1 cupcherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cupcrumbled feta cheese, plus more for serving if desired
- 1 tbspchopped fresh dill
- 1 tbspchopped fresh parsley
- ⅓ cupKalamata olives, optional
- for servinglemon wedges
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9 × 13-inch casserole dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
- 2
Place the chicken thighs in a bowl. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, black pepper, ½ teaspoon oregano and paprika. Toss until the chicken is evenly coated.
- 3
Add the rinsed and drained rice, bell peppers, onion, garlic, lemon zest, thyme, remaining 1 teaspoon oregano and remaining ½ teaspoon salt to the casserole dish. Stir everything together.
- 4
Pour the hot chicken broth and lemon juice over the rice mixture. Stir gently to distribute the ingredients evenly.
- 5
Arrange the seasoned chicken thighs in a single layer over the rice. Cover the casserole dish very tightly with foil so the steam cannot escape.
- 6
Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Avoid lifting the foil while it cooks.
- 7
Carefully remove the casserole from the oven. Stir the spinach into the rice, working carefully around the chicken thighs. Scatter the cherry tomatoes, feta and optional Kalamata olives overtop.
- 8
Return the casserole to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 10–15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the chicken thighs reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- 9
Allow the casserole to rest for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice gently, then finish with the fresh dill, parsley and an extra squeeze of lemon. Sprinkle with additional feta if desired.
Melissa's Notes
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts may also be used. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces before seasoning and arranging them over the rice.
If the rice is still slightly firm, add ¼ cup of hot chicken broth, cover the casserole again and bake for another 5–10 minutes. Different rice varieties and casserole dishes may require slightly different amounts of liquid.
Nutrition Information
Per serving
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and brands used.
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