Skillet chicken and rice with peas and lemon
Published: 2026-08-25 · Updated: 2026-08-25
Pat the thighs dry so they can take color before the rice goes in. The fond in the pan is the sauce. Toast the rice in that fat until the edges look glassy, then add stock and leave the lid on so the steam cooks the grain while the chicken finishes to 165 °F.
Servings: 4 · American · omnivore
Ingredients
- 600 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
- 8 g kosher salt, divided
- 2 g smoked paprika
- 15 ml olive oil
- 150 g yellow onion, small dice
- 100 g carrot, small dice
- 10 g garlic, minced
- 200 g long-grain white rice, rinsed until the water runs almost clear
- 400 ml low-sodium chicken stock
- 150 g frozen peas
- 15 ml lemon juice
- 5 g parsley, chopped, optional
Method
1. Dry and season
Pat the chicken dry with towels. Season all sides with 6 g of the salt and the paprika. Set a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. The pan should be heating while you dice the onion and carrot.
2. Sear
Add the oil. When it shimmers, lay the thighs in a single layer. Cook 5 to 6 minutes without moving until the underside is deep gold and the fond is brown, not black. Flip and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate. It will not be done yet.
3. Aromatics
Lower the heat to medium. Add onion and carrot to the fat. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until the onion is translucent and picking up the fond. Add garlic. Stir 30 seconds until fragrant, not burnt.
4. Toast rice
Add the drained rice. Stir 1 to 2 minutes until the grains look slightly translucent at the edges and smell toasty. Sprinkle the remaining 2 g salt.
5. Simmer
Pour in the stock. Scrape the fond loose. Nestle the thighs and any juices into the rice. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Cook 18 minutes. Do not lift the lid for the first 15 minutes.
6. Check temperature
Uncover. Probe the thickest thigh. It should read 165 °F. If it is short, cover and cook 2 to 4 minutes more. Rest off heat, still covered, 5 minutes so the rice finishes steaming and the juices settle.
7. Peas and lemon
Scatter the peas over the rice. Cover 2 minutes so they heat through. Uncover. Drizzle lemon juice. Fluff the rice around the chicken. Taste for salt. Parsley on top if you have it. Serve from the skillet.
8. Leftovers
Cool in a shallow container within 2 hours. Refrigerate up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat to 165 °F with a splash of water so the rice does not dry out.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 545 |
|---|---|
| Protein | 42 g |
| Carbohydrate | 46 g |
| Fat | 19 g |
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