Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice is a 30-minute one-pot dinner packed with so much flavor! This Mediterranean recipe features spinach, grape tomatoes, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), feta cheese, paprika, and oregano. It's healthy, gluten-free, protein-rich, and fiber-rich, and can be easily made dairy-free.
Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice
This is by no means an authentic Greek recipe, but it is certainly inspired by Greek ingredients and flavors! It definitely fits into the Mediterranean diet category. Made with classic Greek ingredients, this chicken and rice skillet is not only delicious and very flavorful, but it also makes a great presentation! I used skinless boneless chicken thighs (seasoned with paprika, oregano, and red pepper flakes) - they work so well in this recipe! The dark chicken meat is moist, flavorful, and very forgiving to cook. Serve Greek chicken and lemon rice with Greek salad for a complete meal! If you enjoy Mediterranean rice skillets, you might also like this Mediterranean salmon and rice.
Why you'll love it
- 30-minute ONE-POT dinner. Greek chicken and lemon rice come together fast. The cleanup is minimal. It's a perfect recipe for when you need something quick yet delicious on a busy weekday.
- Perfect for meal prep. Because there is no cream in this recipe, it freezes and reheats really well!
- Serve it as a main or side dish. With so many satisfying ingredients in this recipe (chicken, rice, chickpeas, and veggies), it certainly makes a great well-balanced main course. But, you could also present it as a side dish. You can slice the chicken even more thinly than I did, mix it with the lemon rice, and serve it as a chicken rice side dish.
What kind of chicken to use?
- Skinless boneless chicken thighs are the best choice here. They are flavorful, moist, and forgiving to cook. Do not discard the juices from the cooked chicken thighs - they will add so much flavor to the rice!
- Skinless boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins are good choices, too, even though the white chicken meat is not as flavorful as chicken thighs.
- I do not recommend bone-in chicken, such as skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. It cooks much longer than skinless boneless chicken and is better suited for baking in the oven vs on the stovetop.
What kind of rice to use?
- Jasmine or basmati rice. Long-grain rice works the best here.
- Brown rice will cook a little bit longer, but would work great, too.
- Wild rice will take even longer to cook, but it will certainly fit well with the rest of the ingredients!
How to make it dairy-free
Use vegan feta cheese. All other ingredients are dairy-free!
The best kind of cooking pan to use
A 12-inch high-sided cast iron skillet is what I used. Any similar large skillet or saute pan will work. Make sure it's high-sided.
Substitutions and variations
- Rice. I used jasmine rice. You can also use basmati rice, any long-grain rice, or Arborio rice.
- Pasta. If you're looking for other popular Greek or Mediterranean diet choices in place of rice, I recommend Orzo. You can also make this recipe with pasta of your choice.
- Beans. I recommend garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or cannellini beans. You can even use cooked lentils.
- Lime or lemon will work great. Freshly squeezed juice is always the best!
- Veggies. My favorite veggies to add to the Greek chicken and lemon rice are chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, green beans, cucumber, zucchini, arugula, and spinach. Pick and choose what you have available!
- Cheese. You can use grated Parmesan or fresh Mozzarella cheese instead of or in addition to Feta cheese.
Storage Tips
- Fridge. Store leftover Greek chicken and rice refrigerated, in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. This recipe is freezer-friendly and perfect for meal prep! Freeze this dish for up to 2 months.
How to reheat
- Stove-top. Reheat over low-medium heat in any kind of appropriately sized cooking pan. Add a small amount of olive oil when reheating, and stir the rice often.
- Microwave oven. Reheat the leftovers in a deep, high-sided microwave-safe dish (bowl) for about 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave oven, and stir the rice mixture well. Return to the oven and reheat for 30 more seconds or more, until heated through.
What to serve with it
Greek chicken and lemon rice is a complete meal that doesn't need any side dishes. The only thing that can make it better is a side salad. Here are some easy and healthy ideas:
- Simple Arugula Salad with Lemon Zest, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts
- Greek Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad with Basil Pesto
Other Greek-inspired main courses
- Greek Shrimp Orzo with Tomatoes, Feta, and Olives
- One-Pot Greek Chicken
- Greek Shrimp Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, and Feta Cheese
- 30-Minute Greek Orzo with Tomatoes, Feta, Olives, and Fresh Basil
Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice (30 Minutes, One-Pot)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1.5 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Greek lemon rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 oz grape tomatoes sliced in half
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 oz fresh spinach chopped
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
- 15 oz chickpeas canned
Feta cheese mixture
- 6 oz feta cheese diced into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano optional
- fresh oregano for garnish
Instructions
How to cook chicken
- Season the chicken thighs with dried oregano, paprika, salt, and red pepper flakes.
- Heat an empty, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet (such as a cast-iron or stainless steel pan) over medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken thighs. Cook the chicken on medium heat for 5 minutes on one side, undisturbed. Important note: make sure the oil does not burn. If the skillet gets too hot (depending on your stovetop), reduce heat to low-medium. You don't want the juices from the chicken to be burnt, as you will use those juices to flavor the rice.
- Flip the chicken thighs over, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes or longer on the other side, without moving it, until it's cooked through.
- The meat thermometer should register 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
How to make Greek lemon rice
- Add half of the halved grape tomatoes, minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same, now empty, skillet. Cook the tomatoes on medium heat for about 2 minutes until they soften and release juices.
- Stir in fresh spinach until it wilts.
- Add cooked rice and drained chickpeas.
- Add 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and the remaining uncooked halved grape tomatoes. Reheat on medium heat, stirring everything to combine. Add 1 extra tablespoon of olive oil if you like.
How to make a feta cheese mixture
- In a medium bowl, combine cubed Feta cheese with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of dried oregano (add more to taste), 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh oregano (if using).
- Mix so that the herbs and olive oil coat the cubed Feta cheese.
Assembly
- Mix half of the feta cheese mixture into the skillet with lemon rice.
- Add sliced cooked chicken to the skillet with rice and reheat on medium heat.
- Top the Greek chicken and lemon rice with the remaining feta mixture. Sprinkle fresh oregano on top.
- Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Cornelia S. Guest
This was delicious! I cooked it following directions exactly. I just reheated some using kalmata olives as one reader suggested and that was good, too.
Julia
I am so glad you tried it and loved it! 🙂 Yes, olives are a great addition! 🙂
Joe
If "cooked rice" is in the instructions and "cook the rice" isn't instruction #1... You are evil
Julia
Hi Joe! Yes, this recipe uses the rice cooked in advance. Of course, you can also cook it while you cook the chicken and prepare the rest of the ingredients - it doesn't add any extra time really, just an extra pan!
Dianna
I plan to make this dish this week. It looks delicious. However, I am not a big fan of Oregano. What other herb can be substituted for Oregano?
Julia
You can use Italian seasoning and/or a very small amount (a sprinkle) of fresh thyme (snipped).
Chris
This looks delicious! Wondering if anyone has tried it with cauliflower rice for a low carb option?
Julia
I love the idea of using cauliflower "rice" here!
Laura Hardy
Is the calories per serving???
Seems very high
Julia
Disclaimer: The nutritional info on my site is only an approximation, an estimate, it's not 100% accurate, and I am not a nutritionist.
But, going purely from numbers, most or these (estimated) calories come from these 4 ingredients (per each serving):
Chicken thighs: 200
Chickpeas: 175
Olive oil: 124
Feta: 113
Jasmine rice: 103
I did use 4 tablespoons of olive oil (not a low calorie food) - you can reduce that.
Use leaner chicken breasts instead of fattier chicken thighs.
Lorarine Whellams
Looks delicious but husband can't eat chickpeas..can I substitute another type of bean?
Julia
Hi Lorarine! You can use white beans, cooked lentils, or fresh (or frozen) green peas instead.
MJ
Hi
Ca I use chicken breast instead of thighs? I can cut the breasts up in small pieces
Julia
Yes, chicken breasts would work as well as the thighs!
Pam M
This looks so good and I want to try it! I am very sensitive to garlic (I LOVE garlic too ), what would be an ideal alternative?
Julia
Hi Pam! What about green onions, chives, or shallots (if you can eat those)?
Shayne
This was very good. I also added olives and mushrooms to mine. However, it is not a one pot meal when you have to cook the rice separately. But that will not detour me from making this again. Thank you for the recipe.
Julia
Shayne, thank you for such a positive comment! 🙂 I love the addition of mushrooms and olives. Yes, it's not a one-pot meal if cooking the rice at the same time as the chicken. I do like to use pre-cooked rice with this recipe to save time. 🙂
Terri
I made this with chicken breast and added Kalamata olives, yum!
Julia
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your review, Terri! 🙂
Martin
Hi, The recipe was good and my wife and I enjoyed it however I think the timing was a bit off. Unless you have all the ingredients chopped weighed and ready to go you would have some difficulty in getting to the 20m cooking time. I would give it 45m and although it was a one pot meal I seemed to have a lot of clean up afterwards. I'll try a few more of your recipes as this was quite good.
Julia
Thank you, Martin, for this feedback! 🙂 I hope you try other dishes from my site and enjoy them, too! 🙂
Michelle
Made this tonight and loved it! It has just the right flavor!
Julia
Michelle, so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Carol
Tried this for the first time. Husband says it is a keeper. Like that it can be made vegetarian as well. Next time going to try it with tofu and more vegetables (mushrooms, broccoli) and cooked spinach doesn't work in our house. Thanks for the inspiration and love that it is freezer friendly as well
Julia
Carol, I am so glad both of you enjoyed it! This would be delicious with extra veggies, such as mushrooms and broccoli!
Jackie Currie
Husband and I both loved this. Made it just as written. I think it would even be great without any meat.
Julia
I agree, Jackie, this would be just as good meatless, without chicken. It will also make a great side dish, too!
Valerie Child
My whole family loved this! I used breasts instead of thighs.
Julia
Valerie, I am so glad this recipe was a hit with your family! 🙂
B Williams
What is the serving size for the nutritional information? It doesn't state it.
Julia
The whole recipe makes 4 servings. So, I would just divide the prepared dish into 4 equal portions.
Laurel
I love your recipes but I have an intolerance to garlic. Do you have some good one pot chicken recipes or other quick recipes that don’t use garlic as main seasoning?
Julia
Laurel, I do have lots of recipes without garlic - too many to list here (I don't have a special category for them, unfortunately). Even if my recipe has a garlic, just skip it, it won't affect flavor that much. 🙂
Georgiana Hintz Cave
Is there a sgood substiture for feta. I do not like it.
Julia
Georgiana, you could use either small fresh Mozzarella balls ("pearls") or cubed Parmesan cheese instead! 🙂
MOLLY A JONES
Can this dish be made the morning of? How would I do that? Looks DELISH!
Julia
Molly, yes, you can make the whole dish in the morning, refrigerate it and then reheat it on the stovetop when ready. Add a small amount of olive oil when reheating + maybe a very small amount of chicken stock (or water) as the rice will be drier after refrigeration.