One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice – flavorful, delicious, gluten free recipe! Very easy to make, everything is done in one-pot, on stove-top, no need to turn on the oven!
Just let the rice cook in the juices from the chicken thighs and in the chicken broth (or vegetable broth). The rice come out super delicious, and the chicken thighs are perfectly moist, tender, and flavorful! You don’t need to spend a lot of time making this One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice which makes it a great recipe for weeknights.
This might become one of your favorite ways to cook chicken and rice. I am really in love with this cilantro-lime black bean chicken and rice!
How to make One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice
First, heat a large skillet on medium-high heat until hot. Add olive oil – it should run easily because the skillet is hot, but not sizzle or smoke. Season skin side of chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Sear them on high-medium heat in the skillet, skin-side down, for 5 minutes, until skins get golden brown color but don’t get burned.
Flip the chicken thighs to the other side and sear for 2 more minutes on medium heat. That’s how the chicken thigh skins should look like – nicely browned, but not burned. Skillet should not be burned on the bottom – use medium-high heat or medium heat, depending on your stove. Remove the chicken from the skillet (it will not be cooked through – you’ll continue cooking it in the next steps).
To the same (now empty) skillet, add chicken broth, water, rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and minced garlic.
Don’t forget to add garlic – it add so much flavor:
Bring to boil. Mix everything well. Put chicken thighs on top, making wells for them in the rice. Reduce to the heat to low boil simmer. Cover the skillet with the lid.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes, covered, until the rice is cooked through and chicken is done (no longer pink in the center).
Remove the chicken from the skillet. Mix in the 1 tablespoon of lime juice, rinsed and rained black beans, and fresh cilantro into the cooked rice. Taste, and add more salt and/or another small amount of lime juice (at most 1 extra tablespoon, try adding half of extra tablespoon first). I think 2 tablespoons of lime juice (freshly squeezed only!) are just perfect, but the lime flavor might be too strong for some people, so you might use just 1 or 1.5 tablespoon instead of 2 that I used.
Add the chicken back on top and serve the dinner!
Great weeknight recipe. Flavorful, delicious, and gluten free! Make everything in one pan: both the main dish and the side dish. And, there you have your Chicken Thighs with Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice. All made together, in one pan!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 chicken thighs
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup Jasmine rice , uncooked, or use any rice that says on the package that it takes 15 minutes to cook it
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice , freshly squeezed (use one 1 tablespoon first, before adding another)
- 15 oz black beans , rinsed, drained
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro , chopped
Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat until hot. Add olive oil - it should run easily because the skillet is hot, but not sizzle or smoke.
Season skin side of chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Sear them on high-medium heat in the skillet, skin-side down, for 5 minutes, until skins get golden brown color but don't get burned. Skillet should not be burned on the bottom.
Flip the chicken thighs to the other side and sear for 2 more minutes on medium heat.
Remove the chicken from the skillet (it will not be cooked through - you'll continue cooking it in the next steps).
To the same (now empty) skillet, add chicken broth, water, uncooked rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and minced garlic. Bring to boil. Mix everything well.
Put chicken thighs on top, making wells for them in the rice.
Reduce the heat to low boil simmer. Cover the skillet with the lid. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, covered, until the rice is cooked through, and the chicken is completely cooked (no longer pink in the center).
Remove the chicken from the skillet.
Mix in the 1 tablespoon of lime juice, rinsed and drained black beans, and fresh cilantro into the cooked rice. Taste, and add more salt and/or another small amount of lime juice (at most 1 extra tablespoon, try adding half of the extra tablespoon first).
- Note: I think 2 tablespoons of lime juice (freshly squeezed only!) are just perfect, but the lime flavor might be too strong for some people, so you might use just 1 or 1.5 tablespoons instead of 2 that I used.
I make this dish at least once a month. Everyone loves the favor and I love that it only uses one pan. Bravo!
This dish was absolutely delicious! This will be added to my weekly routine! Just got to work on crisping up the skin better next time
This was so good! It turned out great. I was trying to re-create a really yummy meal that I had from BJ’s Brewhouse. I used boneless, skinless thighs, and I added a can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles. I made a cilantro lime yogurt sauce to drizzle on top, which when mixed in with the rice makes it extra tasty. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow.
I have made this several times, and my family loves it! It’s quick and easy. I use skinless, boneless chicken thighs since that’s what I usually have on hand. Do you serve it with any side dishes? Thanks so much for the recipe!
I’ve been making this for a few years now. It is a staple in our household. I often make it as is But sometimes I use it as a base and get creative. Either way, my boys love it. I often use boneless chicken thighs because that’s what I most often have in the house. Either works great! Thanks for the great recipe! We love it
I made this last night and it turned out sooo good! I used chicken bone broth instead of regular broth. Super easy to make too!
Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Love this recipe! It’s in our family recipe rotation and easy enough that I can make it on vacation in Puerto Rico where I can easily find all the ingredients. Thank you, Julia.
You are very welcome! So happy to hear that you make this recipe even when you travel – that’s a huge compliment to me!
There are conflicting amounts of water, is it 1/4 or 1/2 cup?
1/4 cup water.
This proved to be a great foundational recipe. I seasoned the chicken with chili powder, in addition to the S&P. I sautéed the garlic with some onion and jalapeño in the pan right after I browned the chicken, and left that in the pan. When adding the rice and liquids, I made sure to deglaze (scrape the brown bits up) the pan so all that goodness was floating around and in the rice. Lastly, I added a few chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to the black beans. Julia’s recipe is a great starter and solid recipe as it is – for our house, it just needed a little more flavor.
Thank you, Derek, for sharing the changes you made to this recipe – they sound wonderful!
I used shrimp because I had it on hand. It wss really good. Will definitely make this again!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂