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    One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice

    Published: May 18, 2016 / 130 Comments

    194.5K shares
    • Facebook2.6K
    Recipe Print

    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!

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    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.

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    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!

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    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.

    cooking chicken thighs in a skillet on medium-high heat

    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).

    cook chicken thighs until skins are golden brown

    To the same (now empty) skillet, add chicken broth, water, rice, ¼ teaspoon salt and minced garlic.

    Add vegetable or chicken broth and rice

    Don't forget to add garlic - it add so much flavor:

    Add garlic to the broth with rice

    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.

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    Simmer for 15-20 minutes, covered, until the rice is cooked through and chicken is done (no longer pink in the center).

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    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.

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    Add the chicken back on top and serve the dinner!

    4.76 from 79 votes

    One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice

    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!  
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories per serving 600 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 4 chicken thighs
    • salt and pepper
    • 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
    • ¼ cup water
    • 1 cup Jasmine rice , uncooked, or use any rice that says on the package that it takes 15 minutes to cook it
    • ¼ 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
    • ½ cup fresh cilantro , chopped

    Instructions 

    • 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, ¼ 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.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    600
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    23
    g
    35
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    5
    g
    31
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    110
    mg
    37
    %
    Sodium
     
    668
    mg
    29
    %
    Potassium
     
    778
    mg
    22
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    64
    g
    21
    %
    Fiber
     
    9
    g
    38
    %
    Protein
     
    31
    g
    62
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    225
    IU
    5
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    12
    mg
    15
    %
    Calcium
     
    63
    mg
    6
    %
    Iron
     
    3.7
    mg
    21
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    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.

    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!

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    Please share your comment and Star Rating in the comments section below.

    I appreciate your feedback!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Teri

      March 08, 2019 at 10:02 am

      We prepared this for friends last evening and it was a big hit. I altered the recipe by using a whole small head of garlic. I needed about 1/4 cup more liquid and opted to use more stock than water. It was amazingly delicious and the lime adds quite a bit of freshness to flavor. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 25, 2019 at 7:22 pm

        So glad you liked this recipe! What a great idea to use a small head of garlic in the rice. Thank you for your feedback!

        Reply
    2. Teresa

      December 17, 2018 at 8:55 pm

      . Made this tonight. Very flavorful. Make sure you follow the directions and use a rice that cooks in 15 minutes. I made the mistake of using a rice that needs to simmer for 45 minutes. I waited a long time in the rice was still crunchy… But that was my mistake. If I use the right rice this would’ve been perfect.

      Reply
      • Julia

        January 11, 2019 at 7:57 pm

        Teresa, I am so glad you tried this recipe and enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing your feedback!

        Reply
    3. Paulette Gleason

      November 08, 2018 at 8:17 pm

      Hi Julia,
      I made this tonight I was a little skeptical on the amount of liquid so I only added a small amount of water and my rice was still too wet next time I will only do the 1 to 2 ratio like I have done over 40 years. The recipe was very tasty I added more lime juice then what was in the recipe only because we love limes, and my husband really like it I will defiantly make this again. Thanks

      Reply
      • Julia

        December 04, 2018 at 3:00 am

        Paulette, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your wonderful review!

        Reply
    4. Ohio

      October 15, 2018 at 7:22 pm

      ABSOLUTELY Amazing, easy to make and super yummy. I agree. Kids would like it too!

      I added no water because it would have been too watery. I substituted instant brown rice for jasmine rice and used boneless skinless thighs instead. I doubled it by matching two batches in two separate pans and froze the second batch. I just added a little more spices to the second batch due to loss of taste in freezing process.

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 23, 2018 at 11:46 pm

        So happy you liked this chicken dish! Great idea to double the recipe by making this in two batches in two separate pans. And then, freeze one of the batches! Brilliant!

        Reply
    5. Debbie

      September 03, 2018 at 6:25 pm

      This was dinner tonight....it was delicious! Definitely a keeper. I made it exactly as the recipe above -- perfect! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Julia

        September 11, 2018 at 11:46 am

        You're very welcome, Debbie! I am so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    6. Julie

      August 29, 2018 at 9:20 pm

      This was an amazing dish! The only change I made was that instead of olive oil, I seared the chicken in bacon grease and added some of the bacon bits to the entire dish. It was delicious!

      Reply
      • Julia

        September 11, 2018 at 12:07 pm

        So glad you enjoyed this, Julie! Adding bacon bits sounds delicious! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Amanda

      August 29, 2018 at 6:42 pm

      Ive made this delicious recipe many times with chicken breast! I do not add the 1/4 cup of water, but I do add a few tablespoons and I cook this in a Dutch oven. I feel as thou I’ve perfected the water, rice, meat ratio. Ssooooooooo goooooood!

      Reply
      • Julia

        September 11, 2018 at 12:08 pm

        Amanda, thank you! So happy you've been making this recipe many times. 🙂 Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a kind comment. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Holly

      August 14, 2018 at 3:57 pm

      I used more rice and adjusted the liquid in the recipe to fit the amount of rice I wanted. Very good

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 16, 2018 at 11:57 am

        So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

        Reply
    9. Tamara Scott

      July 22, 2018 at 2:09 am

      I made this last weekend. Husband said it was a keeper. I did not use the water that the recipe called for because the general rule is a 1:2 ratio of rice to liquid. Some of my rice wasn't quite done and could have used more time cooking. I also used boneless, skinless thighs as that was what I had. It was good.

      Reply
      • Julia

        July 31, 2018 at 5:18 pm

        Thank you, Tamara! So glad you liked it ! Great idea to use boneless skinless chicken thighs.

        Reply
      • Debra

        January 07, 2019 at 11:04 pm

        Good point about the rice /liquid ratio, as I had too much liquid as well. By the time it finished absorbing, it was practically a risotto! It still tasted good and I used boneless skinless thighs as what was on hand.

        Reply
        • Julia

          January 11, 2019 at 4:34 pm

          Debra, I am glad you liked the recipe! 🙂

          Reply
    10. Shayna

      June 19, 2018 at 7:30 pm

      I am making this right now and wish I read the comments first. I was thinking as I was doing it as it seemed it was too much water. Oh well will learn for next time. Smells delish!

      Reply
      • Julia

        July 16, 2018 at 7:23 pm

        Thank you! Enjoy!

        Reply
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