The sear here is 3 to 4 minutes a side, and the recipe says outright that the chicken will finish cooking with the rice. That is not a shortcut — it is the mechanism.
Everything the chicken leaves in the pan gets scraped up by the broth and lemon juice, and the rice cooks in that. The two components are never really cooked separately.
Why This Recipe Works
- Rinsing the rice until the water runs clear removes surface starch, which is what keeps an 18-minute simmer from turning gluey.
- Toasting the rice for 1 to 2 minutes until the grains look slightly opaque coats each grain in fat, so they stay separate.
- The lemon zest goes onto the chicken and the juice into the broth, so the two halves of the lemon land in different places.
- The 5 to 10 minute covered rest off the heat lets the rice finish steaming without the bottom scorching.
Ingredient Notes
- Long-grain white rice
- A cup and a half, rinsed until the water runs clear. The 18-minute timing is built around long-grain white specifically.
- Lemon, zested and juiced
- One large lemon doing two jobs: the zest seasons the chicken in step 1, the juice goes into the cooking liquid in step 4.
- Butter
- Two tablespoons, optional, for richer rice. It goes in after the cook, not during.
How to Make It
Season the chicken
Toss the chicken with a teaspoon of salt, the pepper, paprika, half the oregano and thyme, the lemon zest and a tablespoon of olive oil.
Sear and remove
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high and sear 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden. Move it to a plate — it is not cooked through yet.
Aromatics, then toast the rice
Drop to medium. Cook the onion with a pinch of salt 2 to 3 minutes until translucent, add the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the rice and remaining dried herbs and toast 1 to 2 minutes until the grains look slightly opaque.
Deglaze with broth and lemon
Pour in the chicken broth and lemon juice, scraping up the browned bits, and bring to a gentle boil.
Nestle and simmer
Set the chicken and its juices back on top of the rice, cover, reduce to low, and simmer 18 minutes — or bake covered at 375F for 22.
Rest, then fluff
Off the heat and still covered, rest 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the butter and peas if using, fluff the rice, add the parsley, adjust the salt and serve with lemon slices.
One Pan, In Order
Nothing leaves this pan except the chicken, and only briefly. Each stage is set up by the one before it.
Stage 1 of 5
Season and sear
Steps 1–2 of 6
Three to four minutes a side over medium-high, then the chicken comes out deliberately underdone. What it leaves behind is the fond every later stage builds on.
- Season the chickenToss the chicken with a teaspoon of salt, the pepper, paprika, half the oregano and thyme, the lemon zest and a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Sear and removeHeat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high and sear 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden. Move it to a plate — it is not cooked through yet.
Stage 2 of 5
Soften and toast
Steps 3–3 of 6
Onion, then garlic, then the rice itself for 1 to 2 minutes until the grains look slightly opaque — the coating of fat that keeps them separate.
- Aromatics, then toast the riceDrop to medium. Cook the onion with a pinch of salt 2 to 3 minutes until translucent, add the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the rice and remaining dried herbs and toast 1 to 2 minutes until the grains look slightly opaque.
Stage 3 of 5
Deglaze
Steps 4–4 of 6
Broth and lemon juice scraped into a gentle boil, so everything the sear left is now in the liquid the rice will absorb.
- Deglaze with broth and lemonPour in the chicken broth and lemon juice, scraping up the browned bits, and bring to a gentle boil.
Stage 4 of 5
Simmer covered
Steps 5–5 of 6
Chicken nestled back on top for 18 minutes on low, or 22 covered at 375F. The chicken finishes and the rice cooks in its juices.
- Nestle and simmerSet the chicken and its juices back on top of the rice, cover, reduce to low, and simmer 18 minutes — or bake covered at 375F for 22.
Stage 5 of 5
Rest and fluff
Steps 6–6 of 6
Five to ten minutes off the heat with the lid on, then butter, peas, parsley and a final salt adjustment.
- Rest, then fluffOff the heat and still covered, rest 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the butter and peas if using, fluff the rice, add the parsley, adjust the salt and serve with lemon slices.
Success Tips
- Do not try to cook the chicken through during the sear. Three to four minutes a side is the instruction, and the rest happens under the lid.
- Rinse the rice properly — this is the difference between separate grains and a sticky pan.
- Leave the lid on through the rest. Lifting it early lets out the steam that finishes the rice.
Serving Ideas
Four servings straight from the pan, with parsley and lemon slices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breasts?
Yes — the recipe names boneless skinless thighs or breasts as equally acceptable.
Can I finish this in the oven instead?
Yes. The recipe gives a covered bake at 375F for 22 minutes as an alternative to the 18-minute stovetop simmer.
Why did my rice turn out sticky?
Usually the rinse. The recipe asks for the rice to be rinsed until the water runs clear, and then toasted 1 to 2 minutes before any liquid goes in.
