What’s better than a one pot lemon chicken and cilantro rice? It’s such a comforting meal and hearty enough for the whole family. Being middle eastern, there is no better meal that rice and chicken for me. Rice is life for us and without it the meal feels incomplete. Reminds me of what my mom would make which would always put a smile on my face. I personally love lemon on everything but it is completely optional.

Although it takes some time to cook, the prep time is only 10 minutes and all you have to do is pop in the oven and your work is done! What comes out is a delicious, fragrant and flavorful dish that is just devour-able. I promise, your whole family will enjoy it, especially on week nights when you want to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible.

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ONE POT LEMON CHICKEN & CILANTRO RICE

Yield: 4

Author: Yasmine Wahab

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

Ingredients

4 organic bone in, skin on chicken thighs
kosher salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon zested & juiced, plus slices for garnish
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped, divided

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt & black pepper. Set aside.
Place a large cast iron over high heat and pour 1 tbsp olive oil. Place the chicken thighs skin side down in the cast iron for 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove from the cast iron and set aside.
Turn the heat to medium and transfer the chopped onions into the cast iron and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add garlic, lemon zest and cumin seeds for 30 seconds until fragrant then add the rice and combine everything for another 30 seconds - 1 min. Add the chicken broth, lemon juice and half of the cilantro and combine. Transfer the chicken thighs back to the cast iron, cover with foil and place into the oven for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the rest of the cilantro and enjoy while it's hot.

Notes:

Once you place the chicken skin side down, do not check it for 4-5 minutes. This will give you crispy golden skin each time. The addition of lemon is optional.