One-Pot Lemon Garlic Rosemary Rice with broccoli is a healthy balanced meal, perfect for weeknight dinners. With plenty of options for customizations, the entire family is bound to love this simple yet flavorful one pot wonder!
Juicy chicken thighs with nutty brown rice and broccoli all swaddled in citrus garlic and rosemary flavors is what this simple recipe is all about.
Everything we need for a complete meal goes into one pot. Protein, complex carbs, fiber, micronutrients and some healthy fat to make it all taste amazing.
This easy healthy one-pot meal is perfect for dinner on busy weeknights and is fairly hands off when it comes to preparation.
When I ask readers what types of recipes they would like to see more of, a common response I get is one-pot meals.
It makes sense to me!
Full complete meals ready in an hour or less using one pot and basic ingredients are a saving grace for those who don’t have a lot of free time.
This wholesome one pot chicken and rice recipe is perfect for those busy weeknights when you’re looking for a fresh and clean meal that doesn’t require a lot of attention.
Plus, it’s a great recipe even picky eaters will enjoy!
That means more time with the family or multi-tasking while cooking.
The way it pans out, this recipe comfortably serves 4 to 6 individuals with everyone getting a nice big juicy chicken thigh, a decent portion of rice and some broccoli.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients that go into this healthy one pot chicken and rice.
One-Pot Chicken and Rice Ingredients:
Avocado Oil: Used to sauté the onion and garlic, we need a little cooking oil. I use avocado oil because it has a high smoke point, but olive oil works great too.
Onion & Garlic: Fresh onion and plenty of garlic cloves give this meal well-rounded flavor. Feel free to increase the amount of garlic to your personal taste.
Brown Rice: Bringing nutty flavor, soft texture and complex carbohydrates to the meal, brown rice is a total stud. For added fiber, I like using whole grains so I go with a sprouted brown rice. Be sure to use uncooked rice.
While white rice such as jasmine rice or any type of rice will work, the cooking time will be closer to 20 to 30 minutes so keep a close watch on the pot if you use white rice instead of brown.
Chicken: Use your choice of boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken tenders, or chopped chicken breast for this recipe. Boneless thighs are my personal preference. For the best result, stick with boneless pieces because bone-in pieces will require more time and you would need to sear them before adding them to the pot.
I like chicken thighs because they stay nice and tender through the cooking process whereas boneless skinless chicken breasts tend to be a little less juicy due to their low fat content.
If you have leftover chicken, add it at the same time as you add the broccoli (10 minutes before the rice has finished cooking).
Chicken Broth: Used as the liquid portion of the recipe for the rice to cook and absorb, we use chicken broth or chicken stock. Beef broth or vegetable broth also work. For the best results with the most flavor, stick with broth instead of water.
Lemon Zest & Lemon Juice: Bringing a nice pop of zesty citrus flavor, lemon zest and lemon juice are an all star ingredient. Be sure you don’t skip the lemon zest, because it is what is responsible for that robust lemon flavor.
Rosemary: Fresh rosemary and chicken go famously together. This simple ingredient goes a long way in enhancing the flavor of this meal. If you have dried rosemary on hand, you can use 2 teaspoons instead of a tablespoon of fresh rosemary.
Salt: Add sea salt and black pepper o your personal taste. If you feel the meal tastes bland, keep adding salt until the citrusy onion garlic flavors pop out.
Broccoli: A large crown of broccoli gets chopped up and added to the pot at the end of the cooking process. This brings fiber and micronutrients to the meal so you’re getting in some green. Feel free to add all sorts of chopped fresh vegetables to bring more variety to this healthy dinner.
Optional Additions:
Feel free to toss in any additional vegetables when you add the broccoli. Bell pepper, carrots, and spinach are all great options.
For creamy chicken and rice that is dairy-free, replace the chicken broth with one can of full-fat coconut milk. The texture will turn out rich and creamy!
Add any additional dried herbs or fresh herbs that you like. Oregano, thyme, and sage are a great way of adding more herby flavor.
I like adding 2 teaspoons of garlic powder to ramp up the garlic flavor. Feel free to do the same, and/or add a little bit of onion powder.
Now that we’re familiar with the ingredients, let’s make a big pot of chicken and rice!
How to Make One Pot Lemon Garlic Rosemary Chicken and Rice:
Heat the avocado oil in a large thick-bottomed pot (I use my large Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Note: a large 12-inch deep skillet will also work. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the brown rice and garlic and continue cooking and stirring for another 3 minutes.
Add in the lemon zest and juice, rosemary, and chicken broth and stir well.
Carefully place the chicken thighs into the pot, arranging them in a single layer in the liquid so that they aren’t overlapping.
Cover the pot with a lid and bring it to a full boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 40 minutes.
Remove the lid from the pot and add in the chopped broccoli florets. Replace the cover and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the broccoli has reached your desired doneness and the rice is fully cooked.
If after 50 minutes of total cook time the rice is still undercooked, turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit, covered for another 10 minutes.
Serve chicken and rice with broccoli with a little grated parmesan cheese on top of the rice and enjoy!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
This easy chicken recipe is even tastier the next day once the flavors have time to develop overnight.
If you’re looking to add side dishes to this meal, I suggest roasted vegetables, a green salad, garlic bread, or roasted asparagus.
Make this easy one pot meal any night of the week, and use it as a meal prep recipe!
Love the combination of chicken and rice? Be sure to try my Dairy-Free Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole or Arroz Con Pollo.
If you love simple one-pot meals, also try these recipes!
More One-Pot Meals:
- One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Potatoes
- Easy One-Pot Jambalaya
- One-Skillet Ground Turkey Thai Curry and Rice
- Ground Turkey Cabbage Skillet
- Creamy Crock Pot Pork Chops with Potatoes and Mushrooms
- One-Pot Ground Beef and Cabbage
- One-Pot Chicken Un-Fried Rice
It’s a chicken and rice kind of life!
One Pot Lemon Rosemary Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 4 to 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs about 1.5 to 2 pounds
- 1 large crown broccoli chopped into florets
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a large thick-bottomed pot (I use my large Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the brown rice and garlic and continue cooking and stirring for another 3 minutes.
- Add in the lemon zest and juice, rosemary, and chicken broth and stir well.
- Carefully place the chicken thighs into the pot, arranging them in a single layer in the liquid so that they aren’t overlapping.
- Cover the pot with a lid and bring it to a full boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 40 minutes.
- Remove the lid from the pot and add in the chopped broccoli florets. Replace the cover and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the broccoli has reached your desired doneness and the rice is fully cooked.
- Serve chicken and rice with broccoli with a little grated parmesan cheese on top of the rice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Thank you for the recipe! My husband and I really enjoyed it.
Yaay! Happy to hear it, Nancy! xo
This was very flavorful! Almost came out tasting like a risotto . The broccoli took a long time to cook so I probably should have cut it smaller or added earlier. Agree with the other commenter about needing salt and pepper. I also added a bit of better than bouillon.
I’m glad it turned out well for you, Heather! Definitely wise to add salt and pepper to personal taste. I tend to add a lot of salt, myself, but I have many followers who watch their sodium, so it can be a process to get it just right. Love the idea of adding bouillon! Thanks so much for the feedback! 🙂
This recipe was pretty good! I cooked it a little longer than the recipe called for so the rice and broccoli would be done. It did not call for salt and pepper but it definitely needed it!
So thrilled you enjoyed the recipe and that it all turned out well with your adaptations! Thanks for reporting back, Patti! xo