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Home » Main Dishes

Lemon Chicken and Rice

Updated: Nov 7, 2025 by Olya Shepard · 1 Comment

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This is a truly easy and delicious lemon chicken and rice dinner. Love the intense flavor and a one pan clean up! A simple combination of lemon, garlic and butter. The key is to cut the lemon rounds thick enough, so they can retain their shape.

If you love Chicken Thighs as much as I do, try Moroccan Chicken and Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs next.

Lemon Rice Chicken Skillet

I love one pot chicken and rices recipes such as this simple Chicken with Garlic Parmesan Rice and I am always obsessed with finding new and easy ways to use make tasty chicken and rice! This recipe fits the bill - so quick and easy to make for a comforting weeknight dinner.

Recipe Basics

  • Make sure to season both the chicken and rice, which are cooked together in one pan
  • Top the dish with lemon slices for a bright splash of color and flavor.
  • Lemon chicken and rice recipe is easily adjustable for a larger batch: Add 3-4 drumsticks (about 1 ½ pounds) to the chicken thighs, increase the butter by 1 tablespoon and adjust seasonings as needed.
Lemon Rice Chicken Skillet

This easy chicken and rice is one of my favorite recipes because it's a one pot meal. It's comforting, family-friendly and healthy. All you need to round out the meal is a green salad or another fresh fruit or veggie. Everyone will be happy, and you'll be so glad you found this quick dinner recipe to add to your rotation!

Garnish the chicken and vegetables with the cheese and the remaining parsley, and serve with the lemon wedges.

Lemon Rice Chicken Skillet

Garnish the chicken and vegetables with the cheese and the remaining parsley, and serve with the lemon wedges.

More delicious chicken dinner ideas

  • Herb Roasted Chicken in Creamy White Wine Sauce
  • Italian Chicken Pasta in Creamy White Wine Parmesan Sauce
  • Chicken and Mushroom Pasta in Madeira Wine Sauce
  • Seared Chicken Pasta in Chardonnay Wine Sauce

Lemon Chicken and Rice

Chicken thighs and rice are simmered with lemons and herbs is an easy recipe to impress your company with!

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4.80 from 5 votes
Print Pin
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lemon chicken and rice
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Olya Shepard

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 4 chicken thighs (skin on, bone in)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 lemon sliced

Rice

  • 1 red onion chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup white rice (uncooked)
  • 2 ¼ cups chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Parsley (for garnish)

Instructions

Chicken

  • Season chicken with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Heat the skillet on medium high heat and add butter to the preheated skillet. Once melted, add seasoned chicken to the skillet and brown it for 5 minutes on each side on medium high heat.
  • Remove chicken and add lemons to the pan. Sear them only a little, until the juices are released. Remove lemons from the pan as well.

Rice

  • To the same skillet, add chopped onion and garlic and cook until slightly translucent. 
  • Add the rice, chicken broth, garlic powder, salt and Italian seasoning to the skillet over medium heat and use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the pan. Let rice come to a small boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. 
  • Place the chicken on top of the rice, cover with lid and let cook an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
  • Make sure to check the chicken for doneness by cutting. Chicken should be cooked through at the very end of simmering process.
  • Turn off the heat. Stir the rice really well and garnish with lemons. Let it sit for about 5 minutes with a lid closed. Garnish with parsley.
Calories: 500kcal
Nutrition Facts
Lemon Chicken and Rice
Amount per Serving
Calories
500
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
25
g
38
%
Saturated Fat
 
8
g
50
%
Cholesterol
 
126
mg
42
%
Sodium
 
1063
mg
46
%
Potassium
 
502
mg
14
%
Carbohydrates
 
44
g
15
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
1
g
1
%
Protein
 
23
g
46
%
Vitamin A
 
280
IU
6
%
Vitamin C
 
25.5
mg
31
%
Calcium
 
61
mg
6
%
Iron
 
2.1
mg
12
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

  1. Nataly says

    June 15, 2018 at 5:25 pm

    I made it several times already. Will try with brown rice next.

    Reply
4.80 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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