One-Pan Greek Chicken and Rice

Tempo

50 min

Picante

Dificuldade

Fácil

Rende

4porções

Ingredientes

Chicken marinade

chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in (~700-900g total)

2 tbsp

olive oil

1 tbsp

lemon zest

60ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)

1 tsp

garlic powder

1 tsp

dried oregano

1 tsp

dried thyme

¼ tsp

paprika doce

½ tsp

salt

¼ tsp

black pepper

Rice base

yellow onion, finely diced

garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp

olive oil

2 cup

baby spinach

1½ cup

long-grain white rice (or parboiled — agulhinha works)

3 cup

(720ml) chicken broth

¼ tsp

salt

¼ tsp

black pepper

¼ tsp

dried oregano

To serve

Lemon wedges

Crumbled feta (queijo feta) — optional, makes it Greek-er

Chopped fresh parsley or dill

Modo de preparo

01**Marinate chicken.** Whisk all marinade ingredients. Add chicken thighs, mix to coat. **Marinate 30 minutes minimum, ideally 2-4 hours**.
02**Preheat AFO** to **200°C bake/convection mode**.
03
**Prep rice base.** In a deep oven-safe baking dish (or any dish that fits the AFO):
- Add 1 tbsp olive oil
- Add diced onion, minced garlic — toss
- Spread evenly across the dish
04**First mini-bake (soften onions).** Place in AFO **5 minutes at 200°C** to soften onions and garlic without burning.
05**Add rice and spinach.** Open AFO. Stir in rice + spinach + the broth + salt + pepper + oregano. Spread evenly.
06**Add chicken on top.** Lay marinated chicken thighs **skin-up** on top of the rice. Pour any remaining marinade over the chicken (the lemon juice will run into the rice and flavor it).
07
**Bake.** **200°C, 35 minutes**. By the end:
- Chicken skin should be golden-crisp, internal temp 74°C
- Rice should have absorbed all the broth, fluffy
- Spinach wilted and integrated into the rice
08**Rest 5 minutes.** Cover loosely with foil while resting.
09**Plate.** Serve a thigh per person on a bed of the rice. Lemon wedges, feta crumbles, parsley scattered.

One-Pan Greek Chicken and Rice

The traybake-meets-rice-cooker dish: bone-in chicken thighs marinated in lemon-garlic-oregano, sat on a bed of rice + onion + spinach + broth, baked together. The chicken renders into the rice; the rice cooks in a flavored broth. 50 minutes, one pan, one dinner.

Heat: 0/5. No chile.

Serving

A simple Greek salad on the side: tomato + cucumber + red onion + olives + feta + olive oil + oregano. A glass of Assyrtiko (Greek white) or any crisp white. Or cold beer.

Notes

Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs are essential. The bone gives flavor; the skin protects the meat from drying and renders fat that flavors the rice. Boneless thighs cook too fast and dry out.
Spinach amount. 2 cups looks like a lot but it wilts to almost nothing. If you want more vegetable, double it.
Rice variety. Long-grain white (agulhinha) or parboiled. Don't use risotto rice (Arborio) — too starchy. Don't use brown rice — needs longer cook than the chicken.
The lemon-marinade-running-into-rice trick is what makes this dish. Don't drain the chicken before placing on rice — the marinade IS the seasoning for the rice.
Conventional oven: 200°C, same total time. Bake mode (no convection) takes 5 min longer.
Freezer-kit version: chicken + marinade in a freezer bag, freeze flat. Defrost overnight in fridge. Cook day: same recipe, ingredients fresh for the rice base.
Variations:
- Add 1 can drained chickpeas with the rice — heartier, vegetarian-leaning
- Swap spinach for chopped kale or chard (cook 5 min longer at start)
- Add 1 tsp ground cinnamon to the marinade — Cypriot variation
Wine match: Assyrtiko, Sauvignon Blanc, or a soft chardonnay.