One pan Mediterranean chicken and rice is gently simmered on the stovetop with sundried tomatoes and red onions. With bursting bright flavors of lemon and capers, it’s high in protein and fiber, making it a nutritious meal with easy prep and clean up.
One pan meals are always here to save you in a weeknight pinch. While this recipe calls for slightly more ingredients than a basic chicken and rice dish or my reader favorite turkey meatballs and rice, the few extras are worth it.
Bursting with flavor and texture, it’s perfect for a simple yet impressive homecooked meal. Mediterranean rice and chicken is also great for meal prep. It reheats well and maintains great flavor!
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Why you’ll love mediterranean Rice and Chicken
ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts, all similar in size and thickness to ensure even cooking.
- ¼ cup flour for dredging, along with seasonings paprika, salt and pepper.
- 1 cup jasmine rice, or something similar like basmati rice.
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced. If you have picky eaters adverse to visible onions, feel free to use finely diced yellow onion.
- ¼ cup-½ cup sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped, along with 4-5 tablespoons tomato oil from jar.
- 3 garlic cloves, minced.
- Lemon juice from 1 lemon, and 2 cups cooking liquid. I used 1 cup each chicken broth and dry white wine, but feel free to use just broth.
- Kosher salt and black pepper, about 1-2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- ¼ cup capers for finishing and fresh parsley to garnish.
how to make mediterranean chicken and rice
Dredge and sear the chicken
Stir the paprika, salt and pepper into the flour and lightly salt the chicken breasts. Gently dredge each breast in the flour mixture and set on a plate. Heat 2 tablespoons of the tomato oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat and sear the chicken. 5-7 minutes on one side, flip and then sear 3-5 minutes on the other.
Remove chicken and saute onions & garlic
Once the chicken breasts have a nice golden sear, remove them and set aside. They WILL NOT be done cooking and that’s fine. Heat an additional 2 tablespoons of the tomato oil in the pan and lower heat to medium. Sauté the onions and garlic till soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes.
Add rice
Gently cook rice while stirring often, till just slightly brown and toasted, about 3 minutes.
Add broth, sundried tomatoes & a good pinch of salt
Add broth and wine if using, and also stir in the chopped sundried tomatoes. Squeeze the juice from half the lemon into the pan, as well as a generous pinch of kosher salt and pepper, and give everything a good stir. Return the chicken to the pan.
Cook Mediterranean chicken and rice
Once the chicken breasts are nestled into the broth and rice, lower the heat to a very gentle simmer and cover. Cook on medium-low for about 10-12 minutes. Remove the lid and squeeze in the juice from the other lemon half all over the chicken dish, and spoon the capers all over. Add the lid and cook for another 3-5 minutes, till chicken breasts are cooked through and rice is tender.
The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees f. and the rice is tender but still a bit chewy. Feel free to add more fresh capers for an additional zing, and garnish with fresh parsley.
Recipe tips and faq’s
Dredging helps give the chicken that nice golden brown color during the sear. It can also help to lock in moisture and flavor. According to Better Homes and Gardens, “Food dredged in flour or another coating will gain flavor and texture and get an extra punch from the oil or butter you use to cook the food.”
Have I gotcha covered in this area! The good news is with a couple of simple modifications, this dish can be tweaked to please selective eaters without sacrificing too much flavor!
Start by swapping out the red onion slices for finely diced yellow onions, which will still add flavor but not be as noticeable. Second, when the rice and chicken is done cooking, remove some of each food, then stir in the sundried tomatoes and capers. Allow them to sit in the dish for a few minutes to warm from the residual eat, and enjoy.
These recommendations are minimal tweaks but can help please everyone!
Mushy or undercooked rice?
If you’ve tried making a one pan protein + rice dish before, with uneven results, here are a couple of tips.
- Stick to a long grain rice like Jasmine or Basmati rice, as it’s more likely to stay fluffy and not turn mushy.
- Make sure to not check on the dish too much by removing the lid, which can release steam. Instead, just check on the rice to liquid ratio and feel of rice when you remove the lid to add the lemon juice and capers. If the rice is still undercooked but all the liquid has evaporated, add about ¼ cup of water.
- Make sure the dish cooks on a gentle simmer, so the cooking liquid does not evaporate before the rice and chicken can cook through.
more one pan wonders
Looking for more delicious and easy weeknight dinners that need little prep and clean up? Check out these reader favorites below.
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Did you make this recipe?
If you gave this recipe a try, I’d love your feedback! Any tips or recipe additions you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it! Let’s connect down in the comments below.
Mediterranean Chicken Dish
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken breasts about 2-2.5 lbs
- ¼ cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Thyme fresh or dried
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- 2.5 tsp Salt divided
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper divided
- 4 tablespoon Sundried tomato oil from a jar of sundried tomatoes, divided
- ½ cup Sundried tomatoes coarsely chopped
- 1/ medium Red onion thinly sliced
- 1 Garlic clove minced
- 1 cup Jasmine rice
- 1 cup Chicken broth
- 1 cup Dry white wine or use 2 cups broth
- 1 Lemon cut in half
- 3 tablespoon Capers
Instructions
- Stir the paprika, ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper into the flour and lightly salt the chicken breasts. Gently dredge each breast in the flour mixture and set on a plate.4 Chicken breasts, ¼ cup Flour, 1 teaspoon Thyme, ½ teaspoon Paprika, 2.5 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the tomato oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat and sear the chicken. 5-7 minutes on one side, flip and then sear 3-5 minutes on the other.4 tablespoon Sundried tomato oil
- Once the chicken breasts have a nice golden sear, remove them and set aside. They WILL NOT be done cooking and that’s fine.
- Heat an additional 2 tablespoons of the tomato oil in the pan and lower heat to medium. Sauté the onions and garlic till soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes. You may need to add a bit more plain olive oil here, as needed.1/ medium Red onion, 1 Garlic clove
- Add rice and gently cook while stirring often, till just slightly brown and toasted, about 3 minutes.1 cup Jasmine rice
- Add broth and wine if using, and also stir in the chopped sundried tomatoes. Squeeze the juice from half the lemon into the pan, as well as the remaining salt and pepper, and give everything a good stir.½ cup Sundried tomatoes, 1 cup Chicken broth, 1 cup Dry white wine, 1 Lemon
- Return the chicken to the pan. Once the chicken breasts are nestled into the broth and rice, lower the heat to a very gentle simmer and cover. Cook on medium-low for about 10-12 minutes.
- Remove the lid and squeeze in the juice from the other lemon half all over the chicken dish, and spoon the capers all over. Add the lid and cook for another 3-5 minutes, till chicken breasts are cooked through to at least 160 degrees f and rice is tender.3 tablespoon Capers
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