One-Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice
One-pot cilantro lime chicken and rice is a healthy and filling meal packed with incredible Caribbean flavors. This easy weeknight dinner comes ready in less than 45 minutes. Comfort food on steroids!
Chicken and rice together is traditional in almost every culture. I love those quick and filling meals that don’t require a lot of cleanup. One-pot meals are such a time saver. So whenever I ask myself what to make for dinner, an easy one-dish recipe is usually the answer.
My family is my weakness, followed by food, of course. But now that we’re talking food, I love how easy one-pot meals are to prepare and being able to get all the food groups in one clean sweep. Easy cleaning is a bonus.
Why Cilantro, Lime, Chicken, and Rice Work Together
If you’ve ever tried the cilantro lime rice at Chipotle, you know how well these flavors play together. This classic Caribbean flavor profile is light and refreshing. It kind of lightens up the chicken and balances it out for tempting tropical vibes. When you cook the rice and chicken together, the rice soaks up all that flavor from the chicken. My niece, who was visiting from college, couldn’t get enough. Now she wants me to make it every time she visits. Get ready for love at first bite.
How to Make Lime Chicken and Rice in One Pot
- Wash chicken thighs. For faster cooking, make a ½” slit into each chicken thigh meat on either side of the chicken, then pat dry with a paper towel.
- Season with salt (about 1½ teaspoons), then rub the thighs with lime juice, garlic, and adobo spice blend or your favorite spice mix. (Photos 1-2)
- Sear the chicken, being careful to avoid burning. Remove from the pan and set aside. (Photos 3-4)
- Wash the rice in cold water until the water runs clear, strain, and set aside.
- Sauté the onions, jalapenos, bay leaves, cumin, and paprika. Then add the garlic and stir for another minute. (Photos 5-6)
- Add the rice and cilantro, and stir for about a minute. Pour over chicken broth, lime juice, zest, and the beans. Adjust seasoning with white pepper and salt to taste. (Photos 7-10)
- Bake – Return the chicken to the pan with its juice. Bake at 350℉ (178℃) for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Internal temperature for tender thighs is 175-190°F (79-88°C). (Photo 11)
- Serve – Remove from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes, and enjoy with slices of lime and chopped cilantro. (Photo 12)
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Adobo seasoning is a blend of oregano, white pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic, and onion. It’s available in most supermarkets in the spice department. Creole and Italian seasonings also work well.
- Feel free to use other cuts of chicken or even a whole chicken. The advantage of thighs and leg quarters is that they take about the same time to cook as the rice.
- You can substitute white long-grain rice with brown rice, but you’ll need to use parboiled brown rice or adjust cooking time by another 30 minutes.
- Lime juice can be overpowering to some people, so go easy with it and taste as you go.
Lime Chicken and Rice Menu Ideas
If I’m tired, this is it all on its own. But when I’m feeling a little extra, roasted vegetables or a Greek salad make it even healthier. Arroz con leche is excellent for dessert.
More Incredible One-Pot Meal Recipes
By Imma
This blog post was originally published in November 2017 and has been updated with additional tips and gorgeous photos.
One-Pot Lime Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
The Marinade
- 2½-3 pounds (1-1.5kg) chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
- 1½ teaspoon (9g) salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ tablespoon (7-8ml) lime juice (adjust to taste)
- ½-1 teaspoon (3-4g) minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons (24g) adobo seasoning or your favorite chicken seasoning (see notes)
Chicken and Rice
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45g) canola oil
- 2 cups (360-400g) uncooked long-grain rice
- ½ medium onion, diced
- ½ jalapeno pepper, diced
- 2 small bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon (3g) ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon (3g) paprika
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3-4 tablespoons (12-15g) chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 cups (945ml) chicken broth
- 1 lime, zested and juiced (1½ teaspoons (7-8ml) juice)
- 1 15.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained (1½ cups)
- cilantro and lime slices for garnishing
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) white pepper
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken thighs. For faster cooking, make a ½" slit in the chicken thighs on either side of the bone, then pat them dry.
- Season with salt (about 1½ teaspoons), then rub the thighs with lime juice, garlic, and adobo spice blend or your favorite spice mix. You can do this an hour before to let it marinate.
- Heat a tablespoon or two of cooking oil in a skillet, Dutch oven, or oven-safe pan. Sear the chicken, skin side down, for about 3 minutes, then flip and sear for another 3 minutes. Be very careful to avoid burning. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
- Meanwhile, cover the rice in a large bowl with cold water and use your hands to wash the grains. Strain the water out, and repeat until the water runs clear (2-3 times). Drain.
- Wipe the pan with a paper towel to remove any bits. Add another tablespoon of oil, followed by onions, jalapenos, bay leaves, cumin, and paprika. Sauté until soft but not golden, 2-3 minutes. Then add the garlic and stir for another minute.
- Next, add the rice and cilantro, and stir for about a minute. Pour over chicken broth, lime juice, zest, and the beans. Adjust seasoning with white pepper and salt to taste.
- Add the chicken back to the pan with its juice. Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Internal temperature for tender thighs is 175-190°F (79-88°C).
- Remove from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes, and serve garnished with slices of lime and chopped cilantro.
Tips & Notes:
- Rinsing chicken is a controversial subject. I disinfect my kitchen and tools after washing chicken. But you do you.
- You can also use boneless and skinless chicken thighs for this recipe.
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! I love chicken thighs and my boyfriend does not so when we eat separately I look for recipes with thighs to experiment with. He would’ve loved it too so I will definitely make him try it. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the feedback.
I tried your other jerk rice recipe and it was fantastic, so I thought I’d try this one out too!
Unfortunately after baking for 35 minutes there was quite a bit of water left in the skillet. Then I recalled that the jerk recipe called for boiling the rice before putting this one in the oven, but this one did not. Might that have made the difference?
Yes it will. Though it will shorten the cooking time, cooked rice won’t absorb the excess moisture.
Just cooked it with and for friends.
We garnished with a lot of lime it was delicious.
Would definitly cook again! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Yaaay! So happy you and your friends liked this. Thank you for letting me know. Happy weekend!
I made this tonight and it turned out great! I omitted the beans and used a small piece of scotch bonnet pepper instead of jalapeño. I have been making your recipes often lately and they are always delicious. Thanks for sharing them!!
Thank you for taking the time to let me know, Kelli. I’m glad it all turned out great for you. Happy cooking! 🙂
Looks so good! Wondering if I can brown chicken and put it & all the ingredients in a crockpot : /
You might have to reduce the liquid to about 1 1/2 cups, if not your rice would be mushy. I haven’t tested this recipe yet in the slow cooker so can’t say for sure.
Made this today with boneless skinless thighs and it was excellent. Used Cajun because didn’t have adobo. Took about 35-38 minutes in the oven. There was still some water left but it got soaked once I let it sit covered for 10 minutes or so. Very good recipe, thanks!
Awesome! Glad to hear it worked out well for you. Thanks for the feedback!
This looks amazing, but I think you put the skin side down in the pan to brown the skin? I am making your chicken drumsticks as we speak. Hope to try this next. I love your site
Aww, Thanks Sue! Yes I do.
Turning the chicken to brown the skin isn’t mentioned in the recipe at all. I’m an accomplished cook, but people who don’t have a lot of experience in the kitchen might be confused by this — especially since one of the pictures shows it skin-side down.
Also: “with its* juice.” “It’s” with the apostrophe is a contraction for “it is.”
Thanks for the feedback!Noted and updated.
Made this tonight. Fantastic. Yes, easy to put together, and yes, super rich flavors! Not a bite left. Served with sliced avocado and cabbage salad.
Oh WOW! Avocados pair so well with this. Thank you so much for the feedback.
So the rice should bake with the chicken in the oven as well?
Yes it should.
In fact, I love chicken thighs. But sometimes I prefer chicken wings. For this recipe, can I use chicken wings instead?
Never tried it with wings . Am guessing it would work. Make sure the chicken wings fully cover the rice, before baking. If you do make it, let me know how it works out for you. Thanks!
This looks delicious and healthy! Thank you!
Thanks! Glad you like it!