One Skillet Chicken Thighs with Spinach Mushroom Rice
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
- 1-2 tablespoons garlic herb seasoning
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 8 oz button mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 2 1/2 cup stock I used a combo of chicken and garlic stock
- juice and zest of one lemon
- 6 oz baby spinach
Instructions
- Sprinkle chicken thighs all over with spices. In a large, deep skillet add a small amount of oil, the onion and brown the chicken, skin-side down.
- Remove the chicken to a plate or bowl and set aside. Add the garlic and mushrooms to the skillet and saute until softened. Add the rice and stir.
- Add the stock and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir, top with spinach and then return the chicken to the pan, skin side up.
- Cover and cook until the chicken and rice is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Shopping less frequently has meant I end up with some ingredients that need to be turned into something quickly before they spoil. It’s hard to really meal plan when the stores still aren’t stocked the way they were in the before times. I’ve been trying to expand my “one skillet” and easy dish repertoire over the past year. We haven’t been to a restaurant or gotten takeout in over a year now so coming up with quick, easy meals that require little prep has become more important.
Normally I use a rice cooker, I don’t think I’ve made rice on the stovetop in over a decade but I got to thinking that it would work in a dish like this. The inspiration was these chicken thighs baked-over vegetables dishes (like this one, and this one) I’ve made several times before but it was actually pretty warm out and I didn’t feel like turning on the oven. Why not return to my old friend, the skillet? I had made a lot of one cast iron pan recipes a few years back but had gotten out of the habit as the pan is heavy and in the back of a cabinet that is difficult to get to. I don’t have much energy for recipes that require me to get a helper to retrieve a pan anymore. We have a super deep skillet/saucepan (depending on what the manufacture decides to call them) which is about the same size as a large cast iron skillet and as a bonus, has a lid.
March is a fickle month, it lures you into 60 degree days and sunshine only to turn around and dump a thirty-degree temperature drop and some rain (or worse, snow) on you. Dishes like this are perfect for it though, cozy yet low effort yielding maximum results. The trick is not to skim on the spices and actually use the lemon and garlic in the rice. It sort of infuses the chicken with flavor and of course, keeps the rice from being bland and blah. We loved it! I really enjoyed not having to make a side dish, it was just a really filling, complete meal.
